A statement from the M.V. Family Child Care Network

To the Editor: 

We are a group of licensed early education and care professionals who offer home-based programs on Martha’s Vineyard to nurture and care for young children. Some people call it daycare — but our licensing credential is for “Family Child Care,” which is a more apt description of our work. We care for children and their families.

We have an important message for the community.

The community has been rocked twice in the past year by reports of alleged gross negligence involving children, with one incident causing the tragic death of a child, and a recent report of a caregiver neglecting children in her care. We are deeply shocked and saddened by these events.

As dedicated and licensed family child care providers, we work tirelessly to maintain high-quality programs that offer the best possible environments for the children in our care. We follow Massachusetts EEC licensing regulations for safety and protocol. These regulations guide everything from child ratios to safe environments to developmentally appropriate curriculum.

A licensed childcare provider is required to care for NO MORE than six children under the age of 5 (for one provider). We are required to use strict safety protocols when transporting children, and to NEVER leave any child unattended in a car. We are required to participate in ongoing continuing education in child growth and development, and to be certified in CPR and first aid annually. There are many other requirements, based around safety and best practice.

As members of the Family Child Care Network, we go beyond these basic regulations by participating in this professional organization of colleagues. We meet monthly and take training workshops to stay current on early-education topics. Thanks to the support of MVYouth and the M.V. Family Center, we share high-quality curriculum supplies across our programs. We call on each other to collaborate, and we work together to strengthen our work with children. We also work with state and local grants and subsidies, which are only available for licensed programs, to help parents with the cost of childcare.

Like everyone in our community, we are flabbergasted by these reported incidents of gross negligence, and we struggle to understand how anyone can neglect or endanger a child in their care. We work closely with the local EEC office, and the licensor who regulates programs on the Island. In our experience, our programs are frequently monitored and inspected, and the licensor gives us constant feedback to ensure safety.

We understand firsthand the difficulty parents are having with finding high-quality childcare on our Island. Our programs offer many options, along with the eight licensed, center-based programs. We advise every family to visit and explore many options before choosing a program for your child. Information about all these programs is available for parents at mvcommunityservices.org/child-care. 

There is nothing more important to a parent than their children. We want to assure the community: We take our responsibility seriously, and we value the trust placed in us to provide the best care possible for the Island’s children. We encourage community members to reach out to us with questions about childcare, or to join our meetings and learn more about what we do.

The Family Child Care Network is supported by ACE MV, MVYouth, and M.V. Community Services. Please contact joanne@acemv.org. 

Donna Creighton, Linda Coito, Stephanie DaRosa, Courtney Fitzgerald, Beth Healy, Mary Johnson, Joanne Lambert, Nancy Salon, Drielle Santos Neta, Luciana Almeida, Sandra Rosa

Members of the M.V. Family Child Care Network