(Affordable day care in Philadelphia hard to find)

Alfred Lubrano of the Philadelphia Inquirer did a good job explaining the dilema facing parents who want to work, but can't find decent and affordable child care.

His piece brings home the issue with some startling facts: The list of children waiting for federal and state child care subsidies in a five-county area including Philadelphia has grown by 400 percent since 2002, leaving some 8,000 children waiting for subsidies. Child care for the average family of four in the area costs almost $20,000 annually -- an amount one woman Lubrano interviewed likened to "a mortgage payment.''

The piece was timely: it comes at Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell wants to increase child-care subsidies by $6.9 million. Rendell also wants to increase voluntary pre-kindergarten slots in the state and create more full-day programs.