Conversation with My Licensing Agent

[My3cents]

I can get where she's coming from but I also understand your frusteration. I was told during training that if for some reason that happens, you should have a little something on the door to say you're temporarily closed on Tues. Take it down any other day or during an interview but that in case licensing shows up you're covered. Now that they've done that, twice, she sounds like she'll be back and perhaps on a mission to cite you.
We heard stories in training about people who were on vacation from work but home and licensing showed up, and even with no kids on the premises, cited the providers for any thing they could find. So yeah we were advised to have a note up if you're closed.

no way- Why don't you just ask a burglar to come on in and help themselves. Maybe call the office or give them a schedule ahead of time but I would not be putting up a sign that says we are not home-

[My3cents]

I'm sorry but I am not leaving a note. That's like saying to anyone who comes to the door "I'm not here, take what you want!" or "I'll be back later with a bunch of kids in tow." It is a HOME daycare and the state needs to remember that as well. I did agree to let them in if they drop by but I didn't agree to be home everyday all day on the off chance they do!


Part of the reason I do home daycare is so I can be my own boss, I just refuse to report my every movement to the state.

[Heidi]

Are licensed hours your business hours or when licensing is open and available to inspect?

Whatever the licensed hours on your license says. It's part of the application to tell them which hours you want to be licensed for. They can inspect any time within those hours.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

When I get close to when I think licensing will be here I let her know if I have any "odd" schedules and what my "best times are". When we go for a walk in the mornings I do leave a little note on my door (playroom door not my front door) if I think I am in the time frame of someone stopping (food or state). They both know we go for walks in the morning and will stick around for a bit anyway if the car is here to see if I show back up.
My licensing would totally understand that I didn't have a child that early so I slept for a bit. One time she came at nap time and I told her she could peek in to count heads but I was not going to have her wake everyone by inspecting me. She said oh no, she didn't realize I would have them down so early (1 o'clock) and that she would come back another day.
Shake it off. I am sure your visit will go fine when it happens

[KidGrind]

Leaves A Note

I totally respect each provider's choice to leave a note or not. I do not want my home burglarized by any means. Yet, I know it's a possibility. I have appropriate insurance & an alarm system. So I have a prepared notice always hanging from my door with clip. The cliff note version is:

Open, knock loud, be patient
We are gone!
Nap time, knock softly
We are on a walk, be back shortly
Closed, no kids in care

It's my attempt of informing parents & inspectors, if you knock & I don't answer I am not HIDING.::

The way I interpreted the original poster's story; I get why the inspector told her she needs to make up her mind. She is licensed. Therefore she is subject to the appropriate inspections. It doesn't matter that she only has one child in care. Due to her license she is not exempt.

My interpretation isn't that the provider was trying to make an excuse. I thought she was just explaining why she was closed with no kids in care.

I think some inspectors see a lot & get jaded. When I am inspected, I remember this is about the safety of children.

[Play Care]

I totally respect each provider's choice to leave a note or not. I do not want my home burglarized by any means. Yet, I know it's a possibility. I have appropriate insurance & an alarm system. So I have a prepared notice always hanging from my door with clip. The cliff note version is:

Open, knock loud, be patient
We are gone!
Nap time, knock softly
We are on a walk, be back shortly
Closed, no kids in care

It's my attempt of informing parents & inspectors, if you knock & I don't answer I am not HIDING.::

The way I interpreted the original poster's story; I get why the inspector told her she needs to make up her mind. She is licensed. Therefore she is subject to the appropriate inspections. It doesn't matter that she only has one child in care. Due to her license she is not exempt.

My interpretation isn't that the provider was trying to make an excuse. I thought she was just explaining why she was closed with no kids in care.

I think some inspectors see a lot & get jaded. When I am inspected, I remember this is about the safety of children.

When we looked into purchasing and home security system, one of the techs told us specifically that they tell clients to never put a note on the door saying they are not home.
As for being available for inspections - yes that is a part of it. But no provider should be penalized for being closed - especially if there are no regulations stating they need to notify the licensing agent when they are off.

[sharlan]

Each analyst is so different in CA.

