Babysitters Get Reprieve

The Nanny State took a step backward after people asked if Michigan politicians had any common sense whatsoever. 99% of the time, the answer is a resounding "NO." But you can only take extremism so far in politics.

New rule to exempt baby-sitters

Day care amendment to settle flap over neighbors watching each other’s kids

BY CATHERINE JUN

The Detroit News

Lansing — An amendment could take effect this week that will exempt baby­sitting from the state’s day care laws, a change several parents in Irving Town­ship applaud.

“It was dumb,” said Lisa Snyder, a mother who challenged the law after she got a letter in the fall saying she may be running an illegal day care by watching her neighbors’ kids in the morning. The amendment, approved by legislators within a month of its introduction, showed her “how ridicu­lous the law was,” Snyd­er added.

Gov. Jennifer Gran­holm is expected to sign the bill this week.

In September, the governor directed the Department of Human Services to work with legislators to amend the law after she heard Snyder had received a letter from the agency urging her to stop baby-sitting.

Snyder defended herself, saying she was helping three neighborhood moms by watching their children — two 5-year­olds and a 7-year-old — for free before they board the school bus outside her door.

The amendment won unanimous votes in the House and Senate.

“It’s an issue that anybody can relate to,” said Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland, the bill’s sponsor and a father of two. The amendment will exempt uncompensat­ed childcare and baby-sitting from li­censing requirements. Baby-sitting is defined as caring for another’s child for less than $600 a year.

Human Services agreed that once the law is enacted, it will revise the warning letters sent to future suspected violators, softening the language by eliminating any mention of penalties.

“DHS supports this new legislation,” said Colleen Steinman, spokeswoman for the state agency. “We were able to work closely with the legislature to come up with something that was in the best interest of children in care.”

The state received 300 complaints of unlicensed care last year, said Jim Gale, director of the bureau of children and adult licensing. All incidents were re­solved without resorting to prosecution, he said. Mindy Rose is a single mother and registered nurse. Though state in­vestigators questioned her in the fall, she didn’t stop driving her 5-year-old son, J.C., to Snyder’s house on her way to work.

“It was a lot of time spent and a lot of stress that we went through, but I’m glad I can explain to my children: This is the way communities should work and help each other out,” Rose said.