With four year old Jordan Coleman dying in a hot day care car in Sunrise, Florida, his day care provider like so many was given a heads up by the state that they'd be visiting her home.
In Washington State as a day care licensor when I made unannounced monitor visits to a day care home and found them overcapacity repeatedly, Washington State managers would not shut down the home. Then after a child dies, the state regulators will revoke the license citing all the violations they'd seen over the years that they never took action on.
It's a known practice for day care providers to delay opening the door to a regulator or food program monitor while children are hidden in closets, put in the garage, sent out the back door to a neighbor's house and now in Florida to die in a car. Other day care providers know it and the states know it.
In Washington State and most other states the department managers won't post the violations seen in day care homes and the government managers don't give that information to Child Care Resource and Referral now called Child Care Aware. Child Care Aware is just an extension of the same old government failure, tricking parents into believing that licensed means the day care provider is operating per law. It doesn't.
From the article:
"Coleman was left inside a sport utility vehicle outside the Versailles Gardens Condominium complex in Tamarac on Aug. 1. He was supposed to be at the 3C's Day Academy in Sunrise, which is run out of a home. However, he and several other children were removed from the home by the daycare owner's daughter. The daycare had been expecting to see a visit from state investigators that day and had been cited before for being over capacity."
Child Care Aware? Child Care Beware.
America's regulatory history is shocking and the amount of taxpayer money that goes into giving the illusion that there is oversight and enforcement is a shocking deadly farce.
Regulation came in the 1880s specifically to create a barrier between pesky concerned citizens and the big railroad companies at that time. It was never created to prevent harm, it was created to allow harm. Dead history, history not taught in public school education, has created dead citizens under the specifically created illusion that our regulatory laws mean something when they don't.
http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21008232062214/lawsuit-filed-after-child-dies-in-car/
Showing posts with label Babies dying in HOT CARS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Babies dying in HOT CARS. Show all posts
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Day Care Director held Accountable in Death of Haile Brockington
Katie's Kids director, driver plead guilty; sentenced to probation
Another mother grieves and wonders what is and where is the proper justice for this child's death ... for Haile Brockington's death.
In Washington State where licensed family home child day provider, Danette Zaring, in 2004 slammed two year old Hailee Rhodes into a playpen causing permanent brain damage, Danette Zaring got five years in prison.
I've seen no reports on Katie Kids licensing history to know whether or not she was qualified to get and/or to keep a license. Danette Zaring of Spokane, Washington wasn't in my expert opinion as a former day care licensor, but the state government licensing agency didn't revoke Zaring's license until after the tragedy with Washington's Hailee.
How deep is the failure in Haile Brockington's death?
No one is studying the overcapacity issues in licensed day care. Day cares operating at overcapacity is a major health and safety risk to children. And in my time in the government agency, managers actively forbade my doing unannounced monitor visits on day care facilities the managers had direct knowledge of who were overcapacity.
Washington State laws still hold the Washington State government licensing agency responsible for deaths of children because of poor licensing, poor background clearance oversight, poor oversight, poor monitoring, poor complaint investigation and failure to take proper action as directed by the citizen legislature who made the health, safety and well-being of the child paramount over any person to hold a license.
Other states have horrendously protected unelected government bureaucrats from their failures and as a result there is little or no accountability. Some of the records of other states I've reviewed goes way beyond the pale of acceptable standards of documentation and record keeping.
I am not familiar Florida day care licensing laws and I am curious about their laws, their accountability and how that would weigh in on what happened to Haile Brockington.
It appears the State of Florida did not revoke the license of the day care director. It indicates as a result of losing state funds the director could no longer kept her business. It tells me there is more to the story. If I run across any pertinent information I'll write an update.
I can only say to a grieving mother, I'm so sorry your sweet child died.
Another mother grieves and wonders what is and where is the proper justice for this child's death ... for Haile Brockington's death.
In Washington State where licensed family home child day provider, Danette Zaring, in 2004 slammed two year old Hailee Rhodes into a playpen causing permanent brain damage, Danette Zaring got five years in prison.
