A new
survey shows most young children in West
Virginia
“The
vast majority of our children are in the care of some person that we don’t know
anything about,” said Margie Hale, executive director of Kids Count, which
released its 2013 data book Wednesday.
Hale
said most of those children under 6 are probably watched by a relative or a
neighbor but there’s no guarantee that are getting quality care.
“These
are all unlicensed, unmonitored situations. We don’t know what they are,” Hale
said.
The
data book shows 33,000 kids are in unlicensed child care, 30,000 other
children in minimum quality child care, 2,000 in higher quality and 1,600
children in the highest quality child care programs.
Hale
said the state needs to increase its investment in early childhood education.
She cites a 2005 Marshall University study that shows each dollar spent on
those programs in the Mountain
State
“These
children will get jobs, delay marriage and stay out of jail,” she said. “All
the things that happen to kids who don’t have good early experiences.”
Hale
said investing in the state’s youngest children will have a dramatically higher
return than any other age.
“It’s
the best economic development project the state could take,” Hale said.
“Those
are the programs we’re not investing in,” she said.
The
2013 Kids Count Data Book lists three public investments that will bring high
returns:
1.
Support parents, for instance through programs that coach those who want help,
so they can successfully care for their children.
2.
Increase access to high-quality programs for young children, particularly those
from low-income families.
3.
Develop comprehensive, integrated programs and data systems that address all
aspects of early child development.
Kids
Count said Monongalia County has the best overall child well-being and McDowell County
