Do You Report?

[small_steps]

I'm a licensed home daycare and in my town and really the whole state, they are coming down on daycares that are operating illegally. I would like to get opinions on this. Do you report ones that you know about not operating legally or do you just let them be? I know this is probably a hot topic but really would like to hear opinions. I've never reported anyone yet but I know of a couple of them right now that are operating illegally and not really sure what to do. It does bother me that they are operating illegal because I work really hard and pay a good bit of money to become a legal home daycare.

[Unregistered]

I do not report illegal daycares unless I have witnessed first hand any reg/rule violations. Anything else I "hear" about another daycare is simply gossip so I stay out of it unless it has been witnessed with my own eyes.

[Zoe]

I think it depends. If they are WAY over capacity and it's a safety issue, then I'd report. But I don't think I'd report it if I saw someone with just 3 kids from 2 different families, kwim? Times are hard and some people do not have the means to register and get their house "daycare ready". I know this from personal experience. I had to get all the money to get my house done from my parents.

[sharlan]

I'm positive that my neighbor is over capacity. He told me that he has 8 kids under the age of 5. Small family daycare is allowed 6. I have no intentions of calling CCL. There are 4 adults in the home.

[small_steps]

I think it depends. If they are WAY over capacity and it's a safety issue, then I'd report. But I don't think I'd report it if I saw someone with just 3 kids from 2 different families, kwim? Times are hard and some people do not have the means to register and get their house "daycare ready". I know this from personal experience. I had to get all the money to get my house done from my parents.

I agree to an extent. In Texas you can get listed and keep 3 for $20 a year so if they only want to keep 3 it's really not that expensive for them. To keep more of course it gets more expensive and there's more requirements.

[daycare]

i see them post on craigs list a lot here in CA and I just ignore it.

BUT like others said. If they are hoarding kids and over capacity, then I would report them licensed or not.

I personally don't create more work for myself, unless I knew someone was getting hurt in some way.


We have all heard stories about providers over their numbers and a tragedy occurs.. "Jessica Tata"

[Heidi]

In WI you need a license if you care for more than 3 children under age 7.

I would not report someone who had 4 once in a while, but we have providers around here who have 12-18 kids by themselves and are not licensed. I have reported them. That is not anywhere near a "gray area" in my mind!

Our state does nothing. They get a warning letter, or maybe a fine of $100 or so. They are much more interested in catching regulated providers with missing paperwork or "committing fraud" by not having PERFECT attendance records.

Meaning, if you are changing a diaper when a child arrives, and the licensor walks in the door 2 minutes later, and you don't have that child on your attendance list, you are sited. If that happens 3x, they can (and have) yank your license and shut you down. Doesn't matter if its 3x in a month, a year, or in 10 years. If they catch you over capacity, same deal. Even 1 child over capacity for a few minutes. One provider I know has a half day parent running late, and another arrived with her baby. Since parent #2 had to get to work, she let them go. Licenser pulled into the driveway just then, and guess what? Because this happened 2 other times in the 20 years she's been licensed (different circumstances but over #'s by one child), she was shut down.

The sad thing is that she had just signed a contract with the school district to move her program to their early childhood program. She had spent thousands of dollars on new equipment. Her name was put in the paper because of the shut down, and a few days later a truck arrived and they dumped everything on her front lawn.

Meanwhile, a lady in our town has 18 children, isn't regulated, and the DA (a family friend) tells us that "nothing has ever been turned over to my office. If it was, I would prosecute her".

[Zoe]

I agree to an extent. In Texas you can get listed and keep 3 for $20 a year so if they only want to keep 3 it's really not that expensive for them. To keep more of course it gets more expensive and there's more requirements.

Lucky. For me it's $160. But I was talking more along the lines on if your house isn't up to standards. I had to replace 5 windows, because they weren't big enough, so not only did we have to buy new windows, my husband had to make a bigger hole in the house for each new window. SOOOO expensive! But it had to be done or I couldn't do daycare in my house. We spent over 1500 dollars to get our house ready. Yuck.

[small_steps]

Lucky. For me it's $160. But I was talking more along the lines on if your house isn't up to standards. I had to replace 5 windows, because they weren't big enough, so not only did we have to buy new windows, my husband had to make a bigger hole in the house for each new window. SOOOO expensive! But it had to be done or I couldn't do daycare in my house. We spent over 1500 dollars to get our house ready. Yuck.

Oh ok. Yes. That's kinda what irks me too. Its not that expensive to be registered or licensed here, but keeping the house in order, keeping our training up to date, and that kinda stuff is where the money comes in.

[youretooloud]

I would let them be.

It's not illegal to be unlicensed here. In fact, it's almost impossible to get licensed, and it's stupid to attempt it.

So, with that mindset, I would let it be. BUT... keep in mind, I don't live in a state where it's required, so I don't know how hard it is to keep up with it. If I had to work my Butt off to keep a license, and others were doing it illegally, I'd be mad.

[Crystal]

Yes. I would.