Look Just Past the Front Door

“Ever wonder about the quality of your child care program? Start by looking just past the front door. In Alabama, child care is regulated by the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR). If your child’s facility is licensed, the license will be prominently displayed somewhere near the facility’s front entrance. If the facility is eligible […]

Inspected Child Care Should Be the Norm

Now you must find the right child care for your new baby. She, like your mother, can’t walk on  her own, feed or take care of herself.  You are considering the best options for your daughter while you are at work.  Will you choose the day care program that is licensed and regularly inspected for safety and health standards or will you choose the one that is not licensed?  Unfortunately, in Alabama, you will have to look carefully and ask the right questions to find a  facility that is regularly inspected.  Statewide, a large and increasing number of programs are  not inspected. The number of licensed programs is declining while the number of  unlicensed/uninspected facilities in increasing.

Don’t Expect…Inspect

President Ronald Reagan said, “You don’t always get what you expect, but you do get what you  INSPECT.” Thank goodness our state inspects all restaurants, nursing homes, hospitals, and even  places like hair salons and barbershops. It is important that we have trained experts to look for things  that the average citizen likely would not notice. Those inspections keep us safe and healthy. Lots of parents are surprised to know that many, perhaps most, child care programs are not  inspected for health and safety. Over the past ten years the number of child care programs licensed  and inspected by the Department of Human Resources (DHR), the state agency that oversees child  care, has decreased dramatically.