Finding Child Care Providers Online, is it Safe?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- On the First Coast, there are more than 50,000 children in licensed daycares, but we don't know how many there are in unlicensed facilities.

There are a number of internet communities where unlicensed daycare operators peddle their service. State investigators say it's perfectly legal for anyone to be a babysitter, but if that person is providing care to more than one unrelated child, it's an unlicensed daycare.

Now, investigators say a popular location to find these unlicensed operators are websites like Craigslist. Parents know that finding child care service they can trust is not easy.

Amber Smith just started a new job and is looking for child care for two of her children.

"I've been looking at a lot of ads of what people are looking for," said Smith. She said so far the process is scary.

"There are so many kids being abused and murdered."

The Navy wife placed a posting on Craigslist, a popular website for parents looking for child care, and child care providers looking for parents.

"I'm not willing to take my child to someone's home. I want the option of using a nanny cam to check up from time to time," she said.

Smith said she is being extremely careful in her decision.

The Florida Department of Children and Families said the Craigslist child care community can be a mine field for parents.

Many of the postings for child care services are so vague it's often difficult to tell who is legitimate. Pamela Buckham runs DCF's Child Care Licensure.

"They don't know the background, don't know the training, where they live, don't know if they are legitimate or not," said Buckham.

Buckham said her investigators get involved when they receive complaints, but they don't have the manpower to pursue every listing on sites like Craigslist.

"It is difficult to look at every ad. These ads keep changing so it is hard to keep up," said Buckham.

Last year, DCF received 43 filed complaints of unlicensed family daycare homes in the five county area, 19 were verified as unlicensed.

So this year the number of complaints is down.

"We get more complaints on unlicensed daycares when something happens," Buckham added.

This year alone, there were several incidents, in one a child drowned in a caretaker's bathtub unsupervised. In another incident, a 2-year-old was left in a car while an unlicensed daycare operator went grocery shopping. The child died.

"I'm not saying Craigslist is a good or bad thing. It is a tool to find child care."

DCF counselor Walt Giannone surfed Craigslist and found about 30 listings. Some listings had a DCF license posted, but most didn't because posting a DCF license is not required.

Giannone said when he's inspecting a child care facility, he's looking for:

• current licenses
• a training certificate
• if the operator is CPR trained.

He said these are things every parent should look for before choosing a child care provider.

Smith said she will continue looking for a few more weeks but may end up using a family member to care for her children.

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