TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The latest Census data shows that over 12 million children under the age of 5 are in some type of child care program. While parents may think they are sending their child to the best care possible, it's important to think about who's really watching your child?
Well meet Mietta Jalaber. If you're a parent of kids in day care in Leon, Wakulla or Gadsden counties and don't know her, you probably should. She's a child care inspector with the Florida Department of Children and Families. Her job is to do pop-up surprise inspections at licensed day care facilities and family day care homes in North Florida to ensure the health and safety of your children.
"How many kids do you have right now?" asks Jalaber of one of the day care workers.
Today she's inspecting Childcare Network on Raymond Diehl Road in Tallahassee. She's checking for 63 standards and any signs of violations, such as the ratio of staff to children and hazards.
"Here, this bleach water should be out of reach of children," noticed Jalaber during her inspection.
Conducting fire drills and looking out for fire hazards are important steps day cares need to take when looking out for the safety of children in their care. It's a sobering reminder after the 2008 deadly day care fire that claimed the life of 4-year old Grace Chen. Firefighters determined the fire started in the bathroom exhaust fan and ruled it an accident. The day care closed.
So what should alarm parents? What are signs of a poorly run day care?
According to Jalaber, "A lack of supervision, too many children to little to no staff, so therefore they'd be out of ratio. Also, issues you may have are background screenings, where staff have not been properly background screened before they get hired."
The inspector says it's not just the dangers you can see, but the ones you can't.
"I'm listening to interactions from staff to children," Jalaber tells ABC27. "I'm also checking the daily schedule to see what it says they are supposed to be doing that day. Are staff being attentive to your child? They shouldn't be cleaning while children are in their care."
There are three classes of violations. Depending on the severity of the violation, day cares can face fines, probation, or even suspension.
"Can we just get the bathroom vent cleaned in here? I'll make you a note," said Jalaber.
In Florida, day cares can be either licensed or registered. Those that are licensed are required to do fire drills, and be inspected three times a year. For licensed in-home family day cares, it is twice a year. But day cares that are just registered, however, are not monitored by DCF.
And every facility employee has to go through a level two background check every five years. But something you may not know? Interns, parents, and those who volunteer at a daycare less than 10 hours a month do not have to get a background check.
So how much do you really know about your child's daycare facility? It may be worth another look.
All child daycare centers have an open door policy, so Jalaber says parents, feel free to pop in whenever you can. You can find information on Florida's childcare providers, laws, and who's watching your child on DCF's website,
http://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/child-care/parent-resources
Video coming soon. Check back with www.wtxl.tv
