Illinois

This is so real. The truth is, in family child care that's run well, whose provider is on the ball, and whose house is large enough, the number that makes it work is ten or more because that gives enough children to play with while it makes the place hum with activity. Too few kids is boring and too many is hard to manage. Providers know their maximums.

Child-care Providers Pack Hearing
Health, safety issues: City licenses, limiting numbers
By Ryan Pagelow
Staff writer

WAUKEGAN — Stressing health and safety issues, city officials during a public hearing Wednesday night made the case for a proposed home-based child-care ordinance that would require providers to have a city license to operate.

More than 175 child-care providers attended the meeting, a majority of them in opposition to proposed limits on the number of children permitted in their home-based day cares. They also said the Department of Children and Family Services already inspects their homes for safety and health regulations.

Under current city ordinances, home-based day-care operations are limited to four children regardless of how many providers are on site, said Noelle Kischer of the Waukegan Department of Planning and Zoning, although it's not enforced.

The new ordinance proposes limiting the number of children in a home day care to eight, including the owners' children under 12 years of age.

Many providers are licensed through the DCFS to care for up to 12 or 16 children.

"If this ordinance is not passed we will be forced to enforce (current city ordinances)," Kischer said. "Eight is generous. Four is the current number."

The process of developing the new proposed ordinance started in 2001 with committee meetings and community forums.

"There were many complaints about noise, especially car doors slamming in the mornings and excessive garbage," Kischer said.

The committee researched ordinances in other communities and found that Libertyville limits home day cares to eight children and Zion limits to six children. About two dozen states also limit to eight children.

Another concern Kischer raised is that the local DCFS office currently has only four staff members to monitor Waukegan's 223 licensed home-based day cares, three group homes and 21 day-care centers.

If home child-care providers are required to be licensed by the city of Waukegan in addition to DCFS, their neighbors will be notified of the intent to operate a day- care home and emergency responders would also be aware that children are in the home when responding to a call.

Some providers in the meeting were concerned about sexual predators in Waukegan knowing about the location of home day cares in the neighborhood, but any known sexual predator within 500 feet of a day care would be told to move by law.

Cynthia Mendez, a Waukegan parent, said if the number of children is limited, about 30 to 50 percent of kids currently in home-based day care would be affected.

"Who is going to care for them? They don't have the money for day care," Mendez said. "If I don't have child care, I don't have a job."

The majority of the low-income home child care is paid through a subsidy from the Department of Human Services. Kischer said many day-care centers would accept the subsidies and that there are vacancies of 31 percent in local child-care homes.

Cheryle Johnson, a day-care provider with three assistants in her home, said she was concerned that school-aged children will be left out of day cares. She also said home day cares have longer hours than centers for parents who work odd hours.

"We open homes at 5 a.m. We have wonderful people around the clock," Johnson said.
Other providers mentioned that new limits could lead to underground child care and that current levels of income earned by caring for more than eight children is vital for providers to sustain their homes.

Margaret Buffin, a child-care provider for 20 years, said she's in favor of regulation, but that DCFS already does that for providers.

"DCFS checks twice a year. I change my fire extinguishers every year," Buffin said. "I'm a mother bear from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and I care for these children. I also run a curriculum at home. I have children that do their homework on my kitchen table."

She said it's up to DCFS and providers to set their limits.

"If you can only care for seven kids, then only care for seven kids," Buffin said.

Delia de la Cruz, the owner of two day-care centers, said she used to have one in her home with 12 children, but received many complaints from neighbors and decided to open her day-care centers in a commercial zone.

"I hope that they will not only think of themselves. We're looking for quality care," De la Cruz said.

The City Council's Judiciary Committee will consider the proposed ordinance in April. The city will help find suitable locations for providers to open day-care centers in commercial zones for those interested in caring for more children than the new ordinance would allow.

"I know the compassion that these people have. But from listening here tonight the main issues I hear are quantity. But I'm most concerned about quality," said 9th Ward Ald. Rafael Rivera at the end of the hearing. "This ordinance is not intended to go after people like you. This is intended for people not following the rules."