Michigan Department Of Human Services Placed 4,600 Children In Day Care With Criminal Providers.

DHS officials say much of the day care those clients use is provided by relatives, neighbors or friends. Even so, if the state is approving and paying people to provide day care, thorough background checks are essential.

The previous background check process was so inadequate that it allowed prison inmates and those on the state’s sex offender registry to be approved as day care providers. That is unconscionable. Four prison inmates even received day care approval — behind bars — and subsequently collected nearly $5,000 from the state for day care services.

Story