The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) recently released its newest report, Leaving Children to Chance: NACCRRA's Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes, revealing that many states fail to protect the health, safety and well-being of children. According to the report, Virginia is not ensuring that children are in family child care that safeguards their health and well-being.

The report ranks every state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense (DoD) child care system, on 14 different standards focused on ensuring the health, safety and well-being of children in home-based child care programs serving six or fewer children. The threshold was set at six plus one, equaling seven, for Virginia because regulations exempt providers' own children (adding one additional child to the count.) NACCRRA's position is that all paid providers caring for one or more unrelated children on a regular basis should be subject to state standards and oversight.

States were ranked based on a point system with states earning a possible 140 points - 10 points for each standard examined. Standards included: frequency and type of monitoring visits; requirement of background checks, provider education, provider training, parent-provider communication⁄education, quality of learning environment; availability of learning activities and literacy opportunities; group size limitations; and health and safety requirements.

“The average score was a 59, and 15 states scored a zero on our score card, which means most states are not doing nearly enough to make sure that our children in family child care are safe and healthy,“ said Linda K. Smith, executive director of NACCRRA.

In 41 states, a child care provider can care for an unrelated child for pay in her home without licensing-which means he⁄she is conducting a business without a license and could be failing to meet health codes or have no training to do the job. And, only 24 states and the DoD conduct criminal background checks using federal fingerprinting – which means potentially, convicted felons could be working with small children. Virginia does not require fingerprinting of child care providers.

“This report should be a wake-up call to Virginia's leaders,“ said Sharon Veatch, executive director of Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network. “By failing to regulate child care based on the actual number of children in care, we risk our children's safety. More than half of children in child care in Virginia are being cared for in unregulated settings. Licensing businesses in order to protect the health and safety of the public is a state responsibility. When a fee is charged for a service, then child care becomes a business; children need this protection.“

Family child care is one of the largest segments of the child care industry, yet this report clearly shows that state regulations fail to adequately address the safety concerns associated with home-based care. Smith says of family child care, “These are, really, small businesses being run out of homes. With the security of nearly 2 million children at risk, it is crucial that states revisit and improve their regulations, to guarantee children are safe and learning in family child care, and that their parents can enjoy peace of mind.“

To download a copy of the full report, visit www.naccrra.org. Visit Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network at www.vaccrrn.org .

VACCRRN’s mission is to provide the leadership, resources and advocacy necessary to sustain an effective statewide system of quality child care and early education services that links and supports families, child care providers and communities.

NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, is our nation’s leading voice for child care. To learn more about NACCRRA and how you can join us in ensuring access to high-quality child care for all families, visit us at www.naccrra.org.