Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Kid

After numerous viewings of The Kid this month (Bruce Willis and Spencer Breslin film) what a delightful forgotten treat I have had.

What if the 8 year old you showed up to give you information about your childhood. What would your 8 year old self say? How would they present? What would be their behaviors? What happened to them at 8? And how did that affect the adult you?

Such a funny film, great comedic timing by Willis and Breslin. Superb screenwriter, Audrey Wells and director, Jon Turtletaub.

I wonder what an 8 year old would think about the film?

Anyway, if you are in need of some smiles and laughter this is a good film to pick up for the holidays.

Monday, November 23, 2009

New Background Check Form out Oct. 9th 2009

It's important and fair to give credit where credit is due and I'll find out the names of persons to thank and update you.

The "Background Check" form is a VITAL piece of the licensing process regarding persons who will have access to your children. Access means basically they are or have legal rights (say they own or live there) to be in the building or on the grounds of a licensed facility; or in a vehicle with your children.

"Background Check" means checking what law enforcement has but also includes a whole host of other areas to "Check".

Google the "Department of Early Learning" and find the form to review yourself.

After more than five years someone has returned valuable questions to the form like having to identify where the applicant lived in the last seven years. This was a valuable quality control question that got taken out under DCCEL.

The form gives the applicant clarity that information will be disclosed to say the day care center owner/director or the family home day care provider, where the applicant has been hired to work. It does so in pretty much regular English, so hey, kudos for that.

I am a little puzzled by the second bullet on the form.

At the bottom of the 2nd page where is says "CAMIS files checked by" is in need of clarification as CAMIS has been put out to pasture. FAMLINK is the new CAMIS from what I understand. Both, for parents information, is simply a computer system that houses TONS of information on families and individuals.

Your State Auditor was going to and then didn't on behalf of parents of Washington State audit this program instead Brian Sonntag only audited the "criminal" part of the "BACKGROUND CHECK".

Folks, there is so much secrecy in your government, confusion, layer upon layer of reform; and to see a return to some VITAL basic information that must be given a nod and thumbs up.

As they say, "the proof is in the pudding" so is there a plan to check out the use of the form so that it translates to persons who are mean, unkind, abusive, etc have no access to your children?

I'll check into that too. Dr. Betty Hyde is the newest director and a thank you probably starts there, because quality comes from the top down. But I want to know the other players to thank for moving in the right direction.

Monday, November 9, 2009

From Candi Doran re: Colleen Hill and Senator Hobbs

Dear Colleagues, Friends and Family:

On October 29th this year a dear friend of mine, Colleen Hill, passed away at the vibrant age of 41. Colleen was a loving wife, mother of 2, small business owner, child care provider and public servant. She tirelessly campaigned for child care providers and open honest government.

During the legislative sessions of 2007 and 2008, Colleen was instrumental in defeating the Service Employees International Union, SEIU an ACORN associated organization, and their ill-conceived “collective bargaining” agenda for child care employees; a modern day David v.s. Goliath story. Senator Steve Hobbs was Colleen’s invaluable ally in that successful effort.

Senator Hobbs was elected to the Washington State Senate in 2006. He serves as the vice chair of the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, sits on the Ways and Means Committee and he is a very important member and voice of reason on the Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee.

In addition to representing the people of the 44th district and all Washington citizens, Senator Hobbs also serves as a Captain in the Washington Army National Guard and courageously served in Iraq and Kosovo.

Raised by a single mother, Senator Hobbs was taught to always value education. In 1994 he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Washington.

After SEIU’s stunning defeat they vowed to run their candidate against Senator Hobbs. SEIU has millions to spend on campaigns and usually resorts to the most aggressive tactics to intimidate sitting electeds to act or to impugn them so that they are replaced with more compliant politicians.

Senator Hobbs is one of us, a man of the people. He has refused to be “bought” by any special interest group. Consequently, it will require the investment and efforts of 1000’s to confront and defeat this SEIU juggernaut.

