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Blackcat31 12:02 PM 06-04-2013
Originally Posted by AmyKidsCo:
I do, for two main reasons. The first is that Jane Doe up the street doing unregulated care only takes cash payment so she doesn't have to pay taxes on it. Sure the parents can't claim it on their taxes, but she's charging so much less than average that they don't mind. Meanwhile I'm paying taxes at a rate that would probably be lower if all the Jane Does were paying their fair share.

The other reason is that around here there's no distinction made between regulated family child care and unregulated child care. So when Jane Doe puts an infant sleep to sleep on her stomach on the couch and the infant dies of SIDS the media just reports that she was a "family child care provider" which instantly makes parents question the quality of care I provide.

IMO the best way to raise the overall quality of child care and provide a minimal level of safety is to require regulation for everyone. I'm not saying that all unregulated providers are bad - I know many people here are unregulated and do a great job - but with regulation it would be easier to weed out the bad ones.

Just my 2c.
I am licensed.

How do you know I am actually claiming all my income?

How do you know I am not placing the infant I have in care to sleep on her tummy?

You don't know. People just assume I am doing the right thing because I am licensed but that license in not a guarantee.

I would never begrudge someone for providing LEGAL unlicensed child care. You do what you have to do in this economy to survive and feed your family.

I DO agree though that there should be minimum standards across the country that are the same for everyone but still for a parent to simply trust those standards is a scary risk to take.

Parents are the ones who should be doing their research into the quality of care they are receiving whether their provider is licensed, regulated, unlicensed or unregulated.

Parents should NEVER automatically assume that just because a provider is licensed that the provider is doing things correctly.

That's like assuming everyone with a driver's license is a good driver.
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