How bad is unlicensed childcare really?

[Anonymous]

Arco Iris Somos operated a program without a license for about 6 months. She had 10 toddler kids, and 8 in the 3 year old room. The owner acted as it was not her fault. To me this was so unresponsable, and would never reccomend this place to anybody. Even though her teacher assistance was the nicest. She states she has been doing summer camps for a long time. She clearly does not know who to operate a school. We felt so bad for our daughter that we did not picked this issue before. Now I checked every single paper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Undocumented workers can be wonderful, hard working and loving caregivers. Especially women who had to leave their children behind to come here- it can comfort them and inspire sweetness and devotion. However, sometimes it can bring people dealing with poverty drama- watching a bunch of relatives kids- some who never see their parents because they are too busy working to survive, people with criminal backgrounds they left behind at home, TV being on all day,etc.

You seem to be confusing not being licensed as a childcare provider with being an undocumented immigrant.

[Anonymous]

Not worth the risk.

[Anonymous]

How do you know the other kids are vaccinated?

[Anonymous]

I would not be comfortable leaving my child with someone who can't go through the steps of getting licensed. Maybe there's a serious problem preventing her from getting a license (criminal record). Maybe she can't get one for other reasons (undocumented). Maybe she's just too lazy to be bothered. Maybe the reason is completely benign. But it wouldn't matter to me and I wouldn't risk it -- certainly not on the word of a neighbor whose standards for childcare may not be the same as mine.

[Anonymous]

I did this. It was a friend of my neighbor. She babysat my infant son the first year of his life. It was a wonderful relationship. I paid what I would have paid a home day care, but he was the only child in her care.

Her children were in middle/high school, but she was a stay at home mom looking to earn a little money. It was a win/win situation.

[Anonymous]

In some parts of Virginia, it is legal, and a regulated practice, to operate a home daycare below a certain number of children without a license. The provider is still subject to regulations that govern her services, and she is subject to inspection should the state authorities receive complaint.

So if what you're considering is regulated, but unlicensed, care then I would say the quality is going to depend on the provider and you'll have to do more due diligence to be confident that the provider meets sufficient standards.

However, a care provider illegally running a daycare in a jurisdiction that requires a license is liberately dishonest in how she conducts her business and her business is caring for children. I would not even consider that, regardless of the recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arco Iris Somos operated a program without a license for about 6 months. She had 10 toddler kids, and 8 in the 3 year old room. The owner acted as it was not her fault. To me this was so unresponsable, and would never reccomend this place to anybody. Even though her teacher assistance was the nicest. She states she has been doing summer camps for a long time. She clearly does not know who to operate a school. We felt so bad for our daughter that we did not picked this issue before. Now I checked every single paper.

[Anonymous]

My college roommate's mom basically ran an unlicensed daycare out of our apartment. While she was lovingand the kids were reasonably safe, the kids got no stimulation. Basically, she watched Spanish soaps all day long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did this. It was a friend of my neighbor. She babysat my infant son the first year of his life. It was a wonderful relationship. I paid what I would have paid a home day care, but he was the only child in her care.

Her children were in middle/high school, but she was a stay at home mom looking to earn a little money. It was a win/win situation.

This sounds more like a nanny (who wouldn't need to be licensed), with the only difference being that the care was in her home rather than yours (which a nanny doesn't do). I think this is a little different than a situation where someone was watching multiple unrelated children in their home unlicensed.

[Anonymous]

Go with your gut. I had a wonderful experience with an unlicensed provider. She had excellent references from within my neighborhood and had been doing it for many years. I inspected her home and felt comfortable. Here reason for not being licensed was explained and again, I felt comfortable.

[Anonymous]

I guess they charge less, so maybe a bargain compared to licensed?

[Anonymous]

In most states, there is a threshold for requiring a license. So if the provider is watching fewer children than the threshold, then no license is require; no laws or regulations have been broken. These "regulated but unlicensed" providers are legitimate options but I would not even entertain the idea if the provider ran an illegal home-daycare. You need to figure out which situation you're dealing with OP - is this lady running an illegal daycare in her home or is she "regulated but unlicensed" and would just be watching a couple of kids?