Day-care centers get surprise state inspections

Virginia Department of Social Services officials make unannounced inspections of day-care centers at least twice a year.

Those inspections usually take six to eight hours, and they often can involve the inspector returning the next day, said R. Brent Kennedy, operations manager for the agency's division of licensing.

Inspectors examine the facility, observe classrooms, talk to staff and inspect paperwork. At the end of the inspection, they write up their findings and discuss them with the center administrator in an exit interview.

If there are violations, the center must agree to a plan of correction. About half do so on the spot; the rest submit them with a 10-day limit.

"They're really very thorough," said Elaine Kastelberg, co-president of the Richmond Early Children Education Association, when asked about the experience of the association's members.

Inspectors also investigate complaints about centers, which can take several days to resolve.

If a center has an initial, conditional license, or has been given a provisional license because of violations found during an earlier inspection, it is inspected more often. Conditional and provisional licenses both have a six-month term, and the facility is inspected three times during that period, or every other month.

In cases in which an inspector has recommended revoking or denying a license -- which sets off a lengthy process of review and appeal -- the center is inspected once a month while that process is going on.

They also investigate when they receive tips about people operating a center without a license. Centers operated by religious institutions are exempt. People who care for others' children in their home, along with their own, must be licensed if they are looking after more than six children at a time.

In the central region, which covers Richmond, inspectors have a caseload of 70 centers each. Even so, they have met the requirement of twice-a-year inspections, in addition to completing complaint and unlicensed-center investigations, Kennedy said.

The sanctions they can impose include:

• revoking or denying a license to operate, though this is subject to review and appeal, during which time the center can continue to operate;

• putting a center on provisional-license status;

• imposing a civil penalty of up to $500;

• prohibiting new admissions;

• reducing the number of children allowed in the center; and

requiring the center to tell parents and guardians of health and safety violations.

Contact David Ress at (804) 649-6051 or .