From the N.C. Child Care Coalition Update #8 (August 2010) by Roz Savitt, Public Policy Consultant and Lobbyist, NC Child Care Coalition:
Do Elections Matter? You Bet They Do! Here is an Example
Have you ever heard of the North Carolina based John Locke Foundation? It is a leading conservative think tank that espouses the mantra of less government no matter what! They closely follow state politics and state legislation. Many, many public officials read their proposals and agree with them. So, this Fall if you get a chance to ask any candidates running for the NC General Assembly a question, why not ask them if they agree or not with the John Locke Foundation Agenda 2010? Under their ideas in the category of ?Child Care and Early Childhood Education,? (Agenda 2010) they recommend:
1. Eliminate Smart Start and other subsidy programs for childcare and preschool expenses in favor of a refundable Smart Start tax credit for preschool children. For a smaller subset of desperately poor preschoolers who lack functioning parents, a carefully designed state intervention may be justified.
2. Limit regulation of daycare operations to health and safety requirements only. Parents should make their own decisions about the trade-off between price and child/staff ratios or qualifications.
3. Have a qualified, independent research firm redesign and conduct yearly evaluations of Smart Start and More at Four. Longitudinal studies should be conducted to determine if state pre-kindergarten programs produce lasting social and educational benefits as children progress through school.
Do Elections Matter? You Betcha!
