Market place program

[mimi]

Here's what I sent them:

I usually watch marketplace because I thought the show provided good information about products and services. While I do find the show does sensationalise it's content I was really dismayed to find you provided very poor, inaccurate, unbalanced and tried to frighten the viewer in your dispose on "unlicensed daycares.
As you may have guessed I am one of those "unlicensed Daycare" providers. First of all we call ourselves Home Daycare Providers. There are many community associations which we belong to which provide referrals, support and professional development. We are the norm, what you showed on your program is not. The persons interviewed are babysitters. They obviously are not running any daycare program/curriculum and do not have a designated area for their "daycare" in their home. Professional home daycare providers do. The storefront "daycare" was ridiculous and should be shut down which leads me to a very important point. Why did you not ask the parents why they picked that type of "daycare" to put their children in? Why did you not talk about pool safety and if you are entertaining ANYONE in your backyard with a pool why the pool is not fenced in? Why did you not show a good home daycare? Instead of trying to scare parents away from ALL of us?
You missed so many opportunities to present a fair expose on this business - shame on you.
If the government decides to license us fine. I welcome the visits and the criteria instilled to which I would have to comply. You see I have done that already. In order to have referrals from The Halton Daycare Providers Association in Milton, Ontario I had to - every person in my household over 18 had to have a police check, I had the health department visit and inspect the premises, the fire department came and checked for fire safety, I had to have my infant/child first aid and cpr certificate and finally we were checked to make sure we have never been investigated or had a complaint from children's services. Does this sound like someone who just decided to hang out the daycare shingle? I am furious at the doubt you have put into the consumers minds. The responsibility lies with the parents to inspect, ask questions and come for visits before they sign on and by the way, home daycare providers do not accept everyone who comes to us for care - we weed out the familys who consider us "babysitters" and who do not follow our policies. We are selective with our clients and so they should be with ANY daycare. Alot of my clients have been to the licensed commercial daycares and have left for the impersonal treatment their child and they have received. Check them out as well.
You will be hearing from many of my colleagues on this issue.