Prior to my current guy, I always received a call a few days in advance to see if I was still in business. The one I have now doesn't believe in the advance calls. He told me that if he came and I wasn't home, he'd leave his business card so that I knew he came and he would return, unannounced, in a few days.

[TwinKristi]

When we looked into purchasing and home security system, one of the techs told us specifically that they tell clients to never put a note on the door saying they are not home.
As for being available for inspections - yes that is a part of it. But no provider should be penalized for being closed - especially if there are no regulations stating they need to notify the licensing agent when they are off.

In CA if you state you're open Mon thru Fri 8am to 5pm on your license application then they can come inspect anytime during those hours. This is not a new concept, this is on their main page. You must be willing to open your doors at any time during your stated business hours. If the OP didn't notify licensing that she's currently closed on Tuesdays then how could they possibly know she's closed when her license states she's open? That's the problem here. She was supposed to be open for business according to her license but her current work load allowed her to be closed but not for licensing. I know providers who close on Fridays so on their license it says that and they wouldn't be subject to inspection on those days.

And as far as the note on the door goes, I guess it really depends on your neighborhood. I don't think twice leaving a note that we'll be back shortly. I'm not worried someone will break in and take all our daycare toys while I'm gone for a walk around the block or down to the school. That's why I have insurance and locks on my doors. People burglarize homes regardless of a note so I really don't think the note is the issue. Someone could watch you pack up and drive away just as easily as walking to the door and seeing a note that you'll be right back. I would think THAT would be a better deterrent since they would risk you coming back quickly. Obviously I'm not saying to leave a note saying "I'll be gone ALL DAY LONG, door is the back is unlocked so go ahead and make yourself at home!" I'm just saying to leave a small note that you'll be returning shortly for licensing or food program unannounced visits. The last thing I want to do is annoy my analyst. He was a nice guy but he is here to check the safety of my home and he may not be very happy that his day spent doing local inspections has been thrown off and now he has to come back. There are at least 4 other daycares within a mile of me so I know they would probably hit us all up on the same day. And while people are supposed to be inspected every 3yrs, that just doesn't seem to happen here because our city, for whatever reason, doesn't have an analyst. My neighbor hasn't been inspected for over 4yrs, and according to the last call I made, another provider nearby hasn't been inspected in almost 4yrs either. Last visit was Oct 2009 to follow up on a major violation. So while its not likely that licensing is going to come here soon, I never know when they'll show up! That's the whole point of "unannounced" visits. So if I'm closed because there's no kids on Monday, licensing can still come here but would probably prefer to come when kids are present. Leaving a note that "I'm closed on Tuesdays until further notice" isn't going to risk being robbed. That's what I was referring to! I added that a previously licensed provider who now teaches classes at our R&R agency recommended we do that and if a business card is left to call back ASAP! I didn't say leave a note and unlocked door!

[Play Care]

In CA if you state you're open Mon thru Fri 8am to 5pm on your license application then they can come inspect anytime during those hours. This is not a new concept, this is on their main page. You must be willing to open your doors at any time during your stated business hours. If the OP didn't notify licensing that she's currently closed on Tuesdays then how could they possibly know she's closed when her license states she's open? That's the problem here. She was supposed to be open for business according to her license but her current work load allowed her to be closed but not for licensing. I know providers who close on Fridays so on their license it says that and they wouldn't be subject to inspection on those days.

I didn't say leave a note and unlocked door!

IMO that doesn't mean the OP is in the wrong because she was out on a day the inspector happened to drop in, or the day she was sleeping in. It simply means that *if* she is home/awake, she needs to let the inspectors in. I didn't see anything from the OP stating she didn't think she needed to let the licensor in?:confused: Simply that she had told her because she was low on kids she was (for now) not open Tuesdays. Yes she could go through and change her license, but why? I understand it's annoying for the licensor but really, too bad so sad. My licensor pops in unannounced at least once every three months. And for some reason, I'm usually closed. She hands me her card and says she'll come back another day. No snotty "decide if you want to work" comments. IMO, that's where the inspector was wrong. It's one thing to point out that "per CA regs, if these are your operating hours you need to allow inspections" another entirely to be snippy because the provider was out. That's all I'm saying.
As for the latter part - I never said you did, simply passed on what was told to us when we were looking at home security systems. If we are being realistic, locks only keep the honest people out.

