Get down: Nanny-911 is a joke in yo’ town

Last night I joined “Freedom Watch” on Fox Business to discuss a number of the day’s top headlines; but one story about government subsidized day care is worth expanding on here. 

The state of Illinois just found itself in a bit of a mess. After investing $750 million annually into a program to subsidize childcare for low-income families, it has come out that many of the state-hired childcare providers were convicted rapists, molesters and other violent felons.

This is why I’m always so amazed at the fact that women’s groups like NOW are such proponents of increased government assistance with childcare and push for even greater expansion of pre-K public education. Not only does providing childcare fall way outside the purview of government — state or federal — it’s also a deeply important and personal decision. Why would anyone want the government to determine who is deemed “fit” to watch one’s children?

Too often there is an assumption that if government doesn’t screen or license childcare providers, no one will. But nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is, there are lots of very effective private companies — consider Sittercity.com or Care.com — that are in the business of helping parents find the right childcare provider, whether it’s a full-time nanny, a weekend babysitter or just a mother’s helper. And companies like this offer background checks, references and a host of other information in an affordable and easy to navigate system.

Of course it doesn’t take a situation as egregious as the one in Illinois to see why government-run childcare is a bad idea. When government gets into the business of daycare — as with healthcare or the auto industry — it skews the marketplace. Government-funded daycare might provide “free” daycare for some parents, but it comes at a high cost to taxpayers, to children (as the Illinois case demonstrates) and to civil society. The fact is, programs like this often step in and crowd out private providers who offer families better care.

Unfortunately, situations like the one in Illinois often fail to be a lesson for other states. My IWF colleague Anna Rittgers writes over at the Inkwell blog today about a new childcare bill (AB 889) passed recently by California’s state legislature that “would require that parents provide domestic employees (which include housekeepers, nannies, and caregivers) certain benefits.” Included in this generous package the legislature is considering: minimum wage, breaks every two hours, worker’s compensation coverage, and overtime.

As Anna points out, “if this bill becomes law in California … babysitters 18 and over will have a harder time finding work.” As with so much “protective” legislation, babysitters will get less work and make less money.

The bottom line is there is nothing more important to a parent than their child. But when government gets into the business of childcare, they make it more difficult for parents to find and employ qualified providers.

Sabrina L. Schaeffer is the managing partner of Evolving Strategies and a senior fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum.

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