Letting Kids Be Kids
Children in foster care have the right to feel like normal kids. Normal family experiences and activities are critical to a child's development and overall quality of life. Studies show that having friends increases a child's self-esteem, reduces feelings of isolation and is important to physical and psychological health. That is why we began requiring child placing agencies to do more to help children in state care can lead normal lives as much as possible. Foster parents must give children in foster care a chance to participate in a full range of extracurricular activities, social activities, and job opportunities, just as other children do.
Searching for Illegal Child Care
CCL found 3,540 new illegal daycare operations in FY 2015. These daycares are more dangerous because they operate in the dark with no inspections, background checks, or training, and no one enforcing basic health and safety standards. Dedicated CCL staff initiated 60 percent of the investigations of illegal operations by actively looking for them on websites (like Craigslist), and social media, in newspapers, and flyers, or just by being observant when driving down the street. CCL also reached out to CPS caseworkers and communities to explain the importance of reporting any daycare they suspect is illegal.
CCL gives illegal daycare operations the choice of complying with the law or closing. Of the illegal operations identified in FY 2015, 328 received permits, 64 had pending applications, and 293 voluntarily closed.