Are cameras necessary?

Representative Valencia Stovall and a plaintiff’s attorney are behind legislative efforts to mandate child care centers install video cameras in all center areas, including playgrounds. During GCCA’s Fall Conference on September 28th, a discussion will occur around strategies to address this mandate and how it impacts child care center owners.

Child safety is always the number one priority for child care centers. In 2014, the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University published a study comparing the safety of children in licensed child care settings to the safety of children in the general population. That study found that a child under the age of six in the general population is about 50 times more likely to sustain an injury requiring medical services than a child in a licensed child care center. The study also found children are 10 times more likely to sustain any injury at home than in a licensed child care setting.
Georgia child care centers are subject to over 400 regulations enforced by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) to ensure children are kept safe while in child care settings.

When it comes to protecting children, there are thousands of foster care children in child care settings who child care centers have no right to film or photograph. Oftentimes, parents are not aware that a foster care children are in their child’s class because foster children are not obvious, and rightly so. In addition, there are children in child care settings that are in hiding either from abusive parents in domestic violence situations and also innocent children who could be put in life threatening danger if their location was disclosed. So protection of those children must be considered as well because every child deserves a safe environment.

If you are concerned about your child’s safety, go to the DECAL website to review your center’s compliance with DECAL regulations at www.decal.ga.gov or call them at 404-657-5562.

For more information, click here to see Representative Stovall’s full interview with 11 Alive from September 19th.