Time is short, the need is great and the goal is laudable. Please give what you can $20, $50, $100 to one of the “good guys” in politics. Checks must be received by December 10th. Please make your check out to: “Committee to reelect Steve Hobbs”. When you write the check it would be wonderful if you could note “Colleen Hill” on your donation. Send checks to Candida C. Doran, 823 2nd St., Mukilteo, WA 98275.

Our communities, our state and our nation are at a “tipping point." We no longer have the luxury of complacency. The American people are again finding their voice. Please make your voice heard for Senator Hobbs, an American hero and a true public servant.

Please forward this to letter to all child care providers, small business owners and all concerned citizens.

Respectfully,
Candida Doran
Little Orca Learning Center
823 2nd St.
Mukilteo, WA 98275
(425) 347-6722

Friday, October 30, 2009

Colleen Hill

Parents in Washington State lost a voice this week with the death of Colleen Hill (born September 11, 1968 and died October 29, 2009) in Snohomish, Washington.

There are people because of their hearts and integrity are compelled to respond to those devious and underhanded.

Unable to let Washington State parents' children be used to fill the coffers of a former Pennsylvania social service state bureaucratic worker, Andy Stern, the autocratic, dictator president of SEIU, an organization claiming to be a union of the people and for the people (but is not) Colleen spoke up and organized.

Andy Stern learned from being that former state government worker what a cash cow state government was and has been bringing in the taxpayers' money ever since.

Colleen Hill, small business entrepreneur, child care center owner, past president of the Snohomish Chamber of Commerce became the most articulate, most from the heart activist and the most dynamic listened-to-speaker at the Capitol in Olympia to educate the legislature on what an out-of-state union in name only was doing and further planning to do using your children to fill Andy Stern's SEIU coffers with your money.

Because Colleen truly put children first, her passion, vitality was evident to everyone including the Washington State legislature. With heart, passion and humor Colleen did what was right. Colleen didn't let an organization like SEIU with millions and millions of dollars at Andy Stern's disposal frighten or stop Colleen from doing what was right.

David vs Goliath. Colleen Hill went to Capitol Hill in Olympia and faced down the growing behemoth that had been SEIU.

Because of Colleen, Candi Doran, Ginger Still, Senators Hatfield and Hobbs, a small band of child care centers and others including Washington Parents for Safe Child Care and Child Care Consulting in Washington State (and others), the in-name-only, so-called union, SEIU for the first time in Washington State history was defeated in 2007 and then again in 2008 from using your children and taking your money.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
" (Margaret Mead)

Colleen Hill will be remembered, missed and yet she leaves a striking image, a ready smile, a spunky-kind-truth-teller, a role model who continues to inspire others as we craft Colleen Hill truth-telling-moments to come.

We miss, honor and appreciate. Colleen Hill will not be forgotten.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

I don't believe in labeling and here's why

The labeling in our country has gotten way out of hand and here are some aspects of that history to consider and reflect on.

By degree I have a Masters in Social Work administration having gone through the university public school education system.

In researching why our many bureaucratic systems (child care licensing, child protective services, kindergartens, grade, middle, high and college schools, the military, etc) keep failing the citizens of the US, I found the threads that now make up the fabric of America comes from the German/Austrian cultures (long before the current geographical boundaries). A relatively few select citizens from this country in the early and mid-1800s were enamored of the German/Austrian ways of living and more importantly, controlling life.

Government bureaucratic workers to whom vast sums of your money goes to (yes, your taxes)are not in touch with where they come from, who they are and why they quietly and unquestioningly accept the indoctrination of our school and mental health care systems.

Sigi never became famous until age 50 after he came to America for one visit. Yes, I mean Freud. His full name is Sigismund Schlomo Freud. Sigi was sexually abused by a nanny, was a cocaine addict, it made a hole in his nose, he had 30 operations on his mouth, he slept with his sister-in-law with his wife in the house and the man committed suicide. This...this is the man America turned to for mental health?

