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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 17, 2022 11:26 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Angel Cruz |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Video Surveillance in Child Care Centers |
| Every week, news stories reveal the tragic consequences of a lack of childcare center monitoring and oversight. In January alone, cases of neglect and abuse were discovered in childcare centers in Texas and Missouri. To prevent such cases in Pennsylvania, the Department of Human Services (DHS) updated family childcare home regulations in 2020 to allow the use of an electronic recorder or other device to monitor children when the operator needs to step away to prepare meals or take a restroom break. The change, however, only applies to family childcare homes and does not mandate video surveillance at all times. All children in care, no matter the type of facility, should be afforded this same protection. To build on the protections put in place by DHS, I will be introducing legislation that requires both childcare centers and family childcare homes to install and maintain video camera surveillance systems. Regulations established by the department will not substitute current requirements for hands-on supervision. Instead, this policy will expand the tools available to childcare providers to facilitate the safe and supportive care of our children. It is my hope that this legislation will drastically reduce or eliminate avoidable injuries sustained by children in care and hold bad actors accountable if an incident tragically occurs. We must do everything we can to maintain and strengthen the safety standards currently in place in this Commonwealth. Please join me in supporting this legislation. |
Introduced as HB2472