When the owner of Grandma Lynda's Daycare admitted she put a 4-year-old child in the trunk of her car as disciplinary measure, the state immediately revoked her daycare license.
A few weeks later, we learn she's now opening a preschool. Can that be legal?
We find out, yes, it is.
Under Washington State statute, if you operate a preschool for fewer than four hours a day and offer educational programming, you are exempt from licensing requirements. It's a suprising revelation to a lot of parents.
What do you think?
13 Comments
KL said:
I honestly dont think Lynda Clark should run day care again since she really did not think throughly what she needs to do with the young boy misbehaving. She could have call the boy's mother to pick up from her previous day care! She should have been banned from running day care!
nutmeg25 said:
I second that vote. if she's going to run a daycare she obviously needs to know how to handle a kid who is misbehaving, the fact that she put a kid in the trunk of her car, shows she doesn't know a thing about the right way to disipline so why is she able to run a daycare?
Hmmmm...something smells. said:
What exactly are the requirements to run a preschool then...maybe you don't have to have a license but do you have to have insurance? I think you do!---and wouldn't the previous daycare business come up in the application? Does she actually have parents that would trust her with their children? Is she running the daycare out of her home? Wouldn't her neighbors protest? I mean, they are aware of her childcare skills---which are severely limited. There is probably more to this than is written here. Call the investigative news crews!
Debra said:
I personally wouldn't trust her with my dog, let alone a child. Loopholes like this are so dangerous, and I'm surprised by the article stating that closing that "loophole" has been attempted before. What's stopping it? If you are going to run a "Preschool," then I think you need more than just a cute business name to hang outside your window.
An outraged parent! said:
I think that this story is OUTRAGOUS! What almost suprises me more is the fact that so few people have commented on this and that they don't seem to me to be that outraged. All I can think is that they may not have any preschool age kids. What in the world are state law makers thinking? This is a GIANT loop hole and a major crack in our system! What will it take to draw more attention to this situation? I have only heard small klips of this story on the news the rest of the time is devoted to the pet of the week and paris hilton. This woman should be in jail and there should have never been an opportunity for her to care for children ever again in any state! The thought of any of my children being in her care all alone with her? The feeling starts in my stomach and comes up my throat! I want to hear more about this story and whats being done about it or what the community can do about it.
E Bindas said:
well...
under Washington State statutes, there are a lot of businesses that don't require licenses. I'm not surprised that preschool is one of them.
presumably, the same issue won't arise with children in the preschool, since she won't have to go pick up older kids from a bus stop or another school & take the younger kids with her to do so. I've read nothing to indicate that she abuses children, so I imagine if the kids act out at daycare, they're given a time out. which, I suppose when you consider it, is kind of what she did with the first kid-put him in timeout. (albeit, an extreme version of it!)
My question would be...
for all the press that's happened about this situation... what parent would take their child to Lynda Clark? probably those who already had & liked her. that's their call, then.
Kris said:
No FREAKING way!
Hogrod said:
Why wasn't she charged with Felony Child Endangerment? Wouldn't that preclude her from running a preschool? For that matter, why wasn't she arrested. I know a parent who was arrested for "Domestic Violence" for slapping his teenage son for talking back. Wouldn't stuffing a child in a trunk rate a little higher?
Licensing-a joke said:
I am not surprised she got a daycare license. Did you know you can get a COUNSELOR'S license in the state of WA for $40-that's it-just $40.
Seattle Times, May5, 2006 issue:
"...to be a registered counselor, someone who will help guide troubled clients through some of their most difficult life challenges, you need take only a four-hour AIDS-awareness class. That's it — that and a $40 registration fee. You don't even need a high-school diploma...Washington is the only state in the country that grants credentials to so many counselors — 17,016 at last count — under such meager standards."
WA state's licensing standards are a joke.
Patti LS Johnson said:
She should not be allowed to have any responsiblity for children. Any parent would be crazy to enroll their children in her preschool. I hope the public gets the word out. I will be sure and let everyone I know with children or grandchildren where not to take their children. Now it makes me wonder about other pre schools...So what the state of Washington is saying is that even a sex offender could run a pre school???????? What a sick state we live in!!!!!!
Colleen Marshall said:
I am a licensed day care in canada. This woman is an abomination and should be sensored and denied access to small children.
