Who Watches the Daycare Centers?

As a parent you may feel like it is solely your responsibility to monitor the center where you entrust the day-to-day care of your children, and this can be overwhelming.  However, it should make you feel somewhat less pressured to know that in Georgia, the daycares and early learning facilities are monitored by Bright from the Start, an entity of Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL). DECAL has the legal authority to conduct investigations and onsite inspections to make sure early learning centers follow mandated codes and regulations.  In its official capacity, DECAL can:

• Receive and investigate reports regarding child abuse, neglect, or deprivation of care by a daycare and its employees;
• Receive and investigate complaints about a center which involve the health, safety, or welfare of children in their care;
• Deny, revoke, restrict or suspend the license of a childcare center. 

In reality, daycare centers have countless rules and regulations that they must follow in order to maintain their licenses and operate in Georgia. The government has an obligation to inspect and investigate these centers in order to insure the health and safety of our children. These inspections and investigations must be done on a regular basis. As a parent, you definitely have an obligation and a duty to check up on the centers that care for your children, and you can also feel secure in knowing that Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning shares the same responsibility.  If you suspect neglect, abuse, or any other activity that could be detrimental to your child do not ignore your suspicions, contact DECAL to investigate.  In addition, if your child has exhibited an injury from questionable activity at their daycare, the experienced attorneys at Council & Associates, are available to provide support, assistance, and evaluate a potential case.