Originally Posted by melilley:
In MI you have to have a license to watch any kids who are unrelated to you, but there are always ads on CL for unlicensed childcare providers. Here unless someone reports you, the state rarely will come after you. There are not enough resources to investigate everyone. No offense if you are unlicensed and need to be, but it drives me crazy to see these people advertise when they are unlicensed, especially since it's illegal here. I put a lot of time and money into opening my in home because you are supposed to have a license. Someone around my area even put an ad on CL stating how it's illegal to run an unlicensed daycare, but people still do it. Now if it's legal to provide unlicensed care, more power to you to advertise!
Also depending on your state (such as California) if you get caught you have to pay a penalty of up to $200 per day you operated without a liscense (so even if you get away with it for a month 5 days a week that is $4000) and in the future they could possibly deny your request for a license.
I heard of one stay-at-home mom in texas who would frequently babysit her friends and neighbors kids or just invite her kids friends after school (all for free) and someone called the state on her saying that she was running a unregistered/unliscensed daycare and almost got fined but since it was free they told her she couldn't have that much kids unless she got a daycare liscense.