I would advise the mother interviewed for this article and other parents to not put children in a day care setting until they can talk; until they can "tell". Many parents have done the math and know only two people cannot give any real semblance of quality care to eight infants. Two people with eight infants?
I see there is a new assistant director in DEL, Frank Ordway who told the interviewer why the number of centers declined from 7000 to 5700 in the last four years: "...there's no money in it"
Perhaps Mr. Ordway might have analyzed the impact of the two infant deaths that occurred in a licensed day care, a provider who only took infants and contained them in a basement that didn't meet safety regulations. After the first infant death without conducting an investigation DEL allowed the provider to continue with her license. A little over ten years later another infant died in the same day care. Parents might have read about that case last year.
Ordway went on to say: "So if you have eight infants, you've got to have two employees," Ordway said. "And you're trying to pay them a living wage, the overhead, the insurance and all the things that come along with providing infant care. It's a really difficult business proposition."
What actions has DEL taken since the deaths of those infants who were in the news for the last few years?
Mr. Ordway continued: "So over just the last year, 18 months, there has been a variety of laws and policies passed in Olympia that seeks to increase the opportunities, in terms of more child care providers," Ordway said. "A better marketplace, a slimmer set of regulations for them to follow. And if they deliver high quality, more money to reimburse their services."
Thus as those infant deaths were in the news DEL worked on "...a slimmer set of regulations for them to follow..."?
After not enforcing the safety regulations where two infants died the solution by DEL seems to be to manifest a further decline in such duties as training, oversight and enforcement around licensed child day care?
In the time that I was licensor when licensed providers were required to attend renewal orientation the high quality providers told me how embarrassed they were at the low quality of providers who sat at the table with them. "This is who people think we are?" For a time those high quality providers formed a separate association to work at bringing quality up. To alleviate the problem of high and low quality providers having to meet in the same room the agency stopped requiring renewal orientation even though it was a law.
But as W. Edward Demings taught us quality must come from the top and go down. The quality at the top of DEL, in my expert opinion, is atrocious. DSHS (Department of Social and Health Services) under Governor Locke had embraced the Deming business principles ("quality must come from the top") but those never manifested in a system with a long history of entrenched poor quality management. The poor quality of the top managers at DEL comes down the pike to the regional then local levels then on down to the day care provider level. Poor quality managers liked poor quality providers is what I witnessed.
When too many children die eventually it makes the news then a pretend reform process is instituted. They rename the agency, replace the top person and announce to the public (with the media willing to be their mouthpiece), see we fixed it?
Day care licensing was pulled out of DSHS in 2006, given its own special agency reporting directly to the governor. That was supposed to fix it or give the appearance of fixing it. A whole new agency with new RCW (Revised Code of Washington) and new WAC (Washington Administrative Code), new laws that at first tamped down the health, safety and well-being of the child in day care. Plus a whole new load, boatload of taxpayer money to pay for the governor's special agency. I have a copy of an email between two top managers at DEL making over $100,000.00 with benefits telling each other they were bored.
What is DEL doing now? They are at the top at the right hand of the governor? What pretend reform are they working on now?
Researching for an up-date I see Ross Hunter is now the director of DEL since September 2015. I find that sad.
When Mr. Hunter was a representative in the legislature he got my copies of the records I submitted to the State Auditor Whistle Blower program. Rep. Hunter found the records extremely concerning and attempted to meet with the top managers of DEL at that time, he was very frustrated with them; and he was powerless to change their behaviors.
Now Mr. Hunter's biography is listed on the DEL website as the new director with nary a concern mentioned about child safety in child day care in Washington State.
Parents will continue to become more empowered and will protect their children as they process and filter through all the propaganda DEL and its managers continue to publish on their website, through news media sources and through taxpayer paid for child care resource and referrals willing to be mouthpieces for the Department of Early Learning.
The article states on average a year of infant care costs $17,300.00. Parents will find ways for one parent to always be with their children until the children are old enough to protect themselves and can "tell."
One or both parents will become entrepreneurs and figure this out. They will find work. Their work schedules are such that one parent or the other is with their baby. That is happening right now with thirty-something year old parents in my extended family.
I had one provider on my caseload who did medical transcription part time while having her own day care business when her kids were little. When they went into the school system; she did medical transcription full time from home and was available for school events and supports.
Parents will figure this out and they will more and more protect their children.
Copy and paste into your browser:
http://mynorthwest.com/874/2886746/Is-your-kid-on-a-childcare-wait-list-Heres-why-Washington-is-in-a-childcare-crisis
