By Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 12, 1998; Page B01

RICHMOND, Feb. 11—Democrats in Virginia's Senate fell short today in their attempt to abolish the state board that regulates child care centers, which Republicans have used to try to ease restrictions on child care providers and programs.

In a 21 to 19 vote -- the chamber's first party-line vote since Republicans gained a majority this year -- the GOP buried a Democratic plan to dissolve the Child Day Care Council.

The 18-member panel is appointed by the governor, and then-Gov. George Allen (R) stacked it with conservatives and then pushed through several measures to curb child care regulations -- including a plan that, if not changed by the General Assembly this session, will raise the number of children day-care providers may keep in their homes.

Republicans say they want to cut back on such regulations in part to provide job opportunities to low-income women involved in the state's effort to get welfare recipients off public assistance and into jobs. Democrats, meanwhile, say that easing such restrictions would put children at risk and reduce the quality of care they receive.

Today's debate reflected that political battle, focusing on the direction the state is taking in child care and social welfare programs. Besides day care, the General Assembly this week is wrestling with initiatives to expand children's health care and crack down on teenage smoking by banning cigarette vending machines.

With newfound strength in the legislature, Republicans are managing to beat back Democratic challenges to policies ushered in by Allen during the last four years, policies that on several fronts have moved Virginia toward less regulation, a smaller government and using the private sector to solve government's problems. Republicans say they are striving to bring a "common sense" approach to programs they believe have been overburdened by rules.

"It's good when we can stand together philosophically and stop what we think are bad bills," said Sen. J. Randy Forbes, of Chesapeake, the state GOP chairman. "We not only have a majority, but a unified majority. That is helping us."

But Democrats are concerned that the governor's day-care panel has gone too far in loosening rules designed to protect children in Virginia's 2,363 licensed facilities. They have opposed the panel's move to ease staffing requirements, allowing one child-care worker for as many as 15 preschoolers, compared with the current maximum of 12. The panel also wants to lift the requirement that college-educated day-care center directors have a degree in a child-related field.

"We can't afford to be stuck in a '50s mentality where Ward goes to work every day and June stays at home with the Beaver," said Sen. Stanley C. Walker (D-Norfolk), referring in floor debate to the idyllic television family. "We should be looking at this in terms of what children need, instead of what adults want."

Walker argued that the day-care council, which began revising regulations two years ago, is not looking after children's best interests. He cited a 1992 legislative audit that recommended that the council be abolished and alluded to several problems in day-care centers, such as a recent incident in Fairfax County in which a 16-month-old child was left unattended in a facility that had a history of license violations.

He called for the council to be eliminated and its responsibilities folded into the state's social services board, which oversees day-care homes.

Sen. William T. Bolling (R-Hanover) countered that "everyone here cares about kids. We just disagree about whether or not you protect children through overzealous regulation."

Also today, Gov. James S. Gilmore III, Allen's Republican successor and heir to his conservative social agenda, announced a plan to increase health insurance for children in low-income families. It competes with a Democratic proposal that would expand Medicaid coverage to cover children in such families.

Both plans will be heard in legislative committees Thursday. Democrats say their approach is better because it would cover more children -- 104,000 in families making as much as $40,000 a year. But Republicans say their plan to cover 57,000 children in families making as much as $28,000 a year more reasonably reflects the state's obligations to help the truly needy.

Under the GOP plan, the state would kick in $30 million and the federal government $35 million. The Democratic version would cost $48 million in state funds but would qualify for $82 million in federal aid.