Media Releases
KAC to pursue inspections for all Kansas child care providers
Kansas Action for Children today, in partnership with the Kansas Coalition for School Readiness, launched a campaign designed to educate parents and lawmakers about the lack of inspections at some child care facilities in Kansas.
In Kansas, one out of every three providers are never inspected. These providers, which fall into a category called "registered" providers, are not subject to inspections for child safety unless a complaint is filed or a child dies in the provider's care.
"Just one child’s death is tragic," said Shannon Cotsoradis, executive vice president of KAC. "But, without across-the-board inspections, we’ve seen deaths in Kansas child care double since last year. This is an opportunity to protect Kansas kids and give families some peace of mind that their children are being cared for in a safe environment."
Statistics show that Kansas ranks 47th in the nation in terms of child care oversight. One reason for the poor ranking is that Kansas does not perform across-the-board inspections of child care facilities. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the state currently inspects about 5,000 of the 7,500 Kansas providers. KAC and its partners will seek legislation during the 2010 Session that would call for inspections of all providers in the state.
"Just like we inspect every restaurant and every beauty salon in Kansas, we need to inspect every child care facility," said Cotsoradis.
For more information, visit www.InspectTheRest.com.
