For years there has been a push for federal child care from the members of the Clinton administration, but the latest push is now coming from the media. Lifetime Television will be producing a public affairs campaign entitled, "Caring for Kids." The program is undertaken with the help of the National Council of Women's Organizations. Their goal is clear: make child care a priority in the 2000 elections.
The campaign uses media to tell the story of parents looking for child care. They have collected more than 2000 personal child care stories from families across the nation. The stories were delivered to Congress and were part of a documentary that appeared last week on Lifetime.
Proponents of federal child care believe that one of their strongest points is that child care is no longer a woman's problem. It now involves fathers as well, and we meet some in the documentary. So far so good. Then the scene shifts to France where child care is "part of the culture." If you aren't aware, this scene is essentially right out of Hillary Clinton's book It Takes a Village which promotes the French example of day care.
While I applaud the attempt to focus on the critical issue of child care, I think it is time to warn the American people that this is also an attempt to pass a federal day care program that will cost the American taxpayer dearly. There is also the lingering question of whether institutional day care is as sound and nurturing as home child care. And there is also the concern that a federal day care system would exclude church-based care with provides spiritual instruction.
Beware: this campaign does more than just focus on child care. It promotes federal day care as well.
I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.