New childcare ordinance passed after public hearing
After listening to public comments on the ordinance, City Council approved the new child care ordinance, repealing its old day care ordinance.
Kari Giesbrecht has been running her day care, Kari’s Korner, for eight years. The business was in her home first before moving into its current location on Halliday Street.
While it’s all fun and games running her day care, she remembers when that fun came to a halt. When a child was injured at a different home day care, needing to be taken to the emergency room.
“The provider was renting a house, so she didn’t have any kind of insurance whatsoever,” said Giesbrecht. “The parents ended up having to basically eat up those costs. It hurt them so significantly.”
As the head of the city’s Day care Advisory Committee, she felt some of those bases should be covered.
That’s what the new child care ordinance would do, along with modify requirements for licenses and facilities. It lists exactly what a licensed person is allowed to do and what exactly should be in and out of the facility. It would repeal the city’s current da ycare ordinance.
Giesbrecht said it would eliminate possible “what if’s” in day cares.
All the changes and modifications in the new ordinance are because of past experiences, according to the city’s legal department.
“We’ve gotten somewhat more specific in areas, trying to get a handle on protecting the kids,” said city deputy attorney Rich Niehl. “Not to say they’re not being protected now. (We’re) just trying to enhance what we’re doing.”
For Giesbrecht, she only wants to prevent things like the ER incident.
“There’s nothing that we would change that would make things harder or worse. It’s all just trying to keep our kids safe,” she said.
There would also be added sections in the new ordinance. New sections include regulations on transportation, overnight care and a penalty for violating the code.
The ordinance passed with the following add-ons:
– Immunization records for a child has to be with a childcare provider within 14 days of their initial attendance.
– Providers encourage firearms not be brought into a facility.