[TwinKristi]

But that's the whole point here, licensing did tell her that because she's been gone or unavailable the last 2 attempts at an inspection. If she doesn't want to deal with this, go license exempt! But otherwise when you get your license you're at the mercy of these analysts when it comes to this. Would she rather get cited or follow the rules? And you agree to let them know if your business days/hours change for this exact reason! All she's doing at this point is irritating the lady and I believe rightfully so. It's pretty cut and dry. I understand the dilemma but either you're licensed and ready for inspection during your stated hours or you risk being cited. As someone said, this isn't about HER this is about the safety of kids in daycare.

[Michelle]

I live in California and just leaving a note on the door would not be good enough where I am licensed.
We are suppose to send licensing and the food program a copy of our field trip schedule. They can and will come and inspect during your regular business hours but if they come by when you are on a field trip and you covered yourself in writing... you probably won't get cited.
We usually get a phone call the week before asking if we are still doing business, they ask us our hours, etc.

We can be gone for emergencies but that's the only exception.
Now this is what I have been told buy my rep and I am sure someone will say I'm wrong but that's the way California is... every county, city, rep, and regulation is different for everyone

[caligirl]

I've been licensed here in California since 1986 and I've never heard of having to report to licensing or put a note on my door when I'm out.......and I used to take the kids on field trips almost daily.

My licensing worker came by a few months ago and I was not home. She left a card on the door and a message on the answering machine. I called her back and told her sorry that I had missed her but I was out with the kids. She said no problem, she would make another visit. She came back a month later.

You didn't do anything wrong. Don't let her upset you just because she was in a mood or doesn't like her job. And telling you to make up your mind??? She can't say that to you. But I agree with the others, if she's that rude to you, then make sure you have everything in order when she does show backup. She's likely to try and find something to write you up for.

[caligirl]

I live in California and just leaving a note on the door would not be good enough where I am licensed.
We are suppose to send licensing and the food program a copy of our field trip schedule. They can and will come and inspect during your regular business hours but if they come by when you are on a field trip and you covered yourself in writing... you probably won't get cited.
We usually get a phone call the week before asking if we are still doing business, they ask us our hours, etc.

We can be gone for emergencies but that's the only exception.
Now this is what I have been told buy my rep and I am sure someone will say I'm wrong but that's the way California is... every county, city, rep, and regulation is different for everyone

Wow. That would really irritate me. Having to report when I am coming and going. To me, and this is just IMO, the parents are the only ones that need to know if we are taking their child anywhere.

[TwinKristi]

I think the analyst was saying to make up her mind as to whether she wants to be license exempt and avoid these inspections or not since she only has 1 kid in care and doesn't "need" to be licensed and has been unavailable the last 2 attempts. But, as we all know, it would be a PITB to go back and change it again if you want more kids but are just in a lull. I get it, really. I was LE for the last 7yrs and was only licensed when I started having more than one family inquire about care and it made sense. Before that it would be a waste of my time and energy and their's as well. I think the analyst was honestly just peeved to go out a 2nd time and have the same result and then to find out she was there but asleep. Fair? No! But I promise when she comes back she will be going through things with a fine tooth comb to find something to cite for. Every analyst is different, every county, state, individual is as well. I'm not saying OP is a bad person or did something "bad", I'm just saying looking at it from an official POV I can see why she's irritated.

[KidGrind]

When we looked into purchasing and home security system, one of the techs told us specifically that they tell clients to never put a note on the door saying they are not home.
As for being available for inspections - yes that is a part of it. But no provider should be penalized for being closed - especially if there are no regulations stating they need to notify the licensing agent when they are off.

I make choices & conduct myself in a manner that works best for me. I respect others' choices to do what is best for their lives. Different strokes for different folks.

We agree I don't think a provider should be penalized for closing within regulations.