Look What Was On News This Morning

[melilley]

Good! I too wish they would do that here and I agree that they should ticket the parents. The parents that can't "afford" childcare have enough money to spend on toys, new cars and all the extras. They can afford regulated child care they just choose to spend the money in other ways. Besides, if they can't truly afford it they can get subsidy here.

I'm going to figure a way to get this article to our DHS and see if they react.

I wonder if they will! It's probably a matter of time, money, and resources for them to be able to investigate the illegal daycare's here though. I would love to be on a committee to shut these people down, it would be interesting!

[melilley]

Do you think that parents know that there's a difference between licensed or unlicensed and the legality of being licensed, or do you think they just want cheap care? It makes me wonder.

[Heidi]

Honestly, part of the problem in my county is the "less government" attitude taken the wrong way.

I get a lot of "well, if they take good care of the children..."

and "It should be a parent's decision...."

Basically, the "state" should mind it's own business.

*This is not a political statement, just the attitude I've gotten from relatives and family friends that think it's just fine that people do illegal care and that I'm overreacting.

The licensers (I have this conversation with EVERY licenser and supervisor I've met in the last 3 1/2 years) say "well, you just have to call them in, and we'll investigate".

Yep, sure you will, that's why there are at least 3 illegal providers in this county who have been doing it for TWENTY years! One finally gave up after 12 years of being "harassed" by people calling her in. The day I visited her program, she had 12 under 5 years of age, and I watched 6 more get off the school bus as I drove away. People feel sorry for her! :confused:

Another one lost a baby to SIDS (very sad). Baby was sleeping on his tummy (parents ok'd it), and died. She was investigated, reported to be devastated, and yet she's still open.

I know the former DA here personally. He says not ONE case has ever been turned over to his office.

Edited to add: Honestly, I'm not really a black-and-white person. If I knew someone had 4 kids on occasion, I wouldn't say a word. But, when people regularly have 10, 12 or 18 kiddos without a license, I get pissed. Even with a license, I can only have 8. Can you imagine if a fire broke out and this chick was alone with 12 kids, many of whom weren't even walking?

[mountainside13]

They need to keep a database on the parents and if they catch their kid in an unlicensed daycare they charge them with neglect. One warning.

I hate the excuse that they want cheap daycare. Stop having kids you can't afford.

I hope you mean illegal daycares.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Do you think that parents know that there's a difference between licensed or unlicensed and the legality of being licensed, or do you think they just want cheap care? It makes me wonder.

I created a PDF guide (uploaded to a link) for navigating my state's website to better inform parents. I give EVERYONE who contacts me a copy of this guide and post it all over the Facebook groups so people KNOW to look this up and will KNOW if the place is legal and if it is high quality (it tells them how to look for issues that have come up with the state). Maybe some of y'all could do something similar.

[melilley]

I created a PDF guide (uploaded to a link) for navigating my state's website to better inform parents. I give EVERYONE who contacts me a copy of this guide and post it all over the Facebook groups so people KNOW to look this up and will KNOW if the place is legal and if it is high quality (it tells them how to look for issues that have come up with the state). Maybe some of y'all could do something similar.

Good idea.
I always tell parents who call me for care to make sure they look for a licensed provider and give them the website for our state's CCR&R where they can look up all licensed providers and also see if they have received any citations and what they were for, in my area if I don't have an opening. It's a start, but I just wish the state would advertise or something. Even with this stars program, the only way a parent would know about it is either through someone they know who knows about it, through a commercial on our Public Broadcast Station, or if they go on the website.

[TwinKristi]

I hope you mean illegal daycares.

I think at this point it's safe to say this discussion it about illegal unlicensed care. Every state is different and hard to say what is what. This is a place to learn that stuff, most people assume it's pretty much the same everywhere. But this discussion was about illegal care so anyone's comments wouldn't be referencing unlicensed legal care.

[MOM OF 4]

Before I got licensed, I did daycare without one and at the time, did not know that there were rules. I started by watching 2 friends' kids, then they referred, and before you know it, I Had 6 kids! I had experience in child care prior, when I used to watch kids as a younger person. Then Zoning came to the door and told me that "someone" reported that I had cars in/out and observed kids being picked up and dropped off, adv me to get a license or I'd have to shut down. Funny, they didn't make me 'close' up or anything, just gave me 30 days to start the process (probably since I watched friends' kids, and their friends's kids and was not advertising as a business). After this, I did what they wanted me to do and got a license. It was a BIG pain in the rear, plus we moved, and had to redo everything, but I still did it.

Though I wasn't licensed, it did not mean I provided bad care, inadequate supervision, let any children get hurt, feed bad meals, etc. I provided just as excellent care then as I did after the licensing. I did not charge as much as surrounding actual daycares though, as I figured that would not be appropriate, plus, I never intended on it being a business, until I got full and started realizing I could stay home and make money. That's why I went ahead and got the license, and I DID get to stay home, and make money (in spite of issues that being a DCP brings up).

The only difference after I got licensed, is that I qualified for the food program, I was required to have my clients bring paperwork for health and enrollment, and have a sign in/out sheet. I had already safety-proofed, planned activities, had an emergency plan, etc..., so that wasn't something I had to do.

I just think that while SOME people really ****, get greedy, and do not know how to run a business or work with children, that doesn't apply to everyone. Should I have 'followed the rules'? Yep. Sure should have. However, I was young and it NEVER occurred to me that watching a few kids in my own home would require me to have a license.

Additionally, in my state, you can watch ONE family's children. Yet as a licensed daycare provider, I can only have a total of 8. But if Cousin Gertie had 12 children, I could take ALL of them + my 4 kids. And I've seen women here have A LOT of kiddos. (SOME actually biologically, but mostly blended families).

I am NOT suggesting that we should just do what we want, not following the rules. OBVIOUSLY regulations are in place for a reason, but like me, there COULD be some honest to goodness good providers who just never thought they need a license to watch a few kids. Those who are extreme/outrageous/dangerous (34 kids is NUTS) are the ones that ruin things for everyone and the reason why regulations exist.

[SignMeUp]

What I've seen a lot of recently are "co-ops" where there are a dozen or more kids watched by a revolving door of parents. Some rent duplexes or apartments and run it out of there.
I have no clue if parents pay at all, or just pay by putting in their hours.
I asked a woman who was walking a bunch of kids (I thought she was a new child care home), and she told me that's what they do, and that they don't follow any kind of licensing.

[AmyKidsCo]

Lot's of illegal daycare here, too.

In WI, you can care for 3 child under age 7 without regulation, and there is no reg for over the age of 7. So, one could really make a bit of a living without being licensed. There is really no excuse!

The crazy thing about WI rules is that you can care for 3 under 7 IN ADDITION to your own. So in theory you could have 5-6 under two (if you had your babies one right after another) even though licensed programs can only have 4 under 2. And there's no maximum number of children you can have total, so say you've got a blended family with 6 kids under 7, you can still care for 3 additional children. Or you could have 50 kids as long as they're all over 7... Crazy!