Originally Posted by DaycareService:
Why are childcare providers so reluctant to be transparent? Most tell parents that they are doing everything they should, but when parents request cameras in their facility the answer is no. Some use the excuse that it's too expensive, but here in Texas there is a company that provides the cameras, installation and maintenance at no cost to the centers. Parents pay (and most are willing) to pay a low monthly fee. But providers still say no. How can parents fully trust what they don't see? Why wouldn't a daycare center provide the ultimate open door policy and allow parents to view what goes on if there is nothing to hide? Wouldn't any provider what to provide a safer place for their children and staff alike?
Why would you advocate for cameras in child care instead of cameras for family homes?
Do you know the statistics regarding death and life altering injuries to children? Do you know the breakdown of who intentionally kills and injures children?
Might want to do some research before you assume child care providers are risky enough to need video surveillance. Child care providers aren't even CLOSE to the top of the list.
Your nephews mother is the one who needs to be watched at all times. She is the most likely of anyone on the planet to harm him. His being special needs even escalates his risk of being injured by her.
His mama have a boyfriend? If so... he needs to have cameras covering every inch of any space he and the child are in at the same time.
Where society got the idea that child care providers are risky enough to be on surveillance is beyond me. Your nephew is WAY WAY WAY safer in child care then he is at home... especially if the child care us a center.
I may be one of the few people in the US who was hired solely to watch video feed of two centers for a couple of years. I have 30 plus years of child care under my belt and it took me a long time to teach myself how to interpret singular fixed cameras in each room. Having just the video feed gives you about 15 percent of the information of what is going on. You have to figure out the rest.
Staff figure out the camera in about two weeks after hire. They figure out how to beat the system very quickly. They know the blind spots and they know how to position themselves, the kids, and the furniture to decrease that precious 15 percent you get.
When the centers tell you it's too expensive it aint because of the cost of the camera system. It's because the cost of dealing with parents who are watching the cameras and only getting fifteen percent of the information.
It's the cost of going thru ten hours of footage to find out why their snowflake has a dime sized bruise on his knee. It's going thru days of footage to prove a staff member did or didn't do something a patent who skipped out on their bill accused them of doing once dhs comes calling after the parent turns them in. See parents want an excuse not to pay their bills and give their contracted notice. When they are told they must pay the State is called and the footage is all they got when it comes to exonerating their employees.
That's where the money is.... not the cameras.
Here is one truth... if there isn't someone watching the cameras... not parents buy someone paid to watch cameras... they don't deter a thing. They are a good marketing tool but the cost of dealing with the parents who are watching them and the staff time to go through hours or days of footage isn't worth the marketing value.
If you want to protect kids let's start requiring parents have cameras in the home and their vehicles and pay government employees to monitor them. Parents are the most dangerous people, boyfriends next... so let's start with the ones who really are the known risk. Once we get that accomplished then we can work our way down the chain of abusers, neglectful, and dangerous belief systems caretakers....
Then start worrying about daycare providers...