TKW Consulting

Child care solutions are intensely local
Small towns and rural areas have advantages and disadvantagesWhen it comes to making compromises, none is more uncomfortable than one that affects our children's well-being and prospects. As our series on child care makes clear, parents here face tough choices when it comes to finding child care.

It seems that every month brings fresh news of the vital importance of children's early years in setting a path for success and health in later life. With economic conditions that increasingly make it absolutely necessary for both parents to be employed - and with many children living with only one parent - finding child care isn't optional.Search national news sources and you will find hundreds of current stories about child care and the difficulties surrounding it. Some clear themes emerge:

• Many entrepreneurs have stepped up to help bridge the child-care availability gaps in communities throughout the nation. This is also true here. But they face numerous challenges in terms of state and local licensing, attracting and retaining high-quality employees, finding affordable insurance and other issues. All these factors contribute to how much these facilities must charge per child in order to make a decent income.

• Small towns and rural areas have both advantages and disadvantages compared to cities when it comes to child care. On the one hand, opening home-based child-care facilities provides a somewhat attractive employment option, particularly for rural women with children of their own. The closeness of small-town life means it is possible for parents to keep tabs on their kids and the care they are receiving. But as with so many other necessities and amenities, rural areas frequently have fewer options. If you don't like the child-care choice in your town, the next option may be 15 miles away.

• Lack of infant care is a nationwide issue. Children from birth until they are out of diapers are, as every parent knows, considerably more labor-intensive than older kids. This is reflected in a severe shortage of facilities specializing in this age group. The useful http://www.childcarelounge.com/ Web site notes that recommended ratios for adults to children are: infants-1:3, toddlers-1:5, preschool-1:8, school age-1:12.

• At too many existing child-care facilities, nutritious meal and snack choices are limited. Providers tend to supply foods that children eat with the least fuss, and in many cases this means an over-reliance on processed products loaded with oils and sugars.

• Similarly, facilities may rely on TV as a primary form of entertainment to a greater extent than parents prefer. In its section on choosing a quality day care program, www.childcarelounge.com suggests some helpful criteria, including "Do the activities promote growth in different areas of development including, physical growth, social skills, emotional growth, verbal skills, cognitive ability and creativity?" and "Is the physical environment a bright, colorful and inviting place?"

The U.S. has left the availability of child care and associated issues up to the marketplace. But for many of the reasons sketched out above - licensing, personnel shortages, insurance, affordability for parents who have the kinds of jobs our economy creates - more government financial aid and public-private partnerships are clearly needed.