Here in Canada all preschools and day cares must be licensed and all persons my have a clear chriminal record check through the solisiter General and Public Saftey.. is she was in Canada she would not be running a preschool. Little children are apparently unsafe in this persons care be it for 2 hours or 8 hours.
sunandsea123 said:
As a parent of two beautiful children, I can't stress enough to anyone and everyone to know whom you leave your precious children with. People are people, some are good and some are not good, it's up to the parent to do the background work to make a wise choice with where your children will be spending a portion of their time. Your philosophy on discipline, morality, values and beliefs should line up with your caregiver, interview, ask questions, make pop visits. Disciplining children is the last resort for not planning carefully. Your brain should be your biggest muscle, not your hand or your tongue. Children will always try to please you if you respect them and treat like the wonderful people that they are, expect them to be children though, that what kids do best, act like kids. Placing a child in a trunk is horrific and an act of violence, violence is a choice, one chooses to act violently. In some states, its a felony offense. Once upon a time, not too long ago, I almost lost my two precious children. Their father, my ex-husband, allowed their grandfather to have them ride in the trunk of his car because the car was too full of lumber for a project they were working on. Two grown men decided that it was Ok to put two precious children in a trunk of a car on a hot summer day and drive across town. When that came to light during a counseling session with my children, DCF was called. That was the sixth case of abuse my ex did to our children during his parenting time, unknown by me. It took over a year for DCF's perception to focus on FELONY OFFENSES during his parenting time versus "its a custody battle" between us. I cannot predict what another person will do in the future. However, if your know someones past behavior, its a good indicator. I am a survivor of domestic violence, my children are survivors of child abuse. I had been asking for help from the legal system, local interested entities for four years prior, but it was not heard. Finally, after the last case of being placed in the trunk because it was too much trouble to make two trips safely, DCF heard and we now have the legal protection we so needed and deserved, permanently. Oh, by the way, what does my ex-husband do for a living? He's a behavioral management specialist, has his Masters degree in psychology and he works for a well known nonprofit childrens services agency. He regulates daycares, teaches parenting classes, sits on many boards and helps to decide whether other parents get to keep their children if there is abuse or neglect. Isn't that special...
Let's Create Change in 2008! said:
In Washington State my observation is that children are regularly abused by adults, including by their parents, and it is treated as a social problem through DSHS rather than as a criminal problem through courts, prosecution and jail time for child abuse. It is common that children who end up in foster care have been both physically, emotionally and sexually abused in their prior environment, for example, and no one is prosecuted and children are returned to their homes. Sexual abuse seems to be legal in this State if committed by parents or people in their home environment. We need an independent study done of this to bring awareness, outcry and change. Gov. Gregoire are you up for prosecuting parents? Let's make it a goal to prosecute publicly and loudly at least one a month in 2008!
I honestly dont think Lynda Clark should run day care again since she really did not think throughly what she needs to do with the young boy misbehaving. She could have call the boy's mother to pick up from her previous day care! She should have been banned from running day care!
I second that vote. if she's going to run a daycare she obviously needs to know how to handle a kid who is misbehaving, the fact that she put a kid in the trunk of her car, shows she doesn't know a thing about the right way to disipline so why is she able to run a daycare?
What exactly are the requirements to run a preschool then...maybe you don't have to have a license but do you have to have insurance? I think you do!---and wouldn't the previous daycare business come up in the application? Does she actually have parents that would trust her with their children? Is she running the daycare out of her home? Wouldn't her neighbors protest? I mean, they are aware of her childcare skills---which are severely limited. There is probably more to this than is written here. Call the investigative news crews!
I personally wouldn't trust her with my dog, let alone a child. Loopholes like this are so dangerous, and I'm surprised by the article stating that closing that "loophole" has been attempted before. What's stopping it? If you are going to run a "Preschool," then I think you need more than just a cute business name to hang outside your window.
I think that this story is OUTRAGOUS! What almost suprises me more is the fact that so few people have commented on this and that they don't seem to me to be that outraged. All I can think is that they may not have any preschool age kids. What in the world are state law makers thinking? This is a GIANT loop hole and a major crack in our system! What will it take to draw more attention to this situation? I have only heard small klips of this story on the news the rest of the time is devoted to the pet of the week and paris hilton. This woman should be in jail and there should have never been an opportunity for her to care for children ever again in any state! The thought of any of my children being in her care all alone with her? The feeling starts in my stomach and comes up my throat! I want to hear more about this story and whats being done about it or what the community can do about it.
well...
under Washington State statutes, there are a lot of businesses that don't require licenses. I'm not surprised that preschool is one of them.
presumably, the same issue won't arise with children in the preschool, since she won't have to go pick up older kids from a bus stop or another school & take the younger kids with her to do so. I've read nothing to indicate that she abuses children, so I imagine if the kids act out at daycare, they're given a time out. which, I suppose when you consider it, is kind of what she did with the first kid-put him in timeout. (albeit, an extreme version of it!)
