As a Social Worker in a rural county of Virginia, I have great concerns regarding the proposed child care center changes.  Many people have already done the calculations:  if the proposed changes take place, centers will have to raise their rates in order to keep their doors open.  They will also be keeping fewer children because of the space requirements.  This will have a huge economic impact on centers and parents.  Centers will be forced to choose which children they keep and which have to leave.  Parents will be able to help in this decision as many will be unable to pay the increased costs.

The Child Care Assistance Program through the Department of Social Services will ultimately be spending much more money.  Many agencies already have people on waiting lists because the funding is simply not available for everyone who qualifies for assistance.  Should the cost of child care increase, more people will apply for assistance.  Parents who are already on assistance may have increased costs as well, if they must cover the increased fees until more Assistance money is available.

A final concern is that more people will open and operate home-based child care illegally, hoping that they will not get caught.  Parents will either use the illegal care because of the cost, or will simply leave their children at home alone.  An increase in Child Protective Services may result from this.

Every good parent wants the best for their child(ren).  This is why parents work and/or attend school to further their education.  However, there are economics involved and parents sometimes have to choose between quality care and feeding their family or paying the rent.  For many Virginians, they must choose the latter, hoping that their child will be safe.

Please note that my major concerns are for how the staff to child ratios and space requirements will impact the children and their parents.  Most of the other proposed changes seem plausible and would only serve to enhance the quality of child care.

Thank you for your time and interest in this matter.