I thought I'd re-post this article and opinion piece I wrote back in April 2011 about Robin I. Johnson, a day care provider who murdered fourteen month old Charlotte Wetzel in her care in Washington State and who wrote to DSHS with a suggestion how to figure out if a person like her who had her instability and then not license them.
I thought I'd re-post today as well as DEL is still not complying with the 2007 law to post revocations, suspensions and denial of day care licenses on their website.
Here's my article and opinion piece from April 2011, I've edited and updated some information:
A reader of the Tacoma Tribune had written this comment:
"Do those who the state gives a license to not only get a background check but a physiological and take a polygraph test? If not they should. Who knows what lurks in the minds of those we let take care of our kids. I would like to know that everything possible was done to ensure that those taking care of our children were fully screened and tested before taking care of any child that comes under their care."
Robin Johnson killed 14 month old Charlotte Wetzel in 1998. Robin had stomped on Charlotte's stomach causing internal injuries. Robin had previously abused Charlotte as well as other little girls in her licensed day care. Robin was 33 at the time.
Robin wrote a letter to her former licensor with a suggestion on how to keep children safe from people like her:
"The most important issue, which I feel very strongly about because of the serious, even life-threatening impact it can have on any home daycare. Again, I speak from an insight from personal experience on this issue; the catalyst which played a major role in my crime. There is a dire need for mental health evaluations for all home daycare applicants. According to WAC 388.155.180 providers are expected to to be of sound mental health, but this cannot be truly ensured without proper evaluation. Applicants are carefully screened to ensure the children are placed in a safe, well-prepared, and thoughtfully planned daycare environment, with the exception of an evaluation of the applicant's mental stability."
The letter was received by DSHS on April 22, 1999. Four years before Robin's suggestion in 1995 the legislature strengthened the laws protecting the children in licensed day care.
The unelected government bureaucracy is broken and has been for 2 decades. As a former licensor and current expert witness at a minimum I urge parents to become essentially your own detectives if you must use licensed care. If you use unlicensed care also be your own detective. Both for your peace of mind and the well-being of your child to not believe the government licensing agency or it's contracted agencies.
This author is fed up with the unelected government bureaucracy blaming parents while not performing fingerprinting background checks and not performing character, competence and suitability evaluations on applicants looking to be approved to work with children.
You cannot trust state employees to follow the licensing laws consistently, in fact, evidence shows that laws enacted by the senators and representatives you elected to represent the health and safety of you as a citizen and of your child in regards to child safety are cavalierly ignored by state employees starting from the top managers on down through the middle managers and then to the supervisors.
Top ranking elected officials such as Governor Gregoire, Attorney General McKenna and State Auditor, Brian Sonntag at a minimum appear impotent to enforce the laws of the legislature. Why is that?
Robin I. Johnson took full responsibility for abusing and killing Charlotte in her 1999 letter. Robin gave the child care licensing agency a suggestion on how to better monitor and evaluate potential daycare providers before giving them a license. Robin wrote:
"The most important issue, which I feel very strongly about because of the serious, even life-threatening impact it can have on any home daycare. Again, I speak from an insight from personal experience on this issue; the catalyst which played a major role in my crime. There is a dire need for mental health evaluations for all home daycare applicants. According to WAC 388.155.180 providers are expected to to be of sound mental health, but this cannot be truly ensured without proper evaluation. Applicants are carefully screened to ensure the children are placed in a safe, well-prepared, and thoughtfully planned daycare environment, with the exception of an evaluation of the applicant's mental stability."
What Robin didn't know and parents aren't told is that her recommendation was all ready a "shall" under the law per RCW 74.15.030(3)to investigate each applicant for "character, competence and suitability". That law allowed and does allow the state today to direct an applicant and other member of the household to get a mental health evaluation on a determination that one is so needed to enforce the intent of the law which had been strengthened in 1995 by the legislature after 4 babies died in licensed foster care (one was a day care baby)in 1993 and 1994.
I reviewed the "home study" the licensor did on Robin Johnson. Those important questions were on the home study and the licensor did not ask them. Robin is right, she was praised for having her environment look good. There was about a 3 sentence write up regarding the home study.
