Crappy Child Care AND Shoddy Financials always build one's faith!

A wonderful little birdy left me an extraordinary gift in my inbox. They stumbled across my blog while researching a lot of the bullshit which goes on with churches preaching prosperity gospel. 

And they uncovered some amazing stuff via the beauty of public records!! (Oh, how I love things like FOIA and public databases.) And then I looked some stuff up and, well…let’s just go from here. 

FBIM Beloit and FBIM Milwaukee locations both operate a children’s ministry program, although FBIM Beloit also has full-service child care available Monday through Friday. 

But FBIM Beloit’s child care services, KIDspace Learning Center, has had eight compliance violations since August 2007. And since they have been licensed to provide “full-service childcare and preschool” since October 1999, on both a full and part-time basis to children aged 6 weeks to 12 years, they should naturally be well-aware of the state’s requirements and regulations. 

(Note: Online records go back the last two years. And neither Danny Gokey nor his wife were employed by KIDspace.)

Here is a list:

August 02, 2007

46.04(3)(h)	REPORT – CHANGE IN ROOM USAGE
46.04(5)(a)1.	STAFF FILE – STAFF RECORD INFORMATION
46.04(5)(a)3.	STAFF FILE – CAREGIVER BACKGROUND CHECK RESULTS
46.04(5)(a)4.	STAFF FILE – PHYSICAL EXAMINATION REPORT
46.04(5)(a)5.	STAFF FILE – QUALIFICATIONS, ORIENTATION, CONTINUING EDUCATION
46.04(6)(c)1.	MEDICAL LOG – REQUIREMENTS
46.05(1)(j)1.a.	STAFF HEALTH EXAMINATION – COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
46.05(4)(a)	GROUP SIZE – MAXIMUM
46.06(2)(a)	INDOOR & OUTDOOR HAZARDS
46.06(2)(b)	ELECTRICAL OR HOT SURFACE PROTECTION
46.06(4)(d)	EXITS & PASSAGEWAYS – UNOBSTRUCTED, MINIMUM WIDTH
46.06(4)(e)	EXTENSION CORDS
46.06(5)(c)	GARBAGE CONTAINERS – CONSTRUCTION & DISPOSAL SCHEDULE
46.09(4)(a)5.	INFANT & TODDLER – SOILED DISPOSABLE DIAPERS
46.09(4)(b)	INFANT & TODDLER – SINKS IN SELF-CONTAINED AREA

November 21, 2007

46.04(5)(a)	STAFF FILE – MAINTENANCE, AVAILABILITY, REQUIREMENTS
46.05(3)(f)	CHILD TRACKING PROCEDURE
46.06(4)(e)	EXTENSION CORDS
46.06(9)(d)1.c.	FOOD STORAGE – COLD STORAGE THERMOMETERS
46.08(7)(a)	VEHICLE – CONDITION, INSPECTION REPORT
46.09(3)(a)2.	INFANT & TODDLER – FOOD & FORMULA BROUGHT FROM HOME
46.09(3)(b)	INFANT & TODDLER – HEATING FORMULA, MILK & FOOD IN MICROWAVE

December 13, 2007

46.04(5)(a)4.	STAFF FILE – PHYSICAL EXAMINATION REPORT
46.04(5)(a)5.	STAFF FILE – QUALIFICATIONS, ORIENTATION, CONTINUING EDUCATION
46.05(1)(g)	REGISTRY CERTIFICATE
46.05(1)(j)1.a.	STAFF HEALTH EXAMINATION – COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
46.05(2)(c)1.	CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENT – FULL TIME STAFF
46.05(2)(c)6.	CONTINUING EDUCATION – CPR
46.09(1)(e)	INFANT & TODDLER – PROVIDER TRAINING

January 07, 2008

46.05(1)(b)3.b.	ADMINISTRATOR – ENTRY-LEVEL TRAINING/EXPERIENCE – EARLY CHILDHOOD
46.05(1)(c)6.	CENTER DIRECTOR – ENTRY-LEVEL TRAINING/EXPERIENCE – LARGE CENTER

January 29, 2008

46.04(5)(a)4.	STAFF FILE – PHYSICAL EXAMINATION REPORT
46.04(5)(a)5.	STAFF FILE – QUALIFICATIONS, ORIENTATION, CONTINUING EDUCATION
46.05(2)(c)1.	CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENT – FULL TIME STAFF
46.06(4)(e)	EXTENSION CORDS

April 25, 2008

46.05(2)(c)1.	CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENT – FULL TIME STAFF
46.08(3)(b)	DRIVER – RECORD

