Analysis of Child Daycare Home Problems in Michigan

1
Analysis of Child Daycare Home Problems in
Michigan

• CJ Chung
• 1189 Garwood Dr.
• Revised 3-20-06

2
Contents

• Background and History
• Problems
• Unique Characteristics of Daycare home business
• Child Day Care Accidents Data
• Why more accidents in daycare homes?
• Problems of using the basement
• State vs. Local City government
• Problems with neighbors
• Suggestions
• Conclusion and Summary
• Epilog

3
Background

• 72 of moms are working
• Increased demand ? high cost
• Day care homes were welcomed!!
• Affordable
• flexible

4
Types of Daycare Homes
() Detroit News, Sep. 14, 2003
5
History of Daycare Homes

• Child Care Licensing Act enacted in 1973 in
  Michigan
• State courts ruled that family day care homes
  were permitted in all residential areas (Zinger
  vs. B. Island)
• Currently, townships and counties can not
  prohibit licensed group homes
• But group day care homes are not, since State
  laws do not have the same restrictions in Cities

6
Problems of State, City , and Group Day care
providers
State says it is a business
7
Percent of Children Served by Types of Child Care
in MI
Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children
and Families, US Department of Health and Human
Services (2000-2004)
8
Number of registered child care facilities in
Michigan
4,868
9,105
3,756
Feb. 11, 2006, MI/DHS website
9
Unique Characteristics of Home Daycare Business
10
Child care accidents Number of suspensions,
revocations, and refusal to renew
Source MI/DHS website
11
Percent of violations by type of care in Michigan
2000-2004
Source MI/DHS website
12
Types of Home Daycare Violations

• Sexual contact/molestation/assault
• Example (see the full article)
• Many cases by minor household member
• Improper physical contact/punishment abuse
• Example Police found 5 children strapped into
  car seats inside bedroom closets (Sep. 2003)
• Negligence / inadequate supervision
• Example 3-month-old infant dead in the basement
  in Troy (July 2003)
• Many children floating dead in hot tubs and pools
• Children health and safety violation
• Example Drugs and guns in the day care home

13
Examples of incidents
From a few daycare homes
14
Relatively more violations / accidents in group
homes
Percent of Children Served
Percent of violations
15
Relatively more violations / accidents in daycare
homes
Percent of violations
Percent of number of facilities
16
Why relatively more accidents in day care homes?

• Home are located, designed and built to maximize
  privacy
• Caregivers may have feeling that no one is
  watching them! This may welcome negligence,
  violence, and temptation
• In many cases, homes are not designed and built
  for the safety of several babies
• Home furniture is not designed and located for
  the safety of children
• Lack of State inspection Detroit News, Sep. 14,
  2003

17
Problems of Basement Usage for the Care of
Infants

• No or limited sunlight is available in the
  basement
• Dampness promotes the growth of mold and other
  microbial agents
• Radon is an invisible radioactive gas in the
  basement.
• Children are particularly susceptible
• the second leading cause of lung cancer
• Recently DHS is requiring radon test

18
Dispute with some Neighbors

• Business Noise problem
• Invasion of privacy
• Parking
• Increased traffic
• Safety
• children died/injured on the driveway while cars
  were backing over.
• Home owner is responsible, if a daycare child is
  injured or killed in your territory
• Increased demand for city services e.g. 6 trash
  cans
• Beautification problem due to trash cans and ugly
  screens without standards
• Lowering property value of neighboring homes

19
Examples of noise early in the morning when
neighbors might be sleeping

• Slamming the entrance door
• Slamming car doors
• Occasionally, babies are crying screaming when
  they enter the day care home. More frequent in
  winter. It is said that screaming baby sound is
  one of the loudest sounds in nature. (85 decibel,
  ff)
• Parents usually talks to their baby before going
  into the day care home
• When customers start the car
• When customers use remote key to lock the car
• When daycare owner shovel snow very early in the
  morning before their customers arrive
• When customers talk/phone outside of the home,
  sometimes

20
Examples of noise during the day

• The same problem as listed in the previous slide
  when parents are coming to pick up babies
• Screaming children when they play outside of the
  day care home
• Noise when the group day care employee dumps
  trashes into trash cans usually placed outside

21
Noise and invasion of privacy case in Troy
22
(No Transcript)
23
Previous GDCH Home, 1991-1999
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Other noise problem cases
Outdoor Play area
Deck or Patio
Side by side Neighbor
Window
Day Care Home
Side by side Neighbor
25
Parking Problem Case
Critical section!
26
Lowering property value of neighboring homes, an
example

