COUNTYWIDE : Rally in Ventura Promotes Higher Quality Child Care

Children picnicked on the grass and ate heart-shaped cookies at the Ventura County Government Center while county officials and child-care leaders rallied for higher quality day care.

“We’ve come a long way, but we can’t stop here,” said Anita Garaway, director of Patagonia’s child-care program and a board member of the Tri-Counties Assn. for the Education of Young Children.

This is the “Week of the Young Child,” and the rally Tuesday was staged to recognize the importance of child care for children whose parents work. The county supervisors passed a resolution Tuesday honoring the special week.

The supervisors were on hand for the rally and each was presented with a framed piece of artwork done by children from the day-care centers represented at the rally. The children also handed out heart necklaces and pins.

Supervisor Maggie Erickson Kildee said times have changed since her daughters were children.

Then, day care “was considered not the best environment for a child,” she said. “We’ve since learned what a good experience it can be. It’s given mothers the opportunity to make choices and deal with the economics they have to deal with.”

Supervisor Maria VanderKolk, who gave birth to a daughter six months ago, said, “It’s amazing to me how much closer this all comes to the heart when you have one of your own.”

Garaway praised county officials for leading the way with their child-care program for county employees. County Child Care Coordinator Debbie Bergevin was hired almost three years ago. To date, the county subsidizes 95 day-care spaces and provides a day-care facility for the ill children of employees.

But Garaway said that much still needs to be done to improve child care in the county. Child-care providers as a group are generally underpaid, she said. Most have no health insurance. The turnover rate is high--41% to 45% per year in centers and 60% to 65% in home-based operations.

“We’re going to pay the price for what this does to the kids,” she said.