State inspection backlog prompts safety concerns at places providing child care
One thing parents don't want to have to worry about is if their child is safe, or being watched properly while at daycare
Dani Morin is taking on the role of a daycare watchdog after she suffered a devastating loss in 2016 when her 18-month-old son Deacon died at a Fontana daycare.
While in a crib at daycare, Deacon Morin died after he was strangled by a teething necklace. The daycare was only licensed to care for four infants at once, and on the day of Deacon's death, there were six infants plus 12 other children.
This pushed Morin to social media, expressing her pleas and concerns for daycare safety. Morin advocated for more frequent in-person inspections by the state's licensing department –- and she was heard. A 2019 law increased state visits from at least once every three years to every year.
Years later when Morin began searching for daycare for her second child, she felt defeated when she realized that many schools in her area were not getting an annual visit.
"Not in one year, not in two years, some four years have not been checked, event prior to COVID," said Morin.
It turns out, many daycares and preschools in the Los Angeles area have not had a site visit since before the pandemic. The State Department of Social Services confirmed that routine inspections were suspended from March 2020 to May 2021.
Now, social services face a backlog. A spokesperson with the department reported there is not enough funding to support annual inspections at this time – and it's not just locally, it's a national problem.
Anne Hedgepeth with Child Care Aware of America agreed the childcare industry really struggled through the pandemic and the oversight that goes along with it is also facing difficulties with inspection backlogs.
"I think it's true that there are state agencies that are underfunded or not receiving the support they need to catch up on these critical activities," said Hedgepeth.
"It's a real call to action for state leaders that if there is a backlog, there is absolutely an opportunity to resource to solve for it and make sure all of our childcare locations are safe places for kids to learn,"
When asked about the response time for the state to get through its COVID backlog, the state did not provide a timeline. But it did report that if a complaint or concern is launched regarding a certain daycare or preschool, there will be an in-person visit.
