Well, if you live in the state of Michigan, you just might be! Recently, they cited a woman in Irvin Township for operating an unlicensed day care center, even though she didn’t even realize that she was open for business. Here’s what happened…
Baby Sitter Backlash!
According to Associated Press, each day before the school bus came to pick up the neighborhood’s children, Lisa Snyder did a favor for three of her fellow moms by welcoming their children into her home for about an hour before they left for school.
Regulators who oversee child care, however, didn’t see it as charity. Days after the start of the new school year, Snyder received a letter from the Michigan Department of Human Services warning her that if she continued, she’d be violating a law aimed at the operators of unlicensed day care centers.
What? When did having a child stay in your child for an hour become an “unlicensed day care center?” Ms. Snyder was as shocked as I am. I’m sure that Michigan (and a few other states) have this law in place to protect children, but in this case it seems to be a bit overboard. The law states that you can’t care for an unrelated child in your home for more than four weeks in a year unless you’re a licensed day care center. You know the kind, with baby toys, books, educational material and activities for kids…
My two cents
It’s obvious to me, and likely the rest of the world, that an hour in the morning doesn’t constitute a day care center. But, I’m really wondering how the State of Michigan found out about this Mom anyway? With the issue under much debate, maybe the state of Michigan will feel the same and amend the law. Otherwise, she’ll likely have to stand out in the street with the kids until the bus comes. Hey, at least she won’t have the kids in the house in an illegal facility. But, then again, she still may have problems because the state might just cite her for operating a street ministry without a permit! Go figure!
