Child Care Bill Discriminates

The Act for Better Child Care bill, sponsored by Sen. Christopher Dodd (“Child Care Gets Political at Conference” by Eileen Quigley, March 21), is not the salvation of the working parent as claimed.

It is a discriminatory bill, unfair to lower middle-class and poor workers despite its lofty ideals of federal funding for child care.

The bill would severely restrict the freedom of choice by parents and child care centers. Federal funding would be limited to heavily regulated centers which must censor the teaching of religion and hide all references to and symbols of Judeo-Christian beliefs.

Parents could not place their children in centers of the parents’ choice because only day care centers that submit to government control will be allowed federal funds.

In addition, the bill would set up yet another federal bureaucracy to oversee local centers.

Rich and upper-middle-class executives will send their children where they wish for day care. But if the bill passes, poor and lower middle class workers will have to send their children to government-controlled centers since they can afford nothing else.

If Dodd and the special interest groups pushing this bill want to promote child care for working parents, why don’t they support vouchers or tax credits, which let parents choose a day care center?

Instead, once again the power of federal bureaucrats takes precedence over individual rights.

CAROLINE MIRANDA

North Hollywood