Articles on child care

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http://www.gaylordheraldtimes.com/artic ... 158016.txt

DHS: balance need for childcare & protection

By James Martinez, Staff Writer ·
Posted: Saturday, July 28, 2007 12:07 AM EDT OTSEGO COUNTY —

Regulating child day-care homes is a balance of satisfying the need for childcare and ensuring those children have a safe environment, say officials with the Michigan Dept. of Human Services (DHS).

The Herald Times contacted the DHS Friday in regard to its notice of intent to revoke the childcare license of Christine Inman at 1494 Arrowhead Trail

Inman’s home was the subject of two special investigations completed by the DHS’s Office of Children and Adult Licensing (OCAL) on April 25 and June 6. In those reports, a licensing consultant recommended Inman’s license be revoked on both occasions due to various violations of state law regulating childcare.

DHS spokesperson Maureen Sorbet confirmed that Inman’s license was still valid as of Friday morning and would remain so as the disciplinary process continues.

Jim Sinnamon, the division director for child day-care licensing with the OCAL, explained the process the department must proceed with to revoke a license requires due process and provides the licensee certain rights. The April 25 recommendation of revocation for Inman’s license was continuing through the administrative process when the June recommendation was made, Sinnamon said.

“Part of it is the due process afforded the licenses,” said Sinnamon. “There are sometimes we do wish we could go right in.”

According to Sinnamon, the department can take emergency action and immediately summarily suspend the child-care license, but that those actions were not deemed necessary in this case. “Basically (childcare providers) have a right to the license and all those rights that come with the license, like taking care of children, until we can take it away,” Sinnamon said. He noted the department must adhere to Michigan’s Administrative Procedures Act while taking such disciplinary action.

Sinnamon said that as part of the investigation process, once a licensing consultant receives a complaint and makes a recommendation that includes actions like license revocation, he reviews the recommendation and facts to see if they support revocation to be sure it would stand up in a state hearing.

“We want to be sure it’s based on fact and supported with evidence,” Sinnamon added.

Following his review, if the revocation recommendation is supported, the licensee is notified as the OCAL’s disciplinary action unit draws up a formal notice of intent to revoke, said Sinnamon.

According to Sinnamon, the licensee can appeal the revocation. In the Inman case, they have until July 30 to appeal, and can continue to operate while the process is worked out. If no appeal is received, the license would be revoked effective that date. If appealed, the recommendation to revoke goes to a hearing.

“We’re not out to close homes. Our job is to keep our homes open, but while (they are open) children are safe and in positive environments,” Sinnamon said.

Throughout such an investigation the state may notify parents of children at the facility, but does not always contact parents depending on the case, said Sinnamon. He noted that sometimes parents are contacted during investigations to help substantiate allegations. He said parents are not automatically notified that an investigation is ongoing.

The licensee must inform the parents if there is a summary suspension or actual license revocation, said Sinnamon, who explained the state follows up the suspension and revocation to ensure the facility is not operating.

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http://www.gaylordheraldtimes.com/artic ... 246669.txt

Childcare license questioned by state

By James Martinez, Staff Writer ·
Posted: Saturday, July 28, 2007 12:07 AM EDT OTSEGO COUNTY —

Following an investigation that revealed four violations of state childcare law and regulations, state healthcare officials have recommended that the license of a local childcare provider be revoked. This latest recommendation was the second of its kind since April for the home, which is reportedly still providing care.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Children and Adult Licensing (OCAL) launched the investigation June 4 after allegations arose that the provider was intoxicated during day-care hours and that a nude woman was present when a parent arrived with a child, according to the investigation which is posted on-line at the DHS Web site.


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http://www.gaylordheraldtimes.com/artic ... 524095.txt

Childcare provider’s husband defends wife, home

By James Martinez, Staff Writer ·
Posted: Saturday, July 28, 2007 12:07 AM EDT OTSEGO COUNTY —

The husband of the child-care provider who is facing license revocation from the Department of Human Services (DHS), (see related story) adamantly defended his wife and the care provided at the home, which apparently still provides childcare.

Mike Inman said the childcare home operated by his wife, Christine, has received a notice of intent to revoke the license from the state, but they plan to fight to retain the license.

“I want to make it clear that for the DHS investigations, you’re guilty until you prove yourself innocent,” Mike Inman said. Christine declined comment asking that Mike speak on her behalf.
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While Mike Inman conceded there was a nude adult woman in the home at the time a parent arrived to drop off a child, he said no children were ever in danger during the incident.

“I want to stress there were no kids in the house when this happened,” Inman said.

Inman also took exception with some of the details of the investigation, alleging the DHS report had some inaccuracies in the report, including that his wife ever admitted to being drunk during the incident.

According to Inman, the home still cares for an average of six to eight children a day and that the parents have been informed of the notice to revoke the license. Inman, however, could not say for certain that every parent was aware of the circumstances discovered in the June 6 special investigation (see related story), but said the “majority” of parents were informed by the Inmans of the investigation. He indicated only the parent who showed up at 5 a.m. and observed the naked adult woman had stopped bringing their children to the facility.

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http://www.dleg.state.mi.us/fhs/brs/rep ... 732030.pdf

Special Investigation Report

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[Marina]

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http://www.yakimaherald.com/stories/4497

PUBLISHED ON Thursday, May 29, 2008 AT 12:05AM

Tentative settlement reached in Mattawa day-care lawsuit

Yakima Herald-Republic


MATTAWA -- A tentative settlement has been reached in a long-running civil rights lawsuit brought by Latino-owned day-care centers in Mattawa against the state Department of Social and Health Services over unauthorized searches and seizures of property.

If approved by a federal judge, the plaintiffs will receive $45,000 each and the state will revise its manual on handling home child-care inspections. Columbia Legal Services, which represents the day-care owners, would receive $350,000 in legal fees.

Columbia Legal Services in Wenatchee in 2005 won class-action status on behalf of about 4,000 day-care providers in Washington and a subclass status for all non-English speaking day-care providers in the state. They sought systemic changes within the state Department of Social and Health Services and unspecified monetary compensation for nine Mattawa day-care providers.

In the lawsuit, day-care owners alleged that the "white mayor of Mattawa," Judy Esser, and members of the "all-white Mattawa Police Department" urged a state investigation into day-care providers working in the community of 3,000, which in 2001 was about 95 percent Hispanic.

The resulting investigation included inappropriate searches and confiscations, unnecessary immigration inquiries, intimidation, and legal documents that were never translated into Spanish -- the primary language of many of the providers, the suit stated.

-- Leah Beth Ward
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