Unlicensed and licensed childcare facilities can be equally bad or appalling. I sent my son to a large licensed center one summer - it was great - and yanked him the next summer because of negligent medical care relating to an untreated asthma incident and a gash on his foot. I put him into a home daycare and she was great! She inspired to start my own; we both run clean, safe and comfortable home daycares for our kids. Our kids love us, and I am teaching my two who go into K next year to read and write, as I want them to be ahead. While WE are both licensed, I also know unlicensed providers in the area who offer programming, outings, and high levels of safety and comfort to their children. Licensing DOES NOT guarrantee a quality or safe program, just hopefully that the provider is not a pedophile and has not had TB. That's it. That's all you get in the end. A super clean home should be a red flag. A home covered in grime and smelling like cat urine should be a red flag. Happy kids in either case are great! Parents have a responsibility to their children to perform due diligence when researching childcare, and to look up any complaints and ask for references - and to know what questions to ask those references.

For the lady whose neighbor is allowing the parents to block her driveway and hit her car - that's not right. Report it as a hit and run. That's what it is. And it's illegal to block someone's driveway. It's just rude. But be careful also, you don't want to make an enemy (unless she is committing some sort of crime there then by all means, make an enemy).

Best of luck to you all.

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