Child Care

Your editorial “Child-Care Time Is Now” (July 27) helps clarify one of the more serious debates surrounding the Congressional Act for Better Child Care--the separation of church and state.

The purpose of the ABC bill is not to pit the church and state against one another, but to provide relief to our nation’s very serious child-care dilemma. California in particular is hard hit by the lack of affordable and available child-care positions. In fact, our state has 134,000 children on waiting lists for state child-care programs.

If the ABC bill passes, California will receive $221 million--more than any other state--for programs. To demonstrate the great need in California, I authored and successfully sent to Congress Assembly Joint Resolution 62, which supports the ABC bill. I was reluctant to move my resolution, however, as long as the ABC bill made compliance for church-run day-care centers too difficult. Frankly, some of the requirements were on the absurd side.

Now, however, the ABC bill no longer requires church-run centers to cover or remove religious artifacts visible in the center; nor does it exclude these centers from receiving grants or loans for facility improvements. It does, however, respectfully keep intact one of the main principles our country was founded upon.

Church-run day-care centers are an important part of our society. They care for many children who otherwise would have no place else to go. It is critical that we include and welcome these centers in any legislative discussions and pass this most worthwhile and long overdue measure.

DOMINIC L. CORTESE

Assemblyman, D-San Jose

Chairman

Select Committee on Child Care