A daycare worker was arrested for meth after police found evidence she had smoked the drug while working.  After testing, it was determined that the entire facility had been contaminated.

Luckily, this facility is located in Montana.  However, if you consider how many daycare facilities exist in Louisville, and throughout Kentucky, it’s hard to imagine something similar isn’t happening here.  With the rise of opioid addiction, the probability that children are being exposed to harmful drugs is certainly a concern.

The state makes it very difficult to monitor which daycare facilities are being investigated and/or charged with violations.

I recently blogged about a daycare worker handing out gummy bears with melatonin to children.  I’m not claiming that every child care center is endangering children.  That’s obviously not the case.  However, as parents, we need to be on alert to erratic behavior by staff, seemingly odd occurrences and those things that your gut is warning you about.

According to the Kentucky Child Care Standards of Practice for Licensed Providers, management must discharge an employee if he/she is “an individual who has been convicted of, or entered an Alford plea or plea of guilty to, a drug-related felony, and five (5) years has not elapsed since the person was fully discharged from imprisonment, probation, or parole.” [922 KAR 2:090. Section 6. License Issuance]

Notice that the Kentucky standards make no mention of misdemeanor drug charges.

I’m not publishing this post to scare parents.  The fact that a daycare worker was arrested for meth doesn’t mean it’s happening everywhere.  The fact is, we simply need to be on alert when it involves our children.  I’m a mother of five children and made the decision to use child care centers, while I continued to work.  I understand the emotions that come along with each parent who makes a similar decision.

If you notice something that you feel should be reported, you should certainly do so.  Click this link to learn how to report your concerns.

If you think you need to involve an attorney, make sure you verify that he/she has specific experience dealing with daycare facilities.  The regulations and laws are specific to these types of operations.  Not every lawyer is experienced at handling child care litigation.  I have sued various daycare facilities and know where to look and how to hold them accountable.