It’s the latest child care story to hit the media: Last week, it was revealed that a daycare provider in Arkansas mistakenly served 10 children windshield wiper fluid thinking it was Kool-Aid. The wiper fluid had been placed in the refrigerator and consumed last Thursday, with doctors estimating that the children drank about an ounce before realizing it tasted wrong.

The children are okay, but what a terrible story!

What’s worth noting here is that this was a home-based daycare, not a center-based daycare. However, even most home-based daycares are required to follow state licensing regulations, and in case any of our sitters are thinking of running a child care businesses out of their own homes, we wanted to give this story some more attention.

For starters, each state has its own specific regulations regarding the caregiver-to-child ratios, the age requirements for caregivers, background/training requirements for caregivers, food and safety regulations, and much more.

Here is a state-by-state list of licensing requirements for both center-based and in-home daycare facilities.

Anyone who is considering opening their own in-home daycare (or anyone who already cares for children in their own home) should take a look through their own state’s specific guidelines to see if they are required to get licensed and follow those important licensing guidelines.

Exploring this Arkansas story a little more, for example, we found out that this one caregiver was caring for 12 children, two of them infants. However, according to the the Arkansas licensing requirements, if there’s only one caregiver in the daycare, the maximum number of children allowed in the facility at one time is 10 — and all of those 10 children must be aged 3 or older.

The Arkansas licensing requirements also state that, “Chemicals and toxins shall not be stored in food storage area,” which didn’t seem to be followed in this case either.

The daycare provider in this story was, of course, horrified with what happened, completely accepted responsibility and immediately surrendered her license on Friday. It’s such an unfortunate situation, but it reminds us all that these regulations and guidelines are there for a reason.

Choosing a Daycare

In addition to brushing up on your own state’s licensing requirements, parents should also do their own research and visit potential daycare facilities to help choose a safe option for their child. Things to consider:

1. Provider-to-child ratio
An ideal ratio is one provider for every three children, but states may have specific laws about provider-to-child ratios within their licensing requirements, so parent must be sure to check there first. If there are no specific laws, the National Association for the Education of Young Children recommends:

• Babies (up to 12 months): one caregiver for every three children for a group of six babies, one for every four for a group of eight babies.
• Toddlers (12 to 24 months): 1:3 for six children, 1:4 for eight children, 1:5 for ten children, and 1:4 for 12 children.
• Young children (24 to 36 months): 1:4 for eight children, 1:5 for ten children, and 1:6 for a group of 12 children.
• Preschoolers (36 months and older): 1:6 for a group of 12 children, 1:7 for a group of 14, 1:8 for a group of 16, and 1:9 for a group of 18.

2. Employee turnover
Ask employees how long they’ve been with the daycare. If they’re all relatively new, it could indicate a high employee turnover rate.

3. References and resources
Ask the daycare for references — and ask those references if they know of any other parents who would be willing to share their thoughts on the center. You can also stop by the daycare center during pick-up time to ask a few parents about their thoughts on the facility. Also, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has a searchable database of accredited daycare centers.

4. Research
Check the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any/many complaints against a daycare you’re considering, and also Google the daycare center or owner to see if there have been any recent (or repeated) incidents.

5. Facility observation

• Does the place look clean and sanitary?
• Are the diaper changing surfaces cleaned and sanitized after each use?
• Are the food preparation areas kept far away from the toilets and diaper stations?
• Is there a decent amount of space for the children? According to NAEYC, centers should have at least 35 square feet of indoor space per child and 75 square feet per child outside.
• Do the children there have the required immunizations?
• Where and how are food/beverages stored and prepared?
• Where are cleaning supplies kept/stored? (Out of children’s reach?)
• Are first aid kits readily available?
• What is the plan for if a child becomes sick or lost?
• Does the outdoor play area look safe? (Gates, study equipment, hazard-free, nothing lacking repairs?)
• Do the staff members look exhausted or overworked? Or are they energetic, enthusiastic and warm?
• Are trash cans empty or overflowing?
• Are the smoke detectors in place and working?
• Are radiators and heaters covered?
• Is the entire facility childproofed?
• Are there clear rules and organization?
• Are the play and art areas well-stocked? (Or are there lots of TVs and video games lying around…?)

Once you’ve chosen a daycare center, check our our three-step monitoring process to help determine if the child care choice is the right match. It’s geared towards monitoring a sitter, but the same steps can apply in a daycare scenario as well.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 9:43 am and is filed under Child Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.