The Budget and Kids

One of the big topics in childcare is the big Federal budget. The administration does not want to increase spending on childcare, and the hue and cry is echoing through the nation in shrieks of horror.

The childcare welfare to work program pays day care expenses while parents work at least 20 hours or go to school. The waiting list for this program is months long.

Do we really have that many people in need of child care assistance? The more interesting question is why?

Is it a problem within the family? Is it a combination of youthful poor choices?

Do poor choices become the responsibility of the working parent who has the education, the good job, and the stake in the community to support those who have not made similar choices or who have not worked as hard?

The typical profile of someone needing assisted childcare is a single undereducated very young parent who has no skills, and for the most part doesn’t know how to acquire them.

On the other hand, for some, childcare assistance means a parent who has been abandoned by another parent can hold it all together, go back to school, hold down a job and support his or her family.

There are thousands of stories, and the answer to how much someone is entitled to is a personal preference. But remember that the child will always be the pawn. Does a child deserve to be rescued by tax dollars when his situation is at risk?

If the answer is yes, then we need to look closely at what we deem as rescue, and make sure that his rescue is not some terrible kiddy warehouse.

Here’s an informative piece from the San Francisco Chronicle that has some good links.

You will have to go to Special sections and in the "Quick Search" type in Welfare Overhaul.