I as a licensor (a social worker 3 who by experience and with a masters in social work) had the expertise to ask the questions to make an evaluation as to the capabilities of the applicant to care for children. I did so. Folks struggling with hidden shame or on shaky grounds around the issue of allowing such a person to be alone with small vulnerable children who avoided or refused to get the mental health assessments I required of them, with that non-compliance I moved and denied the license.
In 1993 when I got my first day care provider caseload of 260 I was appalled at who had been allowed to continue providing care. One day care provider had been fined in court for "child endangerment" and was allowed to keep her license. At the next "bloodied" child complaint, I interviewed her and found her to be very depressed; and probably had been chronically depressed for some time. I revoked her license. Why had DSHS managers allowed her to stay licensed?
In the course of my DSHS career I witnessed the laws made by the legislature ignored. In or around 2004..2005 unelected bureaucratic managers were directing licensors not to investigate applicants per RCW 74.15.030(3)for "character, competence and suitability".
Robin had only worked in a daycare center for one month when she applied to take children into her own private home. With the little girls in her care she had "backhanded them" "pulled their hair" "pushing them down" "shaking, dropping, kicking, stomping" One child "had had an area of hair almost the circumference of a 'pop can' pulled from her head" "Robin had hit her with a white belt, spanking her until she fell down". Robin explained away the many bruises to parents that asked. One child began having "night terrors" waking up "screaming and often not calming down for 30 or 40 minutes."
From the CPS investigation summary report: The grandparents of one little girl stated: "..that they spoke to a pediatrician and to a day care consultant about the fact that (redacted name) was indicating strongly by her crying and her body language that she did not want to be left at the Johnson's home in the mornings. Mr. and Mrs. (name redacted) were told that some crying and reluctance to be left for care was quite normal, and should not be cause for concern. This case would certainly be an object lesson on the fact when a child exhibits these behaviors in regard to their day care situation,the parents and grandparents should make every effort to determine the source of their child's fears and apprehensions, and to report to the agency any information that would indicate abuse or neglect or which would be helpful to the licensor."
This author is fed up with the unelected government bureaucratic managers blaming the parents and not investigating the unelected bureaucratic managers who operated the agency in such a way that has allowed children to be at risk, treated meanly and in some cases to be killed; that the government in essence fools parents and citizens into believing that day care licensing laws mean something; that the government fools parents and citizens into believing the DEL website is giving them vital and complete information when it does not.
Who was the "day care consultant"? Likely,it was a child care resource and referral agency. They exist because of your federal and tax money. They are not allowed access to child care licensing files to know any of the history on any providers. A false sense of security is provided to parents in the media hype that Child Care Resource and Referral agencies and Child Care Licensing agencies look out for the well-being of your child. The head of the state contracted agency makes over $100,000.00 a year as well.
Then the DSHS Division of Licensed Resources Child Protective Services (the layers of bureaucracy grow like a cancer after x number of deaths happen in child care, the managers stay the same, are often promoted, more taxpayer money is spent, the name of the agency changes, until another threshold of deaths become too much of a media story then the "reform" story and hype repeats itself) does not "investigate" the child care agency for possible neglect or failure of duty in licensing child day care homes and centers.
Robin Johnson suggestion was a good one in 1999. Robin had read WAC 388.155.180 correctly. Robin didn't know and I'm sure Charlotte's parents didn't know the legislature had enacted Robin's "suggestion" in 1995. The unelected government bureaucracy ignored the legislature.
Then that other portion of the unelected bureaucracy (Division of Licensed Resources) "investigated" only Robin and did not investigate the unelected child care licensing agency managers for their failure and neglect of duty to the citizens of Washington State.
Covering the most essential duties to keep your children safe has gotten worse over the years but the financial wealth of these unelected bureaucrats has increased. The number of managers who fail at their jobs has increased as well as their paychecks.
The Communications Managers, Amy Blondin, Communication Manager for the Department of Early Learning (the latest name for child care licensing) brings home at least $93,000.00 a year with health benefits and retirement benefits. Her boss, deputy director, Bob Hamilton brings home $112,000.00 a year with health benefits and retirement benefits.
Yet Washington State is in a dire budget situation.
Robin Johnson's suggestion was a good one in 1999. 12 years ago. It had become law in 1995. 16 years ago. And yet, one more time, in the 2011-2012 legislative session child care advocates will work to get that Fingerprinting bill passed.
The only math going on is towards spending your tax money to enrich these unelected bureaucratic managers who won't comply with the laws to keep your children safe.
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