Day-Care Center Closures and Parents

I am a mother of a 3-year-old attending a day-care center/preschool in Carson. I am continually appalled when hearing of the closures of day-care centers. I think the Health Department and according agencies have their hands full in keeping up with the violations in the thousands of centers in California. I know there are probably many other children who are suffering in centers such as the Little People’s Assn.

I feel it is our duty as parents and care-givers of these children to keep these centers honest. We need to ask more questions, verify the qualifications of teachers and aides, and we cannot ignore or deny any possible hints of any type of abuse. We must report any violations that we see to the Health Department or our local police agency and make sure they are followed up upon. If a center is found to be in violation of any code, it should be posted for all parents to see so that we can follow up with the director of our center or with the Health Department.

If we as parents do not make sure these centers where our children are spending an average of eight hours a day (that is sometimes more than we, ourselves, get to spend with them) aren’t clean, safe places to be, then we are going to continually hear these sad, scary, angering stories in the news.

What is our money going toward; what are we paying for; what is the state paying for? Day-care centers need to be held to answer!

A very worried parent,

RONI SATTERFIELD, Carson