ANNAPOLIS, Md. 鈥� The state’s attorney for Prince George鈥檚 County says parents shouldn鈥檛 have to worry about their children鈥檚 safety while they are at work.
Angela Alsobrooks聽wants tougher penalties for people running unlicensed day care centers in Maryland, and she took her case to Annapolis on Friday.
She聽supports a bill authored by Del.聽Alonzo Washington that聽would take aim at those who run unlicensed聽day care facilities. Washington is a Democrat representing Maryland’s 22nd District, which includes Prince George鈥檚 County.
鈥淭here are a good number of children in these unlicensed facilities that are in harm鈥檚 way,鈥� Alsobrooks told the Maryland House of Delegate鈥檚 Ways and Means Committee.
The high costs of child care, she said, have some parents turning to lesser-priced, unlicensed facilities that don鈥檛 meet state standards and where employees lack proper training to care for children.
From 2010 through 2014, 13 children died while at unlicensed child care facilities in Maryland; and since those numbers were tallied, Prince George鈥檚 County has added a number of cases to the total, Alsobrooks said.
The definition of a child care facility, according to Alsobrooks, is individuals who care for other people鈥檚 children for more than 20 hours a week. One exception is individuals caring for children to whom聽they are related.
Running a legal child care facility involves an . 聽Among the requirements: Prospective operators must go through state orientation and provide information to the licensing office on how the day care will be operated, maintained and insured.
The bill calls for fines to go as high as $2,500 for a first offense and up to $5,000 for a second offense.
If a child is seriously injured or killed while at an unlicensed facility, the proposed legislation would also put jail time on the table for those operating the facility, whether they are responsible for what happened to the child or not.
鈥淣ow we have criminal penalties to accompany the civil penalties that already exist that are, for the most part, unenforced,鈥� Alsobrooks said.
The bill, she聽said, would encourage facility聽owners not only to be careful about whom they hire, but also to ensure聽that they are running their centers聽properly.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e operating a facility, this puts the responsibility on that facility owner to make sure they are licensed, or else,鈥� Alsobrooks said.
The bill still needs to make its way through the House, Senate and onto the governor鈥檚 desk before it becomes law.