The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) used by doctors and social workers has ballooned to over 300 categories, this is the book Step-Ford licensed professionals use to diagnose you and your children.

Let the labeling begin. From one diagnostic category to over 300. Over 1000 pages now in the "manual".

Let critical thinking be denigrated. Let labels prevent us from seeing the individual. Let us begin burying family, community and national secrets under psychiatric labels.

•1840 was the start of statistically keeping data on mental illness in institutions for the insane and had a single category: “idiocy/insanity”.

• By 1880 they added a few more including “dementia”.

• By 1917 an Army committee that will later become the APA (American Psychiatric Association) increased the number to 22. Wow, the APA was born from the War to end all Wars!

• WW II saw large scale involvement of psychiatry in selecting soldiers to be in our military. Wow, the Army’s work was a precursor to the DSM-I the first DSM book? Guess who was head of the APA in 1952? It was Donald Ewen Cameron who was best known for his MK-ULTRA-related mind-control and behavior modification research for the CIA. Wow, and I thought bringing the Prussian Army into our school system was bad.

• By 1952, the manual was 130 pages with 106 mental disorders (and schizophrenia was added).

• By 1980, just five years after the end of the Vietnam War, the DSM would grow, with the help of a committee of 27, and increase to 494 pages with 265 diagnostic categories.

• By 1987, it grew to 567 pages with 292 diagnoses.

• By 1994, we are up to 886 pages and 296 disorders.

Since then someone recently told me it is over 300. Over 300 to choose from and perhaps 1000 pages to read through. Sounds like the current health care bill mess with 1400 pages. Can be mind boggling.

Guess which label out of the more than 300 is used most by the “professionals” when they submit their billings? If you said “Other”, you would be right.

People aren't labels. Who people are and what they need are contained in their stories. The stories unlock any puzzle or difficulty that they may be experiencing.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

SEIU child care center bill defeated

The SEIU child care center bill was defeated for a second time in two years. The defeat benefits parents, children, center staff and center owners.

Someone once said that "Democracy is like washing the dishes". Which means daily attention must be paid to the dishes (democracy).

For parents dealing with the daily event of having to work outside the home, whose energies, hours and minutes of the day run out too quickly; who then attempt to carve out some home life with their children, taking on the task of understanding the SEIU bill would have been like scrubbing a ballroom full of dirty, greasy, caked on pots and pans.

I could write a book on the last two years in dealing with the SEIU bill. Suffice it to say, for my little blogging moment, that I thank the Senators of Washington State for the process and the outcome.

SEIU has millions of dollars. I'd guess, that most parents, who might have read my blogging on SEIU for the last two, are unaware that the SEIU is getting their millions directly from the taxpayers' pocket. Yes, the Washington State taxpayers.

The relatively small band of us, who thought most about you, the parent and your children, had a minuscule fraction of the money SEIU had and has.

This is where I feel much appreciation and gratitude to the Senate members. It is very true, that those that represent you, the private citizen, in their districts, so want to hear from you. They do listen.

The relatively small band of us, included Stu Jacobson, from Washington Parents for Safe Child Care, Colleen Hill, Candi Doran, Ginger Still and their bigger band of child care center folks that they reached out to, and brought into the conversation to benefit the senators who discussed this bill and issue.

Senator Hatfield and Senator Hobbs helped facilitate that discussion within the Democratic Senate Caucus.

Everybody washed the dishes on this one which took time, focused energy, research, testifying, getting public disclosure, explaining and showing the real intent of this bill.

All senators cannot be experts on licensed child care, all senators cannot be historical experts on the SEIU. In the final analysis and vote, the senators were able to listen to the private citizen voice over the million dollar coffer of the SEIU.

They listened to the citizens of Washington and what was in the best interests of their children. The SEIU isn't Washington State. The SEIU is Andy Stern, the president of SEIU (headquartered I believe in Chicago). Andy Stern doesn't allow democracy in his union.