I've seen no reports on Katie Kids licensing history to know whether or not she was qualified to get and/or to keep a license. Danette Zaring of Spokane, Washington wasn't in my expert opinion as a former day care licensor, but the state government licensing agency didn't revoke Zaring's license until after the tragedy with Washington's Hailee.
How deep is the failure in Haile Brockington's death?
No one is studying the overcapacity issues in licensed day care. Day cares operating at overcapacity is a major health and safety risk to children. And in my time in the government agency, managers actively forbade my doing unannounced monitor visits on day care facilities the managers had direct knowledge of who were overcapacity.
Washington State laws still hold the Washington State government licensing agency responsible for deaths of children because of poor licensing, poor background clearance oversight, poor oversight, poor monitoring, poor complaint investigation and failure to take proper action as directed by the citizen legislature who made the health, safety and well-being of the child paramount over any person to hold a license.
Other states have horrendously protected unelected government bureaucrats from their failures and as a result there is little or no accountability. Some of the records of other states I've reviewed goes way beyond the pale of acceptable standards of documentation and record keeping.
I am not familiar Florida day care licensing laws and I am curious about their laws, their accountability and how that would weigh in on what happened to Haile Brockington.
It appears the State of Florida did not revoke the license of the day care director. It indicates as a result of losing state funds the director could no longer kept her business. It tells me there is more to the story. If I run across any pertinent information I'll write an update.
I can only say to a grieving mother, I'm so sorry your sweet child died.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Roll Call not Head Count - good Idea from a Texas Daycare
2 Texas children dead from being left in a hot car | children, hernandez, texas - KFDM-TV Channel Six
A baby dying in a hot car can happen in 10 minutes of forgetting. It's good to see this daycare owner stepping up with the observation roll call is better than head counting.
2 more children dead in a hot van, this time in Texas.
From the news report and a responsible idea from daycare owner Dina Hernandez:
"Hernandez is the owner and director of Groves Red Apple Day Care.Today they're going on a field trip. Hernandez has 53 children to look after...each one just as important as the next."
"We do a roll call by name, not by head count, because you could count the same child twice..roll call on the van and off the van," said Dina Hernandez."
As a licensor when doing complaint investigations on daycare homes where we were given a heads up of a provider being overcapacity and what they would do to hide children when the licensor came to the door, I know how hard it can be to do a head count on moving children.
These kind of daycare providers would delay letting the licensor in while the assistant sneaked kids out the backdoor or upstairs to hide them in closets like the former day care provider in Clark County, Connie King, whom the Department of Early Learning (DEL) did a settlement with rather than revoking her license. In addition, when I was her licensor prior to the name change of the child care licensing agency I wasn't allowed to complete my investigation or do monitoring on her business. Parents reported not being allowed to come into her house to get their own children.
While I quickly counted 13 children in the backyard and downstairs playroom the assistant "disappeared". The provider did not want me to go upstairs, she said it wasn't licensed "space". There were 8 children upstairs (no fire escape), 2 of them babies. 21 children and one adult. The maximum capacity in Washington State is 12 with an assistant for family home daycare.
Overcapacity and supervision is a serious health and safety issue in daycare.
An issue ignored for more than a decade by unelected bureaucratic managers in Washington State. Other states have the same lack of oversight and supervision regarding capacity.
Having the children vocalize and interact in a roll call activity is connection and community. It can be life saving in a hot car.
May through August are the worst months for babies dying in hot cars.
A baby dying in a hot car can happen in 10 minutes of forgetting. It's good to see this daycare owner stepping up with the observation roll call is better than head counting.
2 more children dead in a hot van, this time in Texas.
From the news report and a responsible idea from daycare owner Dina Hernandez:
"Hernandez is the owner and director of Groves Red Apple Day Care.Today they're going on a field trip. Hernandez has 53 children to look after...each one just as important as the next."
"We do a roll call by name, not by head count, because you could count the same child twice..roll call on the van and off the van," said Dina Hernandez."
As a licensor when doing complaint investigations on daycare homes where we were given a heads up of a provider being overcapacity and what they would do to hide children when the licensor came to the door, I know how hard it can be to do a head count on moving children.
