As you can see, I am making up
for lost time. Lot's going on at the legislature. The folks down in
Pierre are arguing about raising the standards for day care providers.
HB1229 would require in-home day-care providers who care for
more than six children to register with the South Dakota Department of Social
Services. Currently, those who care for 12 or more must register with the
state.
Day cares that register with the state must follow certain
rules and be inspected once every two years. For example, registered day-care
operations cannot care for more than four children under age 2, must provide
nutritious meals, must report communicable diseases to the state Health
Department and must complete CPR training.
I am of two minds on this. Clearly, we don’t want creeps and losers taking care of kids. But the bill about day care also smacks of the nanny state. There is a mentality in some circles that taking care of children is a specialized activity that only those who go through training should be allowed to perform. I recall a few years ago reading about a controversy in Washington State where some childcare activists were worried that too many children are being cared for by people who have no credentials and are not inspected by the state. The activists had a name for these miscreants: grandparents. Gasp! When states start considering whether grandparents are competent to take care of children, it is only one step from questioning parents. How many parents out there have degrees which qualify you as a professional child care provider? Big Brother is asking.
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