Andy Stern came out of a government bureaucracy, he at one time was a CPS social worker and learned of the great cash cow that is state government. Andy mixed two views in coming up with the creature now called SEIU; 1) Alford Sloan, a corporate president and 2) Saul Alinsky, a social justice organizer for people's rights. He talks social justice (to reel workers in) and does corporate control (once reeled in and the money from taxpayers is flowing into his coffers).

His odd juxtaposition of two opposing world views has been for his benefit. If you google "SEIU Reform Movement" you will begin to see what his "organizing" has wrought on the worker. It is not good.

SEIU can be rather crude and brutish to those who don't fall in step with Andy Stern's plan.

Washington state will need you (her private citizen) in the next year, if you have some moments, to wash the dishes, to make calls to your representatives and senators; and share your views. Email works fine, the more you can just write, simply, from your heart, the better.

SEIU will make a list of senators and representatives who they will intend to target for their belief, that the senators and representatives did not do the bidding of SEIU and Andy Stern.

So we thank the Washington State representatives and senators again. We have some dish washing soap and wash basin ready and standing by.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Words...SEIU...the Making of History in Washington State

Editorial

Words taken from Service International Employees Union (SEIU 925) Washington State Senate Bill 5572 cannot be confirmed by any research, study or evidence yet the bill was passed out of their respective hearing committees and Ways and Means this week; meaning it can at any moment come to a floor vote in either house.

Why is the bill even viable given the $8 billion dollar deficit? Why did it even come out of the committees?

Language and testimony from experts in child care licensing, the non-profit Washington Parents for Safe Child Care, the YMCAs and other child day care center owners show the following words in the bill are false:

”Senate Bill 5572: AN ACT Relating to improving quality, access, and stability of
child care....."

Family child care providers in the state have recently been given a similar opportunity, and the results of their efforts have improved standards and quality for that segment of the child care industry.....

The legislature intends to address these problems by creating the possibility for a new relationship between child care center directors and workers and the state....”

The bill passed in 2006 for the family child care provider has resulted in family home child care providers not taking subsidy children to not be under SEIU. This current bill of $1.4 million dollars is merely for setting up another bureaucracy in the government. These bills make the government SEIU’s banker.

An email shared with the legislature from 2005 shows the research manager for the Washington State’s child care licensing agency writing about subsidy children and family providers: "we looked at the relationship between licensing complaints and percent of capacity filled by DSHS children........but the attached graphs were pretty striking. They show a relationship between complaints and percent of capacity filled by DSHS subsidized children for both families and centers." "Data in Washington show a correlation between facilities that have greater percentages of children receiving subsidies and the incidence of reported and confirmed licensing complaints."

Thus subsidy children are forced and will further be forced into a smaller pool of available providers if the bill passes. Children coming from difficult situations are crowded together in the fewer and fewer family homes willing to take them. This ups the risk factors.

In terms of “creating the possibility for a new relationship” the Department of Early Learning has not, is not and cannot identify which providers are in SEIU to fulfill the contract agreement to provide training to that group. Thus there is no new relationship as a result of the 2006 bill passing.

The bill states”results of their efforts have improved standards and quality”. There is no data or research to support that claim. SEIU themselves claim to only have provided some classes for 700 out of the 10,000 membership they claim.

If YMCAs, Knowledge Learning and other centers can opt out, why can’t the current centers, also, opposed to SEIU opt out?

Why has the bill passed out of committees waiting for someone to pull it to the floor for a vote? It may be as simple as money was extracted from the taxpayer to SEIU; and then some given back to the legislature to buy votes and influence. We wait to see who will not be bought.

About the author:

Margo Logan, formerly worked for state government for over 20 years, including thirteen years in child care licensing, an expert in her field she now has her own consulting firm, website and blog.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Thoughts about SEIU, our country and Washington State

In following the story of the SEIU, the realization came to me of the difficulties parents have in having to work; and their commitment and desire to take care of their children comes to me. With the burdens of family life when do you get to research the behind the scenes nuances of government?

