State cracks down on unlicensed Shelbyville day cares

An anonymous call to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has led to a crackdown on unlicensed day cares in Shelbyville.

"On Friday, February 9, 2018, DCFS responded to an anonymous complaint about four homes in Shelbyville, Illinois, operating as unlicensed day cares," said Alissandra Calderón, the department's associate deputy director of communications. "Three of the four homes were investigated and found to be over capacity. No one was home at the fourth home."

The visits by DCFS have left parents scrambling to find new sitters for their kids.

"I have two full-time jobs," said Jason House of Shelbyville, whose child care provider was one of the three visited by the state. "My wife has two part-time jobs. Our schedule is tight and somewhat chaotic. This throws a major wrench into our timelines."

"Having the day cares close suddenly left us scrambling to find someone to care for our 18-month-old twins," said another Shelbyville parent, Megan Donnel. "Luckily, we have a lot of family and friends that agreed to help us until we can find a new day care provider."

Calderón explained that "without a license, someone in their own home can only care for three children under the age of 12 years of age, including their own." Donnel said the rules are arbitrary and perplexing.

"In my opinion, the laws are very outdated and desperately need revision," Donnel said. "...If the provider is related to the children, then there is no limit as to how many children they can care for. It simply doesn't make sense."

As a school board member and business owner, Rob Bosgraaf has noticed the impact of the DCFS investigations.

He said on Wednesday that another day care provider has also been closed. Plenty of staff members at the school district are looking for new sitters, he said.

"I understand both sides," Bosgraaf said. "It's a chance you take if you're unlicensed. But in a town like this, everybody knows each other."

House and Donnel call the state's interference in small town, family-run day cares pointless.

"Lillee couldn’t get out of her car seat fast enough when we went to her sitter's house," House said, referring to his young daughter. "She wanted to play with her friends. We chose our provider because she has been around Lillee since birth and loves her as her own."

"As a parent, I would never take my children somewhere I didn't think was a safe environment," Donnel said. "Although she was legally over the limit, I think it should be up to the parents to decide, not the state. I think DCFS should only get involved if there is a safety or care issue — just as they would do in homes."

The providers declined comment for the story. The state official said they can work on getting their license and their old clients back.

"While at each of the three homes, the DCFS licensing representative explained what was needed to get licensed, wrote down the required trainings and where a care taker could find information about trainings," Calderón said. "All three homes that were contacted indicated a willingness to apply for a license."

In response to the enforcement, Cornerstone Community Fellowship opened its doors Tuesday for any displaced children.

"I've used child care before as a parent and grandparent and I know how stressful it can be to find child care and an opening," said John Curtis, pastor at the Shelbyville church. "It's considered part of the ministry of the church to help people in town if they have a need."

Stan Polanski can reached at stan.polanski@shelbyvilledailyunion.com or 217-774-2161 ext. 1.