The arrest of a Greenwood child care provider may have parents wondering what they should look for when researching child care providers.
Alyssa Tagua, 36, was charged by prosecutors in January with the neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury and battery on a person less than 14 years old, both felonies. If convicted, she faces up to 8.5 years in prison.
Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of an infant choking on a pacifier on Aug. 31. The infant was taken to two local hospitals and later that same day, the sheriff’s office received paperwork from the Department of Child Services regarding the incident. A DCS employee had met with doctors at one of the local hospitals, and doctors believed there was no way the infant could have swallowed the pacifier on their own, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Johnson County Circuit Court.
Deputies spoke with Tagua who said she runs an unlicensed daycare in her home. This is allowed under Indiana law, as individuals can provide child care in their home without a license as long as they are caring for five or fewer children unrelated to them.
Tagua told police she was attempting to get her license through the state and was working closely with a licensing representative. She also told police she had put the infant down for a nap with a blanket and pacifier, per the parents’ instructions. The infant was placed down on their back, according to the affidavit.
Tagua told police she left the child alone while she used the restroom. When she noticed that the infant had stopped crying, she went back out to check on the infant. She saw the child had rolled onto their stomach, however, she told police the infant’s parents had not told her the baby could roll on their own, the affidavit says.
Tagua rolled the infant back onto its back and notice their eyes were bulging and began crying again. At this time she also saw a bump below their chin and realized they had swallowed the pacifier. Tagua immediately called 911 after this, according to the affidavit.
Deputies later confirmed Tagua was working with the state to become a licensed daycare provider. Deputies also believe Tagua was making every effort to be transparent with the investigation, including completing a state report on her own and reaching out to DCS prior to them conducting a home visit, according to the affidavit.
In February 2021, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration received a complaint about Tagua serving too many children. DCS’s Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School learning has visited her residence six times since then, and each time Tagua had been caring for five or fewer children unrelated to her. This is not a violation of state law, said Marni Lemons, the administration’s deputy director of communications.
Unlicensed providers who are facing criminal charges are still legally allowed to provide childcare to children as long as they are caring for five or fewer children unrelated to them. The state does not have any authority over the unlicensed providers to prevent them from doing so, Lemons said.
Parents have many options for childcare
There are many options for parents to look at for child care providers in Indiana, both licensed and unlicensed. There are a total of 52 regulated child care programs in Johnson County, and an unknown number of unlicensed providers, according to Chances And Services for Youth, an organization whose mission is to provide services that ensure children grow up in safe, nurturing environments in an 24-county region including Johnson County.
Child Care Resource and Referral, one of CASY’s programs, focuses on three types of childcare providers: licensed childcare homes, licensed child-care centers and unlicensed, but registered ministries. The state also allows for providers who are legally exempt from licensure, such as preschool programs or a home where someone is caring for five or fewer children unrelated to them, said Kristi Burkhart, program director for Child Care Resource and Referral.
The organization also works with emerging providers — programs that are working through the licensing process — and promotes awareness of the need and importance of childcare in communities, Burkhart said.
Quality of care is important
One of the most important things for parents to be aware of when searching for a childcare provider is quality, Burkhart said. Parents should know what quality care looks like, and CASY has family engagement specialists available to help families know what to look for and what questions to ask. Oftentimes these questions are about the health and safety of a child and the professional development and qualifications of a caregiver, she said.
“There’s a lot of pieces they really need to be looking for,” Burkhart said.
Parents should also be aware that there is no one regulating unlicensed programs and they are not inspected. However, unlicensed, but registered programs do have standards to meet because they are registered. These standards are not as stringent as the requirements for licensed programs, however, Burkhart said.
“As far as unregulated programs, we would never tell a parent not to go (to them). We just want them to be educated on their decision on that piece,” Burkhart said.
Parents should also be aware that if a program is regulated, providers often will have a parent’s handbook or guide available. These guides can help explain a caregiver’s philosophy on care, along with their teaching curriculum. It also could list information about their schedules, rules and information about individualized programs, said Kati Colvin, community engagement specialist for the Child Care Resource and Referral program.
Regulated programs also require caregivers and providers to undergo background checks and drug screens, something not required for an unlicensed program. It is a choice for unlicensed programs to do so,” Burkhart said.
“It’s definitely something to be considered and a question families really should ask (about),” Burkhart said.
Parents should do research on providers
Burkhart recommends parents do their research and ask questions about programming, supervision policies, background checks and qualifications. Parents should also understand that not all programs are going to meet the same rules and regulations, she said.
While unlicensed programs are not being inspected, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are not quality programs. It just means parents need to be asking questions about the programs, Burkhart said.
“You want to ask the questions that can give a family peace of mind that a program is following health and safety guidelines and doing all these things to help keep children safe,” she said.
Families are also able to use a state website to look for child care providers, ChildCareFinder.in.gov. The website allows families to find licensed child care and to find inspection reports and other information about providers, Lemons said in a statement.
All programs listed on the site are regulated by the state, meaning they are licensed or registered and do receive regular inspections and follow-ups to make sure they are operating in a safe manner, Lemons said.
Indiana also has a quality rating system for some licensed and registered childcare providers parents can use. Paths to QUALITY is a voluntary program that has a 1-4 rating system for providers. Childcare programs enroll at Level 1, meaning they meet basic health and safety regulations. Level 4 programs are identified as high quality to the state, Colvin said.
Thirty-four programs from Johnson County participate in Paths to QUALITY, a majority of which are identified as Level 3. There are 17 programs that do not participate in the program, Colvin said.
If a family is ever concerned about a provider abusing or neglecting a child, there is a complaint process. CASY can help with the complaint and turn it in for both regulated and unregulated programs, Colvin said.
“If there are concerns, (parents) should report those,” Burkhart said. “If there are concerns that an unregulated program might be operating illegally, those are things we can submit as a complaint so that way they will be reviewed.”
If you have a complaint or concern about a licensed or registered child care program, you can contact CASY at 1-800-866-3952, and press 2 to speak to someone about your concern or complaint. You can also contact Brighter Futures Indiana at 1-800-299-1627.
If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, you should call Indiana’s Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556. Complaints can be made anonymously, and the hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