It took awhile for me to sort out the pieces, the research and the information about SEIU juxtaposed to the information I grew up with as to what unions met in the lives of workers. The two didn't match and that initially caused me dissonance. The truth will set you free goes the saying; and so it does.

SEIU and Illinois Governor Blagojevich go way back now to at least 2003. President Obama comes out of Illinois politics, he supported Blagojevich in running for governor. Looks like Blagojevich did the loopty loop. Anointed SEIU to come on in helped give $450 million of taxpayer money to contracts and $11 million of that went directly to SEIU; then SEIU gave back to Blagojevich $1.2 million dollars. $1.2 million dollars of taxpayers money.

So the loopty-loop has also happened in Washington state. Now what will President Obama do? I believe the weight of history and his words for over two years has to have a spiritual factor. That talking the talk for two years can end up walking the walk. President Obama has heavily studied President Lincoln. Much is at stake here in our country.

President Obama did go out of his way to encourage the Illinois legislature to override Blagojevich's veto on the ethics law; and they did. If there is one thing about the president's cultural heritage, I imagine, might be most compelling, is a repulsion of the idea of anyone thinking that they have bought him.

It can play out in the best interests of the citizens of this country if we can get the information out. Because of Illinois, because of Blagojevich and because of President Obama SEIU has been exposed.

We want honesty and integrity in all our pubic servants whether they are elected or are in the bureaucracy of government. We want Democrats, Republicans and Independents working together for the greater good. People are basically good; and will rise to that goodness when encouraged.

From my take senators and representatives love to hear from. and have their constituents drop by; much more than they like to hear from special interests.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

February 11, 2009 Testimony I sent to the Washington State Senators

Dear Senator Kohl-Welles,

During my testimony yesterday you indicated that I wasn't addressing the bill. I apologize for being inarticulate and not well spoken. To make amends and provide clarity as well as identify other pertinent pieces of information I submit this as further testimony on Senate Bill 5572:

I copied below in italics relative portions of the bill for which I provide testimony based on being an expert in child care licensing and having been a child care licensor for 13 years.

Senate Bill 5572: AN ACT Relating to improving quality, access, and stability of
child care....."

Family child care providers in the state have recently been given a similar opportunity, and the results of their efforts have improved standards and quality for that segment of the child care industry.....

The legislature intends to address these problems by creating the possibility for a new relationship between child care center directors and workers and the state...."

My testimony was and is that there is no data to support these words in the bill.

The 10 hour requirement of annual training was taken out of the family home WAC in 2004. SEIU while sitting on the WAC revision committee for the last two years did not request an emergency WAC be adopted to return that training requirement to WAC. I calculated a possible loss of 16,000 hours of training in the last four years.

The SEIU contract called for DEL to provide training on licensing WACs for all the SEIU members covered under the contract during the period of the agreement (which ends June 30, 2009). That hasn't been done and will not be done. I called a DEL manager yesterday; and DEL doesn't even have a list of which providers are covered by the contract to comply with that agreement. I calculated a possible loss of another 8,000 hours of training. Total the two and you get a possible loss of 24,000 hours of training.

SEIU requested to meet with Washington Parents for Safe Child Care. That meeting happened February 4, 2009 at SEIU offices. I participated in that meeting. Kurstyn and Karen Hart were polite and courteous. They are not experts in child care.

SEIU claims they provided training for 700 out of 10,000 providers. 300 of those were "in-home" meaning for example, a grandmother, who is taking care of her grandchildren. Those 300 got paid $600.00 for taking 10 hours of training. They could not tell us who gave the trainings provided, although, from Nancy Gerber's testimony she is giving some of the trainings. There is no training link on SEIU's website.

