Be transparent

Re “Child care aid, ‘crucial’ to getting people back to work, close to being a reality after an 80-year struggle” (Nov. 10) and “Will families by able to use child care subsidies?” (Other Views, Nov. 12): What a shame these two pieces didn’t appear side by side, for there lie seeds of compromise. Commentary suggests proposed regulation of child care pushes costs too high. The article says subsidies will cost taxpayers part of $400 billion.

The child care tax credit in the American Rescue Plan works, with payments efficiently distributed by the IRS. Instead of subsidizing families for child care, pay part of $400 billion directly to them. They can use it to pay for child care and work outside the home, or spend it on other priorities and stay home providing classical child care. Universal pre-K will taper child care needs to age 4 instead of 5, and then only last until 18. Although available to future generations, it won’t add “generations on welfare.” IRS’ use of tax returns avoids adding bureaucracy and the humiliation of establishing eligibility.

Studies show the most effective federal legislation is framed upon disclosure. There must be a productive-efficiency tipping point in numbers of children in facilities for economies of scale. Use that as the threshold for facilities to publicly disclose key operating criteria such as child to caregiver ratios, entry-level wages, or whatever limited criteria shape good, even “top tier” care — like nutrition labelling. Disclosure feeds transparency, transparency feeds competition, and competition feeds caregivers’ higher wages and parental choices, including grandparents, and faith-based organizations.

Philip N. Davey, Norfolk