Working parents across the country owe a great debt to licensed daycare providers. These professionals provide quality care for young children while also giving their parents peace of mind and freedom to work. Daycare providers are trained to provide safe, stimulating, and nurturing environments for their clients' children and work to provide a place where children can learn and grow.
As a daycare provider, you strive to help families build strong foundations for their children's future. If your daycare license is threatened after a complaint from a child's parent or incident at your daycare, you might feel fearful of losing the business and clientele you've cultivated. The knowledgeable, professional License Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm will work with you to create a defense against allegations that might harm your career. Don't let your reputation and professional ambitions be put on hold by your state's licensing board—contact the nationwide team at the Lento Law Firm today.
Licenses Give Daycare Providers Security and Dependability
A daycare provider's license is an essential part of their childcare business. It serves as a sign of trustworthiness and reliability and shows that a daycare provider has met the state's necessary qualifications for caring for children. Often, states may require daycare providers to pass an exam, take courses in first aid or child development, and have a coherent business plan. Without a license, daycare providers may be limited to only caring for one or two children or only providing daycare services for family members.
Parents searching for childcare will frequently check a daycare provider's license status and disciplinary history. While parents obviously have an interest in keeping their children safe, this also means that any type of disciplinary action by the state against your license may harm your livelihood. If you are facing an investigation by your state's Department of Children's Services or daycare provider licensing agency, the experienced licensed defense team at the Lento Law Firm can help you prevent investigations from becoming disciplinary infractions that may stay on your record for years.
Types Of Concerns That Lead to Daycare Provider Investigations
When dealing with children and parents, it is not uncommon to have complaints. Parents may be overprotective and overreact to a small bump or bruise a child got while playing or have unreasonable expectations for their child's care. They might retaliate against you for a perceived slight by filing a complaint against your license with the state.
Not all complaints made by parents are others are minor, however. Some of the most common reasons daycare providers face investigations include complaints about:
- Abuse or maltreatment of children
- Neglect, like failing to change diapers or feed children
- Harsh discipline or physical punishments
- Failing to supervise children or allowing children to harm each other
- Having too many children or not enough caregivers at the daycare
- Unsafe hygiene practices or not doing enough to protect against disease
- Not communicating with parents about changes to schedules or programming
- Messy, dirty, or disorganized daycare space
As a daycare provider, you have to keep track of multiple state and federal laws about the welfare and safety of children. You may have to complete mountains of paperwork, keep records of any incidents, and prepare protocols for emergencies while constantly ensuring that the children you care for are safe.
When something falls through the cracks and you are accused of violating a state or federal regulation, it can feel overwhelming. At the Lento Law Firm, our team of license defense professionals understands that you take your career and your responsibilities as a caregiver seriously. We can help you defend the allegations against your business and keep complaints from ruining your career.
Daycare Provider License Investigations
Every state has a procedure for daycare clients, employees, and observers to report daycare providers for violating state or federal laws. These complaints usually go to the state's Department of Children's Services or a similar agency. When the complaint is received, investigators will determine if there is any merit to it and begin an investigation.
During an investigation, the agency in charge will send out an investigator to talk to the owners and employees of the daycare as well as parents and other witnesses. The investigator will decide if there is enough evidence to substantiate the allegations or if the complaint should be dismissed.
The consequences of a daycare investigation can be serious. If evidence of abuse or neglect is found, the daycare providers could have their licenses suspended or revoked. In some cases, daycare providers and their employees may even face criminal charges or risk being placed on a child abuse registry.
Protect Your Daycare Provider License By Hiring Attorney Joseph D. Lento
When a state agency is investigating your daycare provider business it can be intimidating. Your business is based on your reputation and trustworthiness as a caregiver, and the future of your career may depend on the outcome of your complaint.
Even if the complaint you are facing is relatively minor, it is still worth speaking to the experienced Professional License Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm. A history of minor complaints can build up into justification for your state to take major disciplinary action against your license. Our team can work with you and your state agency to make sure your daycare facility complies with both state and federal regulations, avoiding future complaints and discipline.
The nationwide team of professionals at the Lento Law Firm can also help you prepare a strong defense for any unjustified claims against your business. We can help you compile evidence like surveillance footage and witness testimony to rebut complaints that cast you in an unfair light. No matter your situation or where you are located, the team at the Lento Law Firm is standing by to help you defend your daycare provider license and protect your future in childcare. Call 888.535.3686 or go online today to get started.
