The Minnesota Department of Human Services sent out an update today dated May 2011 regarding Child Care Licensing:Monitoring child care compliance with standards:www.dhs.state.mn.us. The report stated, “Of the nearly 500,000 Minnesota households with at least one child 12 or younger, about 75 percent used some type of child care arrangements in 2010.” There are nearly 1600 licensed child care centers in Minnesota, 11,500 licensed family child care providers and 150,000 households in Minnesota that provide legally unlicensed child care and there is no count for the illegal programs listed. The 150,000 are recognized by the State but are unmonitored by the State. At a time when the State is putting pressure on parents, licensed family child care providers and centers to have all children ready for kindergarten, but why are they not forcing the legally unlicensed and the illegal child care programs to become licensed, educated in child development, child safety, child nutrition, etc? Why are we, the general public allowing this to happen? Why are millions of tax payer dollars being spent to improve and mandate licensed providers to become what the State considers “quality programs” when they are ignoring 150,000 households and the care of those children. There is no limit to the number of related children a legally unlicensed child care provider can care for at one time. Absolutely, no limit and the State can subsidize those programs. The media has reported over and over that only 50% of Minnesota’s children are enrolled kindergarten ready. Is there any doubt as to why?? Why is the general public not outraged about this?
Kathy Stevens
Crow Wing County Licensed Child Care Provider
Brainerd
