November 24, 2009
November 24, 2009
LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has signed legislation exempting baby-sitting from the state's day-care laws.
"This amendment to the definition of a family child-care home is clearer than the earlier language on the books," said Governor Granholm. "It makes it easier for the state and the public to identify when a license is, or isn't, needed."
Public Act 155 (HB 5514) exempts uncompensated child-care and baby-sitting from day-care licensing requirements and defines baby-sitting as caring for another's child for less than $600 a year.
In September, Governor Granholm directed the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS) to work with legislators to amend the day-care laws after a Michigan mother received a letter from the agency in response to a report they received that she was watching her neighbors' children in the morning. The letter asked that she become licensed if she was operating a day-care and specified penalties for anyone operating a day- care without a license.
"Working closely with the governor and legislators, we have made the day-care laws easier to interpret," DHS Director Ismael Ahmed said. "It clarifies what we already knew: That being a good neighbor can include keeping an eye on each other's children."
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