Arkansas Childcare Ranking not Care for Alarm, Advocate says

An advocacy group for children and families says a national group's ranking of Arkansas at 42 in childcare standards does not give a complete picture of the efforts to improve the quality of childcare.

Rich Huddleston of the nonprofit organization, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, says the report shouldn't cause undue alarm.

The state-by-state comparison was compiled by the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, based in Virginia. Idaho came in last overall.

U.S. Defense Department services, which were included in the comparison, ranked at the top. While Arkansas ranked 42 overall, it excelled in standards enforcement, ranking 16th in the nation.

Huddleston says the report is a reminder that every state should reassess its standards every couple of years.

How good is your daycare?

A nationwide survey says many states are getting lazy when it comes to regulating childcare centers. It ranks the military's system as the best. Out of the 50 states, Pennsylvania comes in at number 15. Ewa Roman talked with a spokesperson for all childcare centers in the state to see how she plans on making things better.

It can rattle some parents. For Keena Synder of New Cumberland, finding child care was tougher than expected. “You want to find a place that like---no place is gonna take as good car of your kid as you are."

That's why Keena is thankful for organizations like the National Association of Child Care Resources, a group that recently ranked states in oversight of childcare centers.

Keena: “I'm glad there's somebody out there that helps parents because as a first time parent you don't really know what to look for."

The report puts Pennsylavania at number 15 out of 50 states.