These kind of daycare providers would delay letting the licensor in while the assistant sneaked kids out the backdoor or upstairs to hide them in closets like the former day care provider in Clark County, Connie King, whom the Department of Early Learning (DEL) did a settlement with rather than revoking her license. In addition, when I was her licensor prior to the name change of the child care licensing agency I wasn't allowed to complete my investigation or do monitoring on her business. Parents reported not being allowed to come into her house to get their own children.
While I quickly counted 13 children in the backyard and downstairs playroom the assistant "disappeared". The provider did not want me to go upstairs, she said it wasn't licensed "space". There were 8 children upstairs (no fire escape), 2 of them babies. 21 children and one adult. The maximum capacity in Washington State is 12 with an assistant for family home daycare.
Overcapacity and supervision is a serious health and safety issue in daycare.
An issue ignored for more than a decade by unelected bureaucratic managers in Washington State. Other states have the same lack of oversight and supervision regarding capacity.
Having the children vocalize and interact in a roll call activity is connection and community. It can be life saving in a hot car.
May through August are the worst months for babies dying in hot cars.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
SEIU 925/Day Care Associations - Kids Dying in HOT CARS
Day care vehicles regulation passed by House panel | Louisiana Politics | 2theadvocate.com — Baton Rouge, LA
Whether little ones are dying in hot cars in New Orleans where the day care association in Louisiana was opposed to requiring day care centers installing alarms in their vans; the histories of either the taxpayer unions and many day care associations show a lack of focus on child health, safety and well-being.
In Washington State the two combined.
Andy Stern, former president of SEIU nationally, learned what a cash cow state government was when he was a social services worker in state government. Thus began the rein of taxpayer unions attempting to fool the public by calling their bills that created them collective bargaining bills. They are not. SEIU 925, taxpayer union and the daycare association have intertwined in Washington State.
SEIU in my opinion and now my own personal experience is simply a legislative creation to continually feed SEIU taxpayer money through an accounting system set up by our state governments.
In my first hand experience I received no phone calls or literature in the mail that "union organizing" was happening. On my ballot I received in the mail I was told no voter or the public could be present for the ballot counting and any other writing on my ballot would make it invalid because the letter said it wouldn't be "secret". Additionally, the "secret" ballot procedure was not like a ballot we fill out for a general election. Highly suspect.
For the next legislative session reversing these taxpayer unions would be to the benefit of the taxpayer, day care providers, state workers
and parents. Only a small percentage knew this was going down and voted.
The recent child care legislative update on the SEIU 925 website related to day care was written by the president of a local day care chapter. The gist of the communication was isn't it great we don't have go through a renewal process every three years, isn't it great we have a mobile criminal history check we can take from job to job and isn't great that unlicensed folks will get some focus for being unlicensed.
Colby Thompson, permanently disabled at 9 months old and for the rest of his life, and his parents, were the reason the unlicensed bill got passed. They were not mentioned in the SEIU 925's website article.
Washington Parents for Safe Child Care who had been working on the FBI fingerprinting bill since at least 1999 was not mentioned. Stu Jacobson, president and parent; and a number of parents over the years worked on getting that bill passed. The work these parents did was not mentioned.
Will SEIU write an article on babies DYING in HOT CARS? It is on the rise since about 2006 with the requirement to put the kids in the backseat.
Google Jan Null at San Francisco State University to get more data about this growing tragedy. Please, get out the word to help prevent such a horrible death to a little one.
May through August are the worst months. Call 911 immediately if you see a baby alone in a car.
Whether little ones are dying in hot cars in New Orleans where the day care association in Louisiana was opposed to requiring day care centers installing alarms in their vans; the histories of either the taxpayer unions and many day care associations show a lack of focus on child health, safety and well-being.
In Washington State the two combined.
Andy Stern, former president of SEIU nationally, learned what a cash cow state government was when he was a social services worker in state government. Thus began the rein of taxpayer unions attempting to fool the public by calling their bills that created them collective bargaining bills. They are not. SEIU 925, taxpayer union and the daycare association have intertwined in Washington State.
