Daycare Deaths—How to Pick The Right Provider?

As Patch reported yesterday, Dakota County is targeting day care providers and parents alike in an awareness campaign aimed at trying to head off any more infant deaths in county day cares.

Three have died so far this year, and all were left in unsafe sleeping conditions.

"When you drop your child off at a daycare, you're entrusting your provider with that child's life," a victim's mother said in an educational video. "We will never be the same and we don't have our son here, and that's all because of someone's choice, and it was preventable."

Inver Grove Heights Patch readers reacted to the story with suggestions for how parents can research potential day care providers.

Melissa Kruger posted on Facebook:

I see too many parents choosing a daycare because it's the CHEAPEST. GREAT child care is NOT cheap. Am I excited about the rates I pay? NO! But, I have 100% confidence with my provider. Research them, find references. It's a lot of work to find the best fit, but your child is worth it.

This is the first place to look. I also want to point out that centers are NOT always better than home daycares. I had far more incidents with centers than I ever did with the home daycare we currently use.

Other readers suggested using the state Department of Human Services websiteto look up licensing violations by day care providers.

Reader "Happy in St. Michael" posted this in the comments section of our story: 

Too bad they are saying that every provider is bad with the horrible legislative actions they are taking against us, only 1 portion of which will actually HELP keep children safer. The coffin postcards were done in poor taste...They need to update the SIDS training and crackdown on providers for violating the rules....Family childcare providers LOVE children and want to ensure their safety. We wish DHS was working with us and experts instead of sensational journalism from the Prairie Pravda.