The Washington State child day care provider in this news article appears to be Laura Clarice Martin. I've copied in the Department of Early Learning (DEL) website page to assist parents in understanding what parents will not see on this page. This day care provider has been licensed since 1995.
Martin has had recent complaints:
| Complaint ID# | Issue Type(s) | WAC | # Valid Issues | Complaint Resolution | Self Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 827777 | Business | 170-296-0550 | 1 Valid Issue | Received on: 02/18/2011 Resolved on: 04/05/2011 | |
| 838844 | Staff Qualifications | 170-296-0180 | 1 Valid Issue | Received on: 04/29/2011 Resolved on: 05/17/2011 |
As a former day care licensor with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), now under the Department of Early Learning (DEL) you, the parent will not know from reading the DEL website:
1) if Martin had any valid complaint allegations before July 27, 2005,
2) if complaints were lodged that were poorly investigated,
3) if there were valid complaints prior to July 27, 2005,
4) if and what child day care licensing violations she might have had since 1995,
5) if the provider had any valid child protective services (CPS) findings
| MARTIN LAURA CLARICE Doing Business As Laura Martin | Data current as of 11/26/2011 |
| Mercer Island, WA 98040 | |
| 206.232.4545 | |
| * Provider currently on no referral status, please call 1.866.482.4325, and choose option 3 for more information. | |
| Provider ID | 165295 | Licensed Capacity | 12 children |
| Facility Type | Family Home Provider | Ages Served | From 1 month To 11 years 11 months |
| Initial License Date | 7/27/1995 | Current License Status | Fully Licensed |
| Anniversary Date | 06/03 | DEL Licensor | Anna marie Thebo |
| License Expires | Non-Expiring | DEL Licensor Phone | 425.590.3108 |
The Washington State citizen legislature passed a law in 2007 that required DEL to post suspension, denial and revocation actions on providers who pose a risk to children. DEL will not post that information.
See the information in RED above that tells you Martin is on no referral status?
DEL easily could type information onto this page of their website informing parents of suspensions, revocations and denials of day care licenses.
DEL won't do it. DEL's flagrant flaunting of a simple law passed by your citizen legislature has been going on now for five years. The news article states that Martin's suspension notice will be served to her on November 28, 2011. Then DEL if they follow their usual pattern will take Laura Clarice Martin completely off the website.
Why is this information important to parents? Because folks whose licenses have been suspended, denied and/or revoked will sometimes go right back to providing care and parents won't know that there was a major event that happened in that daycare they've just started to use.
Kara Klotz, described as DEL's media person was quoted as saying: "From what I've seen and heard, there were several violations to license rules," Klotz said. Martin does not have a prior criminal record. Klotz said individuals with a criminal background are not eligible for day care licensing."
First of all Klotz is being vague. It would be easy to determine exactly how many violations and for which licensing regulations Martin was cited. November 21st was a Monday. This article was written on the 25th, more than enough time for DEL to gather that information.
Klotz remark about a prior criminal record simply is not accurate. Folks with criminal history conviction records do get issued licenses.
New regulations are getting ready to be published. Most of them aren't new, however, a certain segment of the licensed day care provider community has been angry about licensing in general. There has been lack of consistency and fairness with the government licensing agency at times. And there have been providers where DEL did not take action to revoke their licenses that by law and regulations the day care license was required to be revoked.
I will make a public disclosure request for Martin's licensing information via what is called "FamLink provider notes" and ask for the narrative record. Parents (and any citizen's right) it is your right to request information yourselves on any licensed day care provider.
In my last article I gave DEL kudos for its transparency of the meetings DEL has held with that certain segment of providers, most who are with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
I described some of the meetings and in my opinion it was a nightmare journey of a process. In that article you can click on the link I provided to read some of the providers' comments yourselves and come to your opinion if some of their focus was or was not concern for the health, safety and well-being of your child in care (which by law is paramount over the privilege of a person getting a license).
This event and assault where young children were present may be the new intention of the Department of Early Learning attempting to establish now a pattern of consistency in enforcing regulations. For that certain segment of providers who have "gotten away" with not having to be in compliance there will be push back and emotional reaction.
I had one provider on my caseload who said every time I went to do a licensing visit with her, "Margo, why do you allow them to keep their licenses. It's not hard to follow the regulations, why do they get to keep their licenses." Of course, in those early years of my career and trying to understand what the heck was going on...I couldn't just say, "Because my managers won't let me." That is why.
The revised regulations of family home child day care licensing will come out in 2012. DEL maybe was moving forward in attempting to apply consistency now which would benefit the whole community, the providers themselves and most of all protect your children. Give you peace of mind while you are at work.
If DEL was doing that in this particular situation then they were moving forward in the manner legally legislated by your citizen legislature. I would commend that.
And for today DEL managers, director Betty Hyde and deputy director Bob Hamilton please implement:
RCW 43.215.370: "... the following actions shall be posted to the department's web site accessible by the public: Suspension, surrender, revocation, denial, stayed suspension, or reinstatement of a license. The department shall also post on the web site those agencies subject to licensing that have not initiated the licensing process within thirty days of the department's notification as required in RCW 43.215.300."
Maybe DEL is looking to make the Guinness Book of World Records?
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