To summarize SEIU claims to have trained 700 out of 10,000. With the loss of the annual 10 hour training requirement, as well as, DEL and SEIU not putting together the training on the Licensing WACS 4000 out of 10,000 providers could have received training; and they did not.

DEL doesn't know which providers are SEIU to even pull together the licensing WAC training. Another DEL manager thought the 10 hour annual requirement still existed. After I walked her through it she said, "Well, I guess we'd better get it put back in."

I calculate that in the last four years 24,000 hours of possible trainings were lost; yet the drumbeat continues that education and training equal quality.

The SEIU website when it did announce the meeting dates for the Negotiated Rule Making Team (it is no longer there) advised that those attending could only be the selected SEIU rule making members. SEIU did not announce to their rank and file this was a public meeting and by law all could attend and speak.

I see today on their website that SEIU no longer makes the statement that they have 10,000 family child care providers. In one document dated November 2008 they report having 2,145 members.

I see further information that SEIU has violated their contract with the state. The contract reads "Issues involving licensing of providers (including but not limited to denial, compliance agreement, suspension and revocation) are not subject to the grievance process."

I see since I called them out after the last legislative session whereby they were calling for SEIU members to take concerted action against representatives and senators who weren't being subserviant (my word) to SEIU; that that statement was taken off the website.

More and more is coming out about SEIU nationally that behooves all citizens to review and research. Start "googling" and the information is there to be read.

Although, SEIU gave millions to Barack Obama, I believe, President Obama will not consider himself bought by SEIU. I believe the members of the Washington State Senate, also, will not consider themselves bought by SEIU; and will vote no on this bill.

Washington Parents for Safe Child Care's bill written by Senator Kohls-Welles' staff regarding pre-service training in licensed child care is being dropped today. That bill drafted with the assistance of a number of experts in child care area has great potential to addressing the training and quality issues; as well as safety issues.

The $1 million plus taxpayer money just to set up the needle to be inserted in the taxpayers' arms to pump money directly into the SEIU's money bag is too much ever and especially in this economic crisis, please vote no either in committee or let the bill die in the full Senate.

Thank you for your time and consideration in reading my testimony.

Margo Logan
Child Care Consulting in Washington State

Monday, January 26, 2009

The 2009 Legislative Session has Begun

Dear Parents in Washington State,

What the new president promises and what we will witness is a high standard of ethics and transparency in government. That all parties will work together for the greater good of the citizens of this country.

That is what we expect to witness. We support all the senators and representatives who also hold in their hearts and in their actions that high standard of ethics and transparency in government.

House Bill 1329 (Commerce and Labor Committee) will take public testimony at 10 am on January 27, 2009 in Olympia in the John L. O'Brien Building.

It is an SEIU bill. Service Employees International Union. The SEIU named the bill "collective bargaining". In my research and opinion it is not collective bargaining. It is not a bill for parents nor for the protection of their children in licensed day care.

From my research and read...through these types of bills... SEIU has amassed great amounts of taxpayer money which in turn is contributed to elected officials and the two parties to put pressure on them to vote the way SEIU wants.

The Family Home Child Care Provider bill that SEIU got passed in 2006 resulted in only about 2000 out of 10,000 in-home and family day care providers voting that they wanted SEIU in their lives. But because of the bill that passed.... SEIU is in their lives whether they like it or not.

SEIU has dumped tremendous amounts of taxpayer dollars back to the two parties; and the most recent go around was to the Democratic party. They dumped millions into Barack Obama's campaign. I suspect the new president will demonstrate integrity; and will not consider himself "bought" by SEIU; and if that is so I will be jumping around with delight. I didn't vote for President Obama but every ethical and transparent step he takes my heart will soar with the possibilities of what this country can honorably achieve.

I am not a scholar of the whole history of unions, but from my read in many cases the original intent of unions has changed so much I have to reflect on what is really going on.

The new president says we all will work together for the common good Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

I'll be testifying tomorrow and visiting around the Capitol to see how this legislative session is beginning.