Dwayne Sortor, a history senior and parent, won’t leave his child with just anyone.
“You’re trusting your children to someone,” he said. “That’s pretty important.”
Under proposed legislation, Sortor and other parents could access a child care provider registry online and make sure their child’s caretaker is properly licensed.
Sortor is in favor of that legislation for himself and other parents.
“If that resource were available, I would definitely take advantage of it,” he said. “Provided they knew that the resource were made available, I’m sure other student parents would use it as well.”
Currently, such a registry is in place on the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services’ Web site, but isn’t required.
The measure, sponsored by Rep. Mary Ann Middaugh, R-Paw Paw, requires the department to provide the information to ensure all the data about child care organizations on the site is available and current.
Middaugh also introduced another bill that updates the Child Protection Law. When that law was written, the Family Independence Agency was responsible for licensing child care providers, not the consumer department.
The consumer department would assume the duties of the family agency.
Both are in favor of the proposed legislation.
“We’re working with the sponsors of this legislation right now,” said family agency spokeswoman Maureen Sorbet. “We support the concepts they’re proposing.”
Norene Lind, administrative rules specialist for the consumer department, said they fully support both bills.
The House of Representatives formed a bipartisan child care work group to focus on these issues that included eight representatives and staff from the consumer department, the family agency and Michigan State Police.
Rep. Bob Brown, D-Dearborn Heights, acted as the minority vice chairman of the panel.
Brown said he became interested in the issue when a constituent informed him other states were performing background checks on camp counselors.
“It’s a very valuable issue that we need to bring to light,” Brown said. “I really just want to give the power to parents so they have the tools to protect their child.”
The group made several proposals including a voluntary child care worker background check system with incentives.
Brown said similar bills to Middaugh’s have been introduced in the past, but always end up “stuck in the Senate or only half done.”
“Nobody really looked at the whole issue,” he said.
But now, Brown said he and his colleagues are confident this legislation won’t go unnoticed.
“As these bills go from proposals to law, the protections afforded to our children and families will be immense,” Brown said.
