Parents look beyond state ratings

By Marc Kovac and Ashley Luthern

news@vindy.com

Although state inspection records of child-care centers are open to the public — and required by law to be posted in centers — many parents of enrolled children say they were not aware of the records.

“I wasn’t so much concerned that they were licensed and they were passing them. As an educator, I was really concerned about the preschool curriculum, and probably we should have looked at the inspections,” said Jamie Kemats of Columbiana.

Kemats said at the time she sent her first to child care about six years ago, the records weren’t as accessible.

Now, inspection reports for all centers licensed by the state are available online at jfs.ohio.gov. The documents are searchable by county, ZIP code or city and can provide a basis for parents seeking child-care options in their communities. Centers also are required to post inspection reports for parents and other visitors to review.

Kemats said she placed a high priority on comparing centers, visiting seven before deciding on Imagine That! in Columbiana, which has had no violations during three state inspections.

Amy Logan of Imagine That! said in her three years as owner, only one parent has asked about the state inspections.

“I focused on the educational standards and was primarily concerned that they were in a safe environment. The door was locked, and you were greeted when you came in,” Kemats said.

Carol Ann Ankrom, section chief for the state’s care-licensing section, said parents should review inspection reports and look for repeated violations — instances where centers are cited for the same issues over and over again.

Also, parents should watch for violations noted in the state’s database in red. Those denote serious violations, the ones that could put children in the most danger.

Centers facing license denials or enforcement actions also are highlighted on the website.

“We want parents to have access to this information,” added Ben Johnson, an Ohio Department of Job and Family Services spokesman. “We believe in our findings. We trust, obviously, our licensing specialists.”

But the inspection reports shouldn’t be the sole basis for parents’ decisions on care centers. Ankrom said they also should visit centers and talk to staff and administrators.

“Those unannounced drop-ins by parents into the facility, I think they are important,” she said, adding, “They’re there every day. We’re there once or twice a year. They’re the ones that need to follow their gut. ... If they feel something’s wrong, follow up on that.”

Regina Richards of Boardman researched 10 centers before choosing St. Mark’s Building Blocks on Mill Creek Drive in Boardman, but wasn’t aware of the state-licensing inspections until she visited the school.

“I like doing things one-on-one,” Richards said. “We’re told about [the inspections] by Building Blocks” employees when visiting the center.

Building Blocks had no violations in four inspections during the last two years.

“As soon as I went to Building Blocks, I really liked it. It seemed really down to earth, and everybody was so wonderful. I like the security doors and the fact that they have a retired nurse working there,” Richards said.

Many of the parents who spoke to The Vindicator said they rely on these personal visits to get to know the staff and check the cleanliness of the facility.

Latrice Bennett of Youngstown has used Happy Campers Child Care on the Youngstown’s South Side for seven years, enrolling all four of her children. She said she was impressed by how clean the center is and the attention given to each child.

“I would make sure that the provider has time and patience for the kids. My one baby, she’s a busybody, and some people don’t have the patience for them. [The staff] has the patience and the time,” Bennett said.

Happy Campers had a total of 13 red-flag, or serious, violations in its 2009 and 2010 inspections. All the violations have been resolved since the inspections, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services website.

“I didn’t have a reason to look at the inspection,” Bennett said. “You could go to [owner] Tracy Jordan if you had a concern, and she’ll address that.”

Jennifer Szolek of Poland no longer has children in child care, but said she looked for three things in a center.

“I checked to see if it was developmentally appropriate, play-based and NAEYC accredited,” she said.

NAEYC stands for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which has developed professional standards for early-childhood education programs. The accreditation is national and voluntary, according to the association’s website.

NAEYC is not part of the state’s child-care licensing inspections.

Licensed child-care centers that also are accredited by organizations such as the NAEYC or part of JFS’ Step Up To Quality program show that administrators are willing to go beyond the state’s minimum requirements, said Theresa Fairfield, whose children attend St. Rose Sunny Days Child Care Center in Girard.

Fairfield, a preschool teacher with Head Start, said she looked at several day-care centers in the Girard area for her two sons but chose Sunny Days because of its low staff-to-child ratios and commitment to early childhood education.

“The teachers are great,” Fairfield said. “With socialization and school readiness skills, they really just go above and beyond.”

Vindicator staff writer Grace Wyler contributed to this story.