I t would, quite literally, be the Nanny State. With sops to big business and unions representing child care workers, the president's proposal would empty parents' pockets and give their children little in return. And it is hard to believe that the president could be serious about offering scholarships to child care workers who, on average, are more highly educated than the average American. The truth about child care is that it is both widespread and affordable. That may be why 96 percent of parents in America, in a study co-sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services, reported that they are satisfied with their current child care arrangements.
Many families pay nothing for child care.
In 1993 half of all arrangements for preschoolers with working mothers did not require a cash payment. And child care fees have risen less than 5 percent in real terms since the late 1970s. No wonder 9 out of 10 parents say they would be willing to pay more for their current child care arrangements. Affordable child care is not scarce. In fact, in 1990 there was roughly a 12 percent vacancy rate in child care centers, a figure that was remarkably similar across regions and urban, suburban and rural areas.