Family program is caught in political crossfire

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Lauren and William Hochman tried for five years, taking "extra measures," to have a baby. So she feels "extra special to be blessed with Izaac." So, with their only child now 2, the Hochmans naturally took extra-special care in finding just the right child care provider.

Mrs. Hochman was aided in her search by "a really vital" service called 'Locate: Child Care' that is operated by the nonprofit Maryland Child Care Resource Network.

"I'm a working mother, and my husband is a working dad, and we wanted what every parent wants -- a place that is safe, caring, nurturing and has a stimulating environment for Izaac," said Mrs. Hochman, 30, a mental health professional who lives in Rockville. "We're absolutely in love with our day care provider. Without [the resource network], we never would have found Mamie," she said of her son's "family atmosphere" day care setting.

However, other Maryland moms and dads may not be so fortunate in the future. The critical early education and child care services provided by the resource network are about to be decimated by state budget cuts that can be attributed, in part, to confusion and political backbiting.

The Maryland Committee for Children is a private, nonprofit agency that receives state funding to operate the child care network in 12 regional centers throughout the state. It should not be confused with the state's Office of Children and Youth and Families, a debatable political entity that Democrats contend is duplicative and therefore unnecessary under Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican. It, too, faces extinction.

Stop the shenanigans. In both cases, vulnerable children and their families are caught in the political crossfire.

The measly $1 million it would take to restore the efficient, effective network of child care resource centers is a microscopic morsel in the overall Maryland budget, but those meager funds provide the mother's milk that will keep this vital network alive.

Diane Cohen used the Prince George's County resource center to find before- and after-school care for her daughters.

"They were everything I hoped they would be," she said. "I didn't know where to turn to look for care. My daughter is getting ready to start kindergarten, and they were extremely helpful."

Seventy-five percent of Maryland children have working mothers. We're not just talking about poor and working-class families or welfare-to-work mothers, who are so often shirked. Thousands of middle-class families such as the Hochmans and the Cohens, who also must depend on reliable, affordable child care services in order to work, are equally affected.