• SEV (State Equalized Value) which is 50 of the
  market value
• SEV in 2005 212,670
• Tentative SEV without knowing Group Daycare in
  2006 191,530 ()
• The re-assessed SET by the city after recognizing
  Group daycare home 182,500 4.7 reduction of
  market value

() I surely believe this price has been affected
by the group daycare home. Because - the sale
price of 1161 Garwood in 2005 392,000. - It
was less than 395,000 that was the price of 1203
Garwood in 2001, 5 years ago.
27
Market value reduction of 4.7
28
Troy City Planning Commission's Decision on Dec.
13, 2005 - not to recommend allowing group
daycare homes for the following reasons

• Negative impact on the neighboring property
  owners
• Michigan Building Code Requirement Violation such
  as
• automatic sprinklers in basements
• Michigan barrier-free design and
• the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act
• There is nothing within the child care licensing
  law that exempts these facilities from the
  Michigan Building Code provisions.
• The current ordinance allows for family day care
  homes but limits enrollment thus permitting a
  needed service while minimizing the intrusion and
  negative impact on neighboring properties

29
Troy City Planning Commission's Decision on Dec.
13, 2005 - In case City Council wants to allow
them, they recommended the following reasonable
conditions (listed only important ones)

• To maximize the safety and the privacy and to
  minimize noise for the neighboring properties,
  Group Daycare Homes shall be allowed on
  properties greater than one-half acre in size and
  having a minimum side yard setback of 20 feet
• Group Daycare Homes with vehicular access on a
  major thoroughfare shall be required to have a
  circular drive or an unobstructed turnaround
  area.
• To maximize the safety and the privacy for the
  neighboring properties, if the outdoor play area
  is located on the premises, the play area shall
  be fenced or screened with a 6-foot high fence.
• The applicant shall identify the entrance(s) for
  drop-offs and pickups. The parking and drop-off
  areas shall be designed to maximize safety and
  privacy, and minimize noise for the neighboring
  properties.
• To prevent the commercialization of residential
  districts, Group Day Care Homes shall be not be
  located within 1,000 feet of another state
  licensed residential facility.

Suggested to add
30
Suggestions and Solutions

• Long-term suggestions
• Promote parent care!!
• More Centers with affordable fees see next slide
• Mixed-use zone development
• Short-term feasible solutions
• State and city must work together
• Reasonable city ordinance for considering
  neighbors in strictly restricted residential zone
  
• Subdivision design considerations see next
  slides
• Caring neighbors examples more trees, screens,
  fences, Electric Snow Melting System on the
  driveway!
• Open door policy for the real quality child care
• Wireless smart sensors and pervasive computing
  technologies to prevent from accidents

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Summary

• Daycare homes are relatively accident-prone
  because homes were not located, designed, and
  built for large scale daycare service
• Parents need to analyze carefully pros and cons
  of putting their children in daycare homes
• Some daycare homes caused some clashes in the
  community due to problems such as noise, parking,
  invasion of privacy, etc.
• Need a good city zoning ordinance for the future
  with common sense, without biases

32
We need more institution supported Centers! See
the national data below
Michigan National 16 58
Percent of Children Served by Types of Care
(National 2000-2004)
() Child Care Bureau, Administration for
Children and Families, US Department of Health
and Human Services (2000-2004)
33
Subdivision Design Considerations I
34
Subdivision Design Considerations II
35
Wonderful Idea by my neighbor
My master bedroom
Driveway
Car
Drop-off area naturally customers are using
left-side car door
Car
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Conclusion

• Do not let your children start their first lives
  in illegal facilities any more
• Homes are not located / designed / built for
  caring many children
• Some neighbors have been bothered by some daycare
  businesses
• The State and City must view residential zoning
  regulations as a covenant with citizens who
  purchase property in the city, and citys actions
  must honor this commitment or
• City must have strict restrictions

37
If there are no reasonable restrictions

• Some of the current family daycare homes will
  become Group Daycare homes, since Group Daycare
  home business model is more profitable.

38
Crisis and Opportunity

• Lets use this conflict to make the best
  childcare system in the USA
• I am volunteering to organize and host a
  conference to improve child care systems in
  Michigan Lets dialog
• Personally, I am interested in
• The development of wireless smart sensor system
  for your home PC To be used data-mining for SIDS
  research
• Sunlight induction system to the basement
• Solar powered (or hybrid) Electric Snow Melting
  System for the driveway and sidewalk

39
Is this OK? A worst case scenario
Screaming babies
Master bedroom
Loud noise when SUVs engine starts
Slamming car doors
Think of max. 13 cars at 6 A.M.!
40
Epilog

• You can either learn from your past or run
  from it
• Rafiki, The Lion King