August 06, 2008

46.04(5)(a)	STAFF FILE – MAINTENANCE, AVAILABILITY, REQUIREMENTS
46.05(1)(c)6.	CENTER DIRECTOR – ENTRY-LEVEL TRAINING / EXPERIENCE – LARGE CENTER
46.05(4)(b)	STAFF-TO-CHILD RATIOS – MINIMUM
46.06(2)(a)	INDOOR & OUTDOOR HAZARDS
46.06(4)(d)	EXITS & PASSAGEWAYS – UNOBSTRUCTED, MINIMUM WIDTH
46.07(1)(a)	WRITTEN PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES
46.07(1)(d)	DAILY ROUTINES
46.09(1)(d)2.	INFANT & TODDLER – NUMBER OF CHILDREN IS LOW

November 14, 2008

46.06(5)(a)	CONDITION OF PREMISES
46.07(4)(c)	NAPS & REST PERIODS – SLEEPING SURFACES, PLACEMENT

The Wisconsin Department of Children & Families does make a mention of violation in their FAQ section:

The presence of violations and enforcement actions in the center’s regulatory history is not the whole story.  It is rare to find a licensed center that has never been cited for a rule violation.  Many factors can influence a regulatory history, including the size of the center, the length of time the center has been operating, and the qualifications of the staff.  Consider some of the following questions when you review the center’s regulatory history:

1. What is the nature of the violation?  Was the violation related to safety, record keeping, staff-to-child ratios?  Every rule is important to the quality of the program, but some rules are more directly related to the safety of children.
2. Is the center being repeatedly cited for the same violation?  What is the center doing to correct the violation?  Is the center making timely efforts to correct the violation?
3. Is there an extensive history of multiple violations, or are the violations infrequent? 
4. What enforcement actions have been taken and for what reasons?  How has the licensed center responded to these actions?

But this is still fairly interesting, of course, considering KIDspace does have a history of repeated infractions within the last two years. And these are some of the statements made by KIDSpace on their website:

We provide care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years. We are a state licensed center. All of our teachers are trained in early childhood education. We require and pay our staff to take continuing education courses each year to keep their teaching skills at a top level. All of our teachers are also CPR and First Aid certified.

Interesting, since they’ve repeatedly violated state ordinances regarding continuing education and experience levels of those supervising and teaching the children. There was also a compliance issue regarding a driver not having their driving record on file with the daycare, too.

KIDspace Learning Center is a non-profit organization. The care of the children is our top priority. We believed that children do well in a structured environment. We also believe that children should have fun in an environment that is state-of-the-art and work with today’s technology.

• Before and after school care with transportation
• Incredible summer program
• Nutritional meals
• Large facilities
• New large playground
• Supervised field trips

At FBIM Milwaukee, the church does not mention anything about having a full-time daycare, although they do have a part-time one of sorts — Faith Kidz, the children’s ministry. Faith Kidz, however, is not listed by the state as being a licensed childcare service at either the Beloit or Milwaukee locations.

If you’re wondering what constitutes “good child care”, here’s a handy checklist issued by the National Resource Center for Health & Safety in Child Care.

Under Wisconsin law, anyone providing child care much be licensed. The Wisconsin Department of Children & Families requirements also seem to apply to churches, including child care operating during worship times.

Under Wisconsin law, no person may provide care and supervision or 4 or more children under the age of 7 for less that 24 hours a day unless that person obtains a license to operate a child care center from the Department.

This does not include a relative or guardian of a child who provides care and supervision for the child; a public or parochial school, a person employed to come to the home of the child’s parent or guardian for less than 24 hours a day; or a county, city, village, town, school district or library that provides programs primarily intended for recreational or social purposes.

Well, at least FBIM Beloit’s daycare has a state license, which is interesting since they are licensed to Faith Builders International Ministries. However, if you search a database of Wisconsin financial institutions, Faith Builders International Ministries is no where to be found.

A church or other faith-based organization or non-profit group would file as a non-stock corporation. While no Faith Builders is listed, there is a Jeffrey D. Pruitt Ministries.

Non-stock Corporations are required to file an Annual Report under s. 181.1622 WI Statutes. Jeffrey D. Pruitt Ministries filed as a non-stock corporation listed as delinquent because they have not filed an Annual Report. They were listed as delinquent in 2004, although in January 2009, they were administratively dissolved. Since Jeffrey D. Pruitt Ministries was incorporated in 2002, no Annual Reports have been filed. 

I can’t wait until we see Faith Builders on national television!

Amen.