[Vision2020] Idaho Daycare Centers (was "End of Legislative Session Summary from Rep. Trail")

[Tom Hansen]

You really ought to check things out before you click the "send" key, Donnie.
 
Reasons for enacting SB1376 (Relating to Daycare Programs) are stipulated at the beginning of the bill:
 
http://www3.idaho.gov/oasis/S1376.html
 
"to provide a minimum daycare operator age; 
 
to revise an age for criminal history checks; 
 
to revise license fees; 
 
to revise required fire safety equipment; to provide for child-staff ratios and requirements;
to revise health standards; 
 
to require daycare facilities to comply with certain health standards; 
 
to provide additional crimes precluding eligibility for a license; 
 
to provide grounds for the denial, suspension or revocation of a daycare facility license; 
 
to remove requirements for availability for inspection of a fire inspection certificate and criminalhistory check; 
 
to permit inspection of family daycare homes; 
 
to require family daycare home providers to comply with certain criminal history background check provisions; 
 
to remove a group daycare facility election for compliance with certain provisions; 
 
to provide a daycare facility a grace period to obtain a license; 
 
to remove a criminal sanction for operating a group daycare facility without obtaining, or after denial of, certain certificates; 
 
to provide criminal sanctions for operating a family daycare home without obtaining, or after failure to pass, a criminal history background check; 
 
to provide the duty of the county prosecuting attorney to prosecute violations regarding family daycare homes; 
 
to remove a provision regarding state or political subdivision affirmance with certain provisions for group daycare facilities to which a certificate is issued; 
 
to revise training hour requirements; 
 
to provide certain limitations on on-premises training; 
 
and to require an on-premises adult with certain certification."
 
--------------------------------
 
So, you see, Donnie - The adage "If it works, don't fix it" would apply if Idaho actually had such a policy concerning small daycare centers, which it doesn't.
Please explain to us how any of the above reasons are a form of government intrusion into our lives.  Should we wait until something happens (now, there is a scary suggestion for some unlucky child and family) before we actually do something. 
 
Here's another adage for your scrap book, Donnie:  "You don't have to be sick to get better."
 
Paying the $45 for a background check would seem considerably cheaper for a small daycare center than the potentially exorbitant amount attached to a civil lawsuit or criminal trial.


Date: Sun, 6 Apr 2008 12:17:22 -0700From: donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.comTo: moscowresident at gmail.com; vision2020 at moscow.comSubject: Re: [Vision2020] End of Legislative Session Summary from Rep. Trail
I am sure there are differences between the work I do with the elderly and disabled, and that of child care, but I imagine there are many similarities.
 
My first complaint about background checks is that they really aren't background checks. They just check to make sure someone doesn't have a conviction as a sex offender, which is pretty easy to check without paying the $45 fee. 
 
My second complaint is that more often than not, it is a huge financial burden for people making $7 an hour to pay $45 for every day care center they apply for and having to wait one to two weeks for approval before they can start working. When you make $7 an hour, it is difficult to afford that burden, it was for me.
 
3) This is a massive intrusion and expansion of government  with with no indication that it is needed. The assumption here, and I think a false one, is that it will improve the safety and well being of the children by having a series of regulations to tie the hands of the child care providers. There are already a large of laws and regulations on the books.
 
Having worked in the nursing home environment, I can tell how self contradicting and harmful over regulation from the government can be. I trust child care providers over the government lawyers and regulators that probably have never seen the inside of a daycare, much less worked in one. From personal experience with the Moscow Day Care and UI's Daycare centers, I can tell you they are excellent places to place your children if you can get in, and they didn't need government over regulation to get that way. 
 
No doubt, we may someday need to expand government's role in raising children. But as long as parents are still doing a good job, we shouldn't invite the government in to fix something that isn't yet broken. 
 
Best Regards,
 
Donovan
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