Home daycare with 12 kids

[Judy Trickett]

I am going to be the odd ball out here but here are my thoughts (I know this is a little off the main topic and more to mimi's comment). Now yes having 12 children is way too many and not safe but here is my argument.

So every province is different on the amount of children allowed. So lets say a provider has 5 children and is over her limit by 1 and then a provider who is legally allowed 4 plus her own children on top of that (so say she has 8 kids total) - how is the one who is over 1 (but under the amount of 8) endangering those children and being neglectful? Just because the law states that she can only legally have 4 instead of 5 but the law in another province states they can have 4 plus their own children? This is where I have always been annoyed that the government doesn't regulate private daycare's across Canada. Also how is a licenced provider who is allowed more children any better than a private provider - just because she has someone come in a few times a year to check on things. If you are a bad provider it won't matter if you have a licence or not. I just think the whole thing seems out to lunch to me.

I TOTALLY agree that the laws are not cohesive and have many defects not only across the country but within each individual province. You make a great point about the provider's children not counting and a mom potentially having 4 or 5 kids of her own PLUS five dckids (in Ontario, at least) but a provider with NO children of her own can still only care for five kids - total!

I agree, the law is really stupid and there seems to be a lot of problems with the current laws. I personally DO like that this Bill will attempt to make providers count their own kids into the numbers. HOWEVER, as the current statistical numbers indicate that MOST parents have two kids of their own that means that the bulk of providers are currently (or have) cared very well for FIVE dckids PLUS two of their own - which makes seven kids. I would like to see the law changed to a total of seven or eight kids INCLUDING the provider's kids. That way providers with two or three kids of their own can still make a fair living in home daycare.

But, in the end, the law is the law. If a doctor or dentist or school teacher were not following the law, regardless of how stupid it was, the public would be outraged. We should be held to the same standard, IMO.

Yes, the law is STUPID, but it's the law.