Margie Hale, executive director of the West Virginia Kids Count Fund, wants the state to invest in a quality child-care rating and improvement system. Only 8 percent of the state's child-care centers meet the national gold standard for quality. Just 13 of 55 counties have a nationally accredited center.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia children need better child care, and the state should help give it to them, according to a report released Wednesday.
Margie Hale, executive director of the West Virginia Kids Count Fund, wants the state to invest in a quality child-care rating and improvement system.
Only 8 percent of the state's child-care centers meet the national gold standard for quality. Just 13 of 55 counties have a nationally accredited center, according to the report.
Renate Pore, a health policy analyst for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, wants the state to invest in child-care workers' wages and continued education, or help parents who pay for care with subsidies.
"The private sector pays most of the money into child care because of the way our system is set up," Hale said.
Kids Count officials grew a grass-roots campaign for a new rating system that gained enthusiastic support from more than 2,500 parents, providers and community leaders.
Hale expects state Sen. Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, to introduce legislation this session that would set up and help pay for a childcare quality rating system.
"We do believe that we do have the governor and the first lady's support," she said.
Hale said a rating system is a "proven mechanism to improve quality over time. It's also a wonderful economic opportunity over time."
Also, researchers at Marshall University reported that for every dollar West Virginia invests in childcare quality, the state will earn a $5.20 return.
"We're not spending very much on childcare," Pore said. "We look good because of our investment in pre-K."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia children need better child care, and the state should help give it to them, according to a report released Wednesday.
Margie Hale, executive director of the West Virginia Kids Count Fund, wants the state to invest in a quality child-care rating and improvement system.
Only 8 percent of the state's child-care centers meet the national gold standard for quality. Just 13 of 55 counties have a nationally accredited center, according to the report.
Renate Pore, a health policy analyst for the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, wants the state to invest in child-care workers' wages and continued education, or help parents who pay for care with subsidies.
"The private sector pays most of the money into child care because of the way our system is set up," Hale said.
Kids Count officials grew a grass-roots campaign for a new rating system that gained enthusiastic support from more than 2,500 parents, providers and community leaders.
Hale expects state Sen. Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, to introduce legislation this session that would set up and help pay for a childcare quality rating system.
"We do believe that we do have the governor and the first lady's support," she said.
Hale said a rating system is a "proven mechanism to improve quality over time. It's also a wonderful economic opportunity over time."
Also, researchers at Marshall University reported that for every dollar West Virginia invests in childcare quality, the state will earn a $5.20 return.
"We're not spending very much on childcare," Pore said. "We look good because of our investment in pre-K."
Pore has found that the state spends $26.9 million a year on childcare, not counting pre-kindergarten.
She noted the significant investment in pre-kindergarten programs for 4-year-olds, which shows spending of $74 million in 2007, or $590 per child. Still, for child care, the state spent $207 per child for those under age 6.
Pore believes an extra $10 million investment each of the next five years would get the state's childcare system in better position. "We could help people who are barely getting by," she said.
She believes the $75 million state surplus or a possible hike in the cigarette tax could help cover the costs.
Hale highlighted the need for a child-care rating system as she released the West Virginia Kids Count Data Book, which showed that southern coal counties still struggle in several indicators of a child's well-being. The data book measures infant mortality, child abuse and neglect, teen births, juvenile delinquency, poverty and more.
Kanawha County saw a 20 percent increase from 2000 to 2006 in high school dropouts, making it the third worst county in the state for dropouts. Data from 2006 was the most recent available. In 2006, the county also saw an increase in the number of low birth-weight babies, which is often affected by smoking and other health problems, and more teens died from injuries.
Lincoln County ranked last in the state, and, from 2000 to 2006, fared worse in eight of 11 indicators of a child's well being. The number of dropouts in Lincoln County also ranked the county low.
Putnam County, however, ranked second-best in the state behind Pendleton County.
For information on how each county fared, visit: www.wvkidscountfund.org.
Reach Davin White at davinwh...@wvgazette.com">davinwh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1254.
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I am just barely over income for help at the child resource center. I was making $9.53 per hour. I was only working part time, I was unable to find full time work. Daycare cost $140 per week. They charge you rather your kid is there or not, so even if you only worked part time, you still have to pay for full time child care.
"We're not spending very much on childcare," Pore said.
Was he referring to the state? If he was referring to the parents, I disagree.