SEIU in my opinion and now my own personal experience is simply a legislative creation to continually feed SEIU taxpayer money through an accounting system set up by our state governments.
In my first hand experience I received no phone calls or literature in the mail that "union organizing" was happening. On my ballot I received in the mail I was told no voter or the public could be present for the ballot counting and any other writing on my ballot would make it invalid because the letter said it wouldn't be "secret". Additionally, the "secret" ballot procedure was not like a ballot we fill out for a general election. Highly suspect.
For the next legislative session reversing these taxpayer unions would be to the benefit of the taxpayer, day care providers, state workers
and parents. Only a small percentage knew this was going down and voted.
The recent child care legislative update on the SEIU 925 website related to day care was written by the president of a local day care chapter. The gist of the communication was isn't it great we don't have go through a renewal process every three years, isn't it great we have a mobile criminal history check we can take from job to job and isn't great that unlicensed folks will get some focus for being unlicensed.
Colby Thompson, permanently disabled at 9 months old and for the rest of his life, and his parents, were the reason the unlicensed bill got passed. They were not mentioned in the SEIU 925's website article.
Washington Parents for Safe Child Care who had been working on the FBI fingerprinting bill since at least 1999 was not mentioned. Stu Jacobson, president and parent; and a number of parents over the years worked on getting that bill passed. The work these parents did was not mentioned.
Will SEIU write an article on babies DYING in HOT CARS? It is on the rise since about 2006 with the requirement to put the kids in the backseat.
Google Jan Null at San Francisco State University to get more data about this growing tragedy. Please, get out the word to help prevent such a horrible death to a little one.
May through August are the worst months. Call 911 immediately if you see a baby alone in a car.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Babies dying in HOT CARS is on the RISE, Beware May thru August - Heads Up
June 1, 2011 UPDATE from Jan Null who contacted the author to affirm he did not use the term "simply" forgotten:
"Hi Margo....That’s not a term I would use, because there is nothing simple about this issue that I have been working on for 10 years in July. Each case is a tragedy on many many levels, including the families, responders, researchers, child safety advocates etc. I am affected by each case I document, not only as a scientist but as a parent and recently a grandparent.
All of my research and time has been self-funded. I am part-time faculty at SF State Univ. and don’t receive time or money for research. But it is an important issue that needs to be addressed and I am blessed to be able to at least try and make a difference.
Regards,
Jan
My sentiments are the same in the information I publish to the parent, the public, elected officials and advocates.
To obtain compelling information please copy and paste into your browser Jan Null's website: http://ggweather.com/heat/#faq
Or simply Google:
Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles by Jan Null, CCM Department of Geosciences, SFSU
Here's the original article I linked and addressed. A thank you to Jan Null for the clarification and for the work he's doing to prevent this rising tragedy.
Kennesaw PD continues investigating death of child left in car | ajc.com
I hope expert Jan Null, expert in babies dying in hot cars was misquoted in saying people simply forgot a baby in the back seat.
When I worked as a child care licensor for 13 years, not once did I "simply" forget to go to work.
People may have tragically forgotten, but not simply forgotten
Importantly, Null gives us a heads up on his research that almost 1/2 of the babies died while with a caregiver which could be a licensed or unlicensed adult responsible for the baby.
Strikingly, the deaths have increased since we've been required to keep the kids in the backseat.
From the news article: "Jan Null, a researcher in the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State State University was quoted in this news article as saying, It happens to a lot of people, Null said. There have been doctors and school principals and day-care owners. People across the board.And in half those cases it was because people simply forgot the child was in the backseat, Null said."
See Jan Null's website at: http://ggweather.com/heat/#faq
"Airbags vs. Hyperthermia Deaths
In the three-year period of 1990-1992, before airbags became popular, there were only 11 known deaths of children from hyperthermia.
In the most recent three-year period of 2006-2009, when almost all young children are now placed in back seats instead of front seats, there have been at least 108 known fatalities from hyperthermia...a ten-fold increase from the rate of the early 1990s. (graphic) [Important note: This in no way implies that it is advocated that children be placed in the front seat or that airbags be disabled.]
