The Radio show I was on...

[bright sparks]

I should have started my post with a thank you. Thank you so much for sharing this Cadillac, what a great opportunity....how did you manage to arrange it? I think it is wonderful that you were able to make your voice heard and speak for the many home daycare providers out there needing to be heard.

I do take issue though with the use of the wording "unlicensed" in general. It implies that there is such a thing as a licensed home daycare provider which lends false hope and reassurance to parents. There is no licensing. If you register with an agency, they are licensed not the individual and they do not regulate beyond ratios and to regulate requires them to be present on a regular basis to make sure each and every registered provider is sticking to their rules. This would include not only scheduled regular visits but also regular unannounced drop ins. I still wouldn't call this licensed daycare though, simply regulated daycare. To be licensed, such as trades are, there is a minimum requirement of training and hours required prior to being licensed to do your job. To license home daycare providers like this is ridiculous as people's experience comes from many different backgrounds, some with little to no experience quite often, who still manage to do a more than adequate job of caring for children, but licensing tells the general public that we have proven our ability to do the job which even upon signing up with an agency is not a requirement. Police checks and CPR training show you have been trained in that area and have no criminal record but are not a way to prove competence.

I am sure that some people will disagree with my opinion but I really do feel that to describe any provider as unlicensed is implying that we have the option to be licensed, which we don't. It further makes it appear to some that we choose not to be licensed for convenience of making more money. I understand why signing up with an agency costs us money and is of no benefit to either the provider or child in general and how the restrictions in ratios is actual a negative thing like you described, but I think it would be helpful to educate the general public on the differences, or lack of between an agency registered daycare provider and a private provider. I think they are a much more accurate way of describing the types of providers as it takes away the negative tone that can be interpreted by the general public when hearing or reading the term "unlicensed" Also I think people need to understand that the role of an agency versus what they follow through with is two different things and really how it makes a difference in terms of the child's safety and quality of care.

There is a difference between the labels "licensed" and "registered with an agency" or "regulated". A provider who is registered with an agency is not licensed and should not be allowed to use this term to win over parents with false reassurance, when their agency likely regulates to the point of ratios and paperwork requirements, most don't follow through on their promises to support a provider, and none of the agencies rules do anything to prevent a poor daycare from running or makes a daycare safer for the child. Parents need to understand this and need to be told the truth about the reality of their daycare options.