While it may have been overshadowed by the election coverage, Gov. Larry Hogan signed into law on April 26 legislation highlighting the importance of licensed child care. Maryland Family Network, with staunch support from Sen. Nancy King and Del. Kathleen Dumais, both of Montgomery County, spearheaded the effort to pass it.
Illegal child care poses serious threats to the health, safety and development of young children. From 2010 to 2014, at least 13 Maryland children died in illegal care. Two more such deaths occurred while these bills were being deliberated. The new law requires child care providers to include their license numbers when advertising their services and improves the capacity of state officials to issue citations and conduct inspections.
Many parents are unaware of child care licensing laws and the significant benefits of licensed care. Licensed providers are trained to understand how children develop physically, socially and emotionally. They are also trained in practices as fundamental as safe sleep and how to respond in the event of an emergency such as a building fire.
Most people would never hire an unlicensed contractor to fix a roof or build a deck. Child care licensing matters. Why trust your child to anything less?
Margaret E. Williams, Baltimore
The writer is executive director of the Maryland Family Network.