Study says Idaho ranks last in childcare

Idaho is worst in the nation when it comes to having someone take care of our kids, according to a study released last week by The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.
The study faults Idaho's child care regulations and ranked the state last, after Louisiana.
The national standard for toddler childcare is one staff person to every six children. In Idaho, there are three variations; one staff to six children for children under 18 months, one staff to 12 children for ages 18 months to five years and one staff to 18 children for ages five years and older.
Criteria for the rankings included caseloads for center inspectors, frequency of inspections, health and safety requirements, background checks, staff qualifications and activities offered to children.