"Circumstances
An examination of media reports about the 494 child vehicular hyperthermia deaths for an thirteen year period (1998 through 2010) shows the following circumstances:
51% - child "forgotten" by caregiver (253 Children)
30% - child playing in unattended vehicle (150)
17% - child intentionally left in vehicle by adult (86)
1% - circumstances unknown (5)
Children's thermoregulatory systems are not as efficient as an adult's and their body temperatures warm at a rate 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s."
What I know as a former licensor the secret kept from the public and parents related to licensed day care is the serious problem of day care providers and centers operating at overcapacity and not having enough staff.
Overcapacity and lack of supervision is a BIG health and safety issue for your baby, your kid...your children in unlicensed and licensed child care.
People don't simply forget to go to work and people don't simply forget about a baby in the backseat.
Why they forgot is a vital life and death issue to figure out. I'll send my article to Jan Null. Maybe the University can conduct research to answer the "why" question.
"Hi Margo....That’s not a term I would use, because there is nothing simple about this issue that I have been working on for 10 years in July. Each case is a tragedy on many many levels, including the families, responders, researchers, child safety advocates etc. I am affected by each case I document, not only as a scientist but as a parent and recently a grandparent.
All of my research and time has been self-funded. I am part-time faculty at SF State Univ. and don’t receive time or money for research. But it is an important issue that needs to be addressed and I am blessed to be able to at least try and make a difference.
Regards,
Jan
My sentiments are the same in the information I publish to the parent, the public, elected officials and advocates.
To obtain compelling information please copy and paste into your browser Jan Null's website: http://ggweather.com/heat/#faq
Or simply Google:
Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles by Jan Null, CCM Department of Geosciences, SFSU
Here's the original article I linked and addressed. A thank you to Jan Null for the clarification and for the work he's doing to prevent this rising tragedy.
Kennesaw PD continues investigating death of child left in car | ajc.com
I hope expert Jan Null, expert in babies dying in hot cars was misquoted in saying people simply forgot a baby in the back seat.
When I worked as a child care licensor for 13 years, not once did I "simply" forget to go to work.
People may have tragically forgotten, but not simply forgotten
Importantly, Null gives us a heads up on his research that almost 1/2 of the babies died while with a caregiver which could be a licensed or unlicensed adult responsible for the baby.
Strikingly, the deaths have increased since we've been required to keep the kids in the backseat.
From the news article: "Jan Null, a researcher in the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State State University was quoted in this news article as saying, It happens to a lot of people, Null said. There have been doctors and school principals and day-care owners. People across the board.And in half those cases it was because people simply forgot the child was in the backseat, Null said."
See Jan Null's website at: http://ggweather.com/heat/#faq
"Airbags vs. Hyperthermia Deaths
In the three-year period of 1990-1992, before airbags became popular, there were only 11 known deaths of children from hyperthermia.
In the most recent three-year period of 2006-2009, when almost all young children are now placed in back seats instead of front seats, there have been at least 108 known fatalities from hyperthermia...a ten-fold increase from the rate of the early 1990s. (graphic) [Important note: This in no way implies that it is advocated that children be placed in the front seat or that airbags be disabled.]
"Circumstances
An examination of media reports about the 494 child vehicular hyperthermia deaths for an thirteen year period (1998 through 2010) shows the following circumstances:
51% - child "forgotten" by caregiver (253 Children)
30% - child playing in unattended vehicle (150)
17% - child intentionally left in vehicle by adult (86)
1% - circumstances unknown (5)
Children's thermoregulatory systems are not as efficient as an adult's and their body temperatures warm at a rate 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s."
What I know as a former licensor the secret kept from the public and parents related to licensed day care is the serious problem of day care providers and centers operating at overcapacity and not having enough staff.
Overcapacity and lack of supervision is a BIG health and safety issue for your baby, your kid...your children in unlicensed and licensed child care.
People don't simply forget to go to work and people don't simply forget about a baby in the backseat.
Why they forgot is a vital life and death issue to figure out. I'll send my article to Jan Null. Maybe the University can conduct research to answer the "why" question.
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