My question would be...
for all the press that's happened about this situation... what parent would take their child to Lynda Clark? probably those who already had & liked her. that's their call, then.
No FREAKING way!
Why wasn't she charged with Felony Child Endangerment? Wouldn't that preclude her from running a preschool? For that matter, why wasn't she arrested. I know a parent who was arrested for "Domestic Violence" for slapping his teenage son for talking back. Wouldn't stuffing a child in a trunk rate a little higher?
I am not surprised she got a daycare license. Did you know you can get a COUNSELOR'S license in the state of WA for $40-that's it-just $40.
Seattle Times, May5, 2006 issue:
"...to be a registered counselor, someone who will help guide troubled clients through some of their most difficult life challenges, you need take only a four-hour AIDS-awareness class. That's it — that and a $40 registration fee. You don't even need a high-school diploma...Washington is the only state in the country that grants credentials to so many counselors — 17,016 at last count — under such meager standards."
WA state's licensing standards are a joke.
She should not be allowed to have any responsiblity for children. Any parent would be crazy to enroll their children in her preschool. I hope the public gets the word out. I will be sure and let everyone I know with children or grandchildren where not to take their children. Now it makes me wonder about other pre schools...So what the state of Washington is saying is that even a sex offender could run a pre school???????? What a sick state we live in!!!!!!
I am a licensed day care in canada. This woman is an abomination and should be sensored and denied access to small children.
Here in Canada all preschools and day cares must be licensed and all persons my have a clear chriminal record check through the solisiter General and Public Saftey.. is she was in Canada she would not be running a preschool. Little children are apparently unsafe in this persons care be it for 2 hours or 8 hours.
As a parent of two beautiful children, I can't stress enough to anyone and everyone to know whom you leave your precious children with. People are people, some are good and some are not good, it's up to the parent to do the background work to make a wise choice with where your children will be spending a portion of their time. Your philosophy on discipline, morality, values and beliefs should line up with your caregiver, interview, ask questions, make pop visits. Disciplining children is the last resort for not planning carefully. Your brain should be your biggest muscle, not your hand or your tongue. Children will always try to please you if you respect them and treat like the wonderful people that they are, expect them to be children though, that what kids do best, act like kids. Placing a child in a trunk is horrific and an act of violence, violence is a choice, one chooses to act violently. In some states, its a felony offense. Once upon a time, not too long ago, I almost lost my two precious children. Their father, my ex-husband, allowed their grandfather to have them ride in the trunk of his car because the car was too full of lumber for a project they were working on. Two grown men decided that it was Ok to put two precious children in a trunk of a car on a hot summer day and drive across town. When that came to light during a counseling session with my children, DCF was called. That was the sixth case of abuse my ex did to our children during his parenting time, unknown by me. It took over a year for DCF's perception to focus on FELONY OFFENSES during his parenting time versus "its a custody battle" between us. I cannot predict what another person will do in the future. However, if your know someones past behavior, its a good indicator. I am a survivor of domestic violence, my children are survivors of child abuse. I had been asking for help from the legal system, local interested entities for four years prior, but it was not heard. Finally, after the last case of being placed in the trunk because it was too much trouble to make two trips safely, DCF heard and we now have the legal protection we so needed and deserved, permanently. Oh, by the way, what does my ex-husband do for a living? He's a behavioral management specialist, has his Masters degree in psychology and he works for a well known nonprofit childrens services agency. He regulates daycares, teaches parenting classes, sits on many boards and helps to decide whether other parents get to keep their children if there is abuse or neglect. Isn't that special...
In Washington State my observation is that children are regularly abused by adults, including by their parents, and it is treated as a social problem through DSHS rather than as a criminal problem through courts, prosecution and jail time for child abuse. It is common that children who end up in foster care have been both physically, emotionally and sexually abused in their prior environment, for example, and no one is prosecuted and children are returned to their homes. Sexual abuse seems to be legal in this State if committed by parents or people in their home environment. We need an independent study done of this to bring awareness, outcry and change. Gov. Gregoire are you up for prosecuting parents? Let's make it a goal to prosecute publicly and loudly at least one a month in 2008!