Make Sure Kids are Safe at Day Care

North Carolina is one of only a handful of states that keeps track of deaths and injuries of children in day care centers. But that doesn't mean it's always easy for parents to find out where their kids will be safe when left in the care of others.

Anne Caspar spends a lot of time giving parents tours of her day care center and answering their many questions. She says when it comes to making day care decisions,the more questions you ask, the better off you are.

In North Carolina, day care providers are required to let the state know when a child is injured and has to see a doctor. In 1996, 1,746 children were hurt in North Carolina Day Care centers, but parents and the state don't know where problems are because day care providers aren't required to put their names on accident reports.

Jeanne Marlowe of the North Carolina Division of Child Development says the state didn't want day care operators to feel the reports would be used against them.

On the question of whether parents should have access to that information, Marlowe says it's a subject that might be discussed now.

Currently, if a child dies while in day care, it is mandatory the provider has to notify the state within 24 hours. The state has to investigate and the investigation report goes in the provider's permanent file.

Checking the files paid off for Lisa Misrok. She says she found out one prospective day care provider wasn't even registered.

You can access a day care provider's file by going to the North Carolina Division of Child Development Office.

Photographer:Bill Jensen