THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407240051
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 123 lines
Rochell Horn relied on two things - a list of addresses and gut instinct - when she went looking for day care for her 17-month-old son.
``As far as quality goes, you pretty much have to go on a scavenger hunt,'' said Horn, a Norfolk resident who works for Crestar Bank.
What she didn't know then was that there is a new tool, a state system that issues three kinds of licenses, based on a day-care's track record. Providers with the best records of following basic rules of child well-being receive three-year licenses. Those that comply with minimum standards but have occasional lapses receive two-year licenses. Those that do not routinely meet minimum standards receive one-year licenses.
The system was not intended to rank day-care providers, but parents can use it that way. Day-care inspectors say they needed a better way to manage their growing caseloads, and this system allows them to concentrate on providers that have more problems meeting basic standards.
In determining licenses, centers are evaluated on such categories as the number of staff to children; amount of space available per child; type of equipment and its age appropriateness; and safety measures taken in handling food. State officials also looked at patterns of compliance and the number of valid complaints lodged against centers.
Any serious, valid complaint - such as a staff member striking a child - will prompt more monitoring of a center, even if it has a three-year license.
``The bottom line is to reduce risk to children,'' said Inez Jones, administrator with the state Department of Social Services eastern regional office.
``Three-year licenses are for people who do good self-monitoring,'' Jones said. ``They can take care of themselves.''
Parents with children in centers with three-year licenses may sigh in relief, but the bad news is that state inspectors will spend less time in those centers than they once did.
Inspectors have struggled in the past to keep up as the number of day-cares increased faster than did the inspection staff. The new licensing system is an attempt to shift limited staff to places where children might be at greater risk.
A center that receives a one-year license can expect three inspection visits each year, and a renewal study in which all standards are checked. A center with a two- or three-year license will be visited twice a year, with a more in-depth inspection each time its license comes up for renewal.
The state system also gives a look at overall quality of child care in the area.
Only 22 percent of day-care centers in South Hampton Roads received three-year licenses.
Half the centers received two-year licenses.
Twenty-three percent received one-year licenses.
The remaining 5 percent of centers are either on probation or have conditional licenses issued to new providers.
Gaps in day-care quality also pop up in this snapshot of care.
Only 5 percent of centers in South Hampton Roads have both a three-year license and accept infants.
Infant care of any kind is tough to find in Hampton Roads. Only 26 percent of licensed centers will take children younger than 1.
Where you live also makes a difference in your choices of child care.
For instance, even though Chesapeake has a large number of children younger than 5, it has only two centers with three-year licenses.
Virginia Beach and Norfolk, whose populations are the largest in South Hampton Roads, had the lion's share of centers with three-year licenses - Virginia Beach with 14, and Norfolk with 11.
State inspectors caution against using the length of the license as the only way to pick a day-care provider. ``I'd hate to see all the parents with children in twos go running to the threes,'' said Susan Hackney, licensing administrator for the state Social Services eastern regional office. ``There are so many other things that need to be considered.''
A center with a three-year license may change once your child is enrolled. A new director could degrade the quality of a center practically overnight. A change in staff - in an industry marked by high turnover - also can change a center for better or worse.
Parents also have other things to consider. Horn, for instance, wanted to send her son to a child-care center, but she couldn't afford the price or find one that took children in diapers, or younger than 2. Instead, she found a licensed home provider.
Location and individuality also must be considered.
``So much depends on what the parent wants as far as location, how they feel about the center, how their children react to the teacher and program philosophy,'' Hackney said.
The state spent about 18 months evaluating day-care providers and dividing them into the three categories. The system will be revised during the next two months, a process expected to increase the number of one-year licenses.
To find out more information about a center's last inspection, and about any valid complaints that have been lodged against the center, call the state Department of Social Services at 473-2100.
Although inspectors don't like to call the licensing system a ``rating system,'' the categories should help parents seeking a consumer report of local day-care providers.
``It's not that it's hard finding day care,'' Horn said. ``It's just hard finding the right person, someone you can trust.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
Children's Harbor on Llewelyn Avenue in Norfolk received a
three-year license - the best of three state categories. The center
previously was known as Early Works Child Care Center.
Graphic
KEN WRIGHT/Staff
DAY CARE IN HAMPTON ROADS
[For complete graphic, please see microfilm]
KEYWORDS: DAY CARE CENTERS TIDEWATER HAMPTON ROADS by CNB