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Notice about a possible incident and safety tips for child care programs

Category
September 19, 2018

Dear Child Care Providers
 
The division has received a report that someone may have impersonated a child care licensor last week at a registered family child care home.  This is concerning, and the division is treating this seriously. We want to take this opportunity to provide you with assurance that we will work with law enforcement on this matter, and would like you to consider these safety tips:
 

  • All VT Department for Children and Families (DCF) staff have State of Vermont identification badges, this includes child care licensing field specialists and social workers.  Please ask representatives from the state for their identification, and take note of their name.
  • You can also ask child care licensing staff for their business card. Business cards have the state logo, the staff name and contact information on it. 
  • Child care licensing staff do not conduct licensing visits after child care hours of operation.  At times, we may be willing to schedule a licensing visit after hours.   If licensing receives a complaint about child care services not meeting licensing regulations and the complainant specifically says this is occurring in the evening or when weekend child care is being provided, a licensing complaint visit may be conducted during the hours noted in the complaint.  Otherwise, licensing staff are not conducting licensing visits when services are not being provided.
  • Should licensing staff arrive when you are not providing child care services, we may request to enter and confirm there are not child care children there.  Once confirmed, we will wait and return at another time to conduct the licensing visit. 
  • Any child care program regulated by the Child Development Division may lock their doors to ensure the safety of yourself, staff and children.  You do need to be able to respond to anyone at your entrance so please be sure that you can hear someone knocking, that you have a working doorbell, or a working intercom system. 

 
I hope you find these safety tips helpful.  We care about your safety and that of the children and families you serve! 
 
Thank you,
 
Christel Michaud
Director of Child Care Licensing