WHEREAS, The issue of institutional childcare in our society is being widely debated and numerous proposals have been set forth in bills pending in Congress; and
WHEREAS, Some tax subsidy proposals for childcare discriminate against families who choose home childcare by taxing all families to subsidize government-approved day care facilities; and
WHEREAS, Some of the legislation proposed would tend to benefit two-wage earner families, who generally have a higher income level than one-wage earner families; and
WHEREAS, Some of these proposals involve sensitive matters concerning church-state relations, specifically the availability of federal funds for childcare institutions which are sponsored by churches; and
WHEREAS, Part of the debate revolves around the appropriate federal role in stimulating growth in the availability of institutional childcare services.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in San Antonio, Texas, June 14-16, 1988, affirm that the principal responsibility of childcare is a family responsibility; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we express our concern about the need for childcare services in those regions where such services may not be available in adequate supply, especially for parents living in poverty, many of whom are single parents; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we express our belief that institutional childcare is most adequately regulated by local and state government as opposed to federal government; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we express our conviction that Congress should explore alternatives such as tax incentives instead of proposing a new federal system with a regulatory role for the federal government; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we urge Southern Baptist churches to conduct their childcare programs as ministries of the local church or through cooperation among churches without financing from the federal government; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we urge that any program of childcare include adequate safeguards to maintain the separation of church and state; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, That Southern Baptists should become informed about the details of any proposed legislation which might promise financial support for childcare services, being aware that such subsidies are unwise and could hinder institutions from having a distinctive Christian witness.