How to Find Safe Child Care

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Parenting Brief. I’m your host, Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez, an Arizona working mom and chief of the Office of Children’s Health at the Arizona Department of Health Services. If you have parenting questions, concerns, or just looking for advice, you’re in the right spot. We’ve got the info you need coming right up.

Today we’re wrapping up our childcare series for working parents. Finding the right childcare provider is no small task. There’s a lot that goes into that decision, but there are important health and safety requirements you want to make sure are met that can help you choose the right childcare for your family.

Today we’re talking to Margaret Bernal, the chief of the Bureau of Childcare Licensing for the Arizona Department of Health Services. Thank you so much for being here today. 

Margaret Bernal: I’m really happy [00:01:00] to be here with you guys. 

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: So when we’re talking about childcare centers or even in-home childcare providers, what does being licensed actually mean?

Margaret Bernal: So being licensed, um, in Arizona, uh, state law is that if you’re caring for more than four children for compensation, whether that’s in a home or in a childcare facility, um, you are required to be licensed through us Arizona Department of Health Services, bureau of Childcare Licensing. And within that, we verify substantial compliance pertaining to the rules, regulations, and statutes within our jurisdiction.

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: How can parents know if a provider that they are considering as they’re exploring their childcare options, how can parents know if a provider is licensed? 

Margaret Bernal: Well, they can simply just ask them, are you licensed through the um, department of Health Services or State of Arizona? [00:02:00] And at that point, you know, they can then ask them, you know, if they say, for example, yes, I am.

They can ask to see the certificate or the license. We do require both in homes and in facilities that that license is posted in a conspicuous area. For families, for um, anyone touring. And so if they’re unable to produce that document, chances are they probably are not licensed because it is required to be posted.

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: And how does the state ensure that licensed facilities or those licensed in-home providers are meeting and maintaining those licensing requirements? 

Margaret Bernal: So for homes, we go out two times a year. We go out for an annual compliance inspection where we verify really everything. Um, it is a full inspection and we are looking at all of the requirements, and you know, that includes outdoor safety. We are verifying that the outdoor activity area [00:03:00] has the correct resiliency. If they have fall zones, like swings or a slide, we’re verifying that they are meeting the requirements. If they have a gated pool, we’re verifying that if they have animals in the home, one that.

Those that are not allowed to be accessible are inaccessible to children, but dogs and cats, for example, we verify the rabies vaccination and that they’re up to date on the rabies vaccination. We’re also looking at diapering standards. Um, we’re looking to make sure that. Materials, equipment within the home are safe and that they have enough for the children present.

We look at their meals, making sure that they have enough food. We verify that, um, there are no hazards or anything dangerous, accessible to children. Um, we check staff qualifications, background checks, fingerprint clearance cards, and the same applies for compliance for facilities. The only difference is that we are required to conduct one annual [00:04:00] inspection, compliance inspection for facilities.

Whereas with homes, we do an annual and we do what we call a midyear. The midyear isn’t a full inspection. It’s more of like a check-in where we’re still verifying staff files, things like that. Overall, we’re checking and seeing how they’re doing, seeing the quality of care, things like that. And the facilities have one annual inspection. Now we go out to verify annual compliance inspection for all licensed homes and facilities, but we also go out to monitor as well when needed. So for example, um, if we went out to do a compliance inspection at a home or a facility and maybe they had an excessive amount of deficiencies or, you know, maybe there was something, um, that we were a little bit concerned about.

We could go out at any time to monitor to ensure that they are in substantial compliance. There’s a variety of inspections that we conduct throughout the year. It just doesn’t start and stop with compliance. There are additional inspections to that as well, [00:05:00] but when we go out to verify that annual compliance inspection, we are doing a full, thorough inspection of the home or the facility.

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: As families are really exploring what these options are and ensuring that they are identifying safe licensed spaces, um, for their childcare, is there um, any tools that you can direct parents to where they can maybe have a checklist or, um, some way of knowing, Hey, I’m gonna go tour this space, um, and these are the things that I really want to ask about, um, or consider like.

Ratio, cleanliness, safe sleep. Um, are there tools for parents to kind of navigate, um, between choosing a place and ensuring that they are, um, in compliance with that licensing, um, as well? 

Margaret Bernal: I think one big resource is the inspection report that they can view for every facility that they tour, every facility that they’re interested [00:06:00] in.

Um, you know, we keep, um, about three years on our website of inspection reports, so I think that’s a good place to start. The other thing is you know. Probably depending on the age of the child or children that they’re enrolling. So you had mentioned safe sleep, for example. So it’s good to really go in and to ask those questions about infant care.

And you know, a new rule that we have within our new rule set is that we don’t allow for blankets anymore in a crib. And so the only thing that is allowed in a crib is obviously the mattress and a tight fitting sheet, and that’s it. And so. Those are things that I think really depends on the age of the child or the children that they’re enrolling.

But you brought up really good topics like cleanliness, you know, touring the facility. I, I would say that if I were touring a facility, I would probably ask to see the entire facility, um, not just the classroom that my child would be in, but overall what does that look like? And also, you know, you can [00:07:00] view their menus and you can see what’s typical for the facility or the home to serve for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and you can talk about those things and address allergies to see what their process is. As far as allergies, we require that it’s not only posted in a classroom, but also in a kitchen. But we also talked about going above and beyond, and there’s a lot of facilities and homes that do that.

They go above and beyond. So for example. We have facilities and homes that are peanut free. And so just having those conversations. And one big thing to ask for is the parent handbook, to look at their services, to look at their statement of services, discipline and guidance. What are their procedures for enrolling and disenrolling and again.

Viewing that in person as well, seeing, um, as you go in the different rooms and looking at the restrooms and asking about, you know, routines and, um, transitions and things like that. And so I, I [00:08:00] don’t think that there’s any bad question. Um, when it comes to your children and your. Putting them in somebody else’s care.

Um, I think definitely parents should really come up with a list of things that they feel that are really important to them, and then bring it to that tour, bring it or call them ahead of time and just say, Hey, I have some questions I’m interested in touring. And um, you know, I was wondering how long you’ve been licensed and you know, can I see your licensed inspection report?

And so there’s just so many like. Items that we could talk about that pertain to like our rules and health and safety. And so, um, you know, I, I think it’s important for parents to come up with those questions and again, really like what’s important to them, what do they feel is, um, important when their children are going their day to day.

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: If parents see an issue or concern that may pertain to a licensing issue, are they able to report that to [00:09:00] the department directly? 

Margaret Bernal: Yes, that’s a great question. Um, they can report it online through our online complaint portal that’s located on our website. As well as calling our office and filing a complaint and we walk them through the entire process.

And that includes for our licensed regulated facilities and homes and also unlicensed care as well, where they may be, um, receiving compensation and caring for more than four children at a time. And so at that point we’re able to investigate, but they can do so, um, online, on our website. Um, it’s the complaint portal within our website and then calling our office as well.

Jessica Stewart-Gonzalez: Click on the show notes for more information on choosing licensed childcare. This is the final episode in our childcare series. If you’ve missed the episode on [00:10:00] transitioning back to work after having a baby or our early childhood education episode, they’re up on our channel. Until next time. This is Jessica.

You’ve got this.