Day Care Inspections Done Less Often than "Dog Kennels"

Infant death in home of "day care provider of the year": Sac County - California's Children

From the article above:

" As reporter Emily Alpert ("Voices of San Diego") noted at the time, child care facilities -- again, because of budget constraints -- are checked "less than dog kennels."

As a former day care licensor in Washington State it's not because of 'budget constraints". In 1994 when I had 260 day care providers on my caseload I made more monitor visits than are done now when caseloads are around 100 to 140 for each licensor.

When I left the agency in 2006 after making numerous whistle blower reports, open complaint investigations on my caseload numbered about twelve a month. My co-workers? Twenty-seven and thirty one respectively.

When I left in 2006 my caseload was 100. In 2003 when my caseload numbered probably about 180, my open complaint investigations still numbered about twelve a month.

Washington state government workers are not happy campers. I witnessed too many equate whining and complaining to working hard and being stressed out.

The more managers added to the day care licensing agency the harder it was to do the job. Managers often showed little interest in actually reading then complying with the laws passed by our citizen legislature. Their attitudes were very cavalier about not following the law.

A former worker now retired described her time in DSHS as "being in prison."

The conditions within this "prison" and selling ones soul to the devil makes people ill, spiritually, emotionally and physically.

If only the workers would "tell" some truth telling would bring healing to the department leading to a high performing, effective, efficient and economical agency; and thereby be celebrated by citizens.

I had a supervisor for one year who showed that it could be done...can be done.