The Garden City Telegram
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Safety net
Published 2/27/2010 in Commentary : Editorial
For many parents, sending their children to day care is part of the everyday routine.
And only in rare instances does something go horribly wrong.
But in 2009 in Kansas, 10 children died while in day care, including an infant in Finney County.
When such tragedies occur, it's necessary to question whether all possible safeguards were in place.
Unfortunately, that's not always the case in a state where one in three child-care facilities never face inspection until it's too late, and either a child has died in their care or a complaint has been filed.
Most states require inspections of all day-care operations. Kansas doesn't, which is why it ranks a miserable 47th in the nation in child care oversight -- a disturbing situation that has led the child advocacy group Kansas Action for Children to push for sensible legislation to require all child-care facilities to be inspected.
In Kansas, only licensed and group day-care facilities go through an inspection, some training requirements and a criminal background check before being able to operate as a child-care facility. Licensed providers then are inspected annually.
But current law also allows anyone who wants to be a child-care provider to simply register by filling out a form and paying a small fee to start a business. Those registered operators only face inspection when a complaint is filed or a child has died in their care.
Such an honor system doesn't ensure that all providers are following strict standards. Without routine inspections, can parents be assured that their day care has enough fire extinguishers? Or that it stores household chemicals out of the reach of children?
The proposed legislation also would make the more stringent supervision requirements of child-care centers apply to home-based child care. Too often, children aren't within eyesight and earshot of providers working out of their homes.
While it's impossible to prevent every situation that might harm a child, loose guidelines on inspections and supervision can't be ignored. Any good child-care provider would agree.
Lawmakers should find it easy to support legislation that puts the health and safety of children in day care first.
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