Good samaritan mom reprimanded for babysitting kids

Lisa Snyder of Irving Township, Michigan was being a good neighbour to three fellow moms by watching their kids for an hour before they went to school each morning. She has received a letter telling her to stop that good deed by the state.

The Michigan Department of Human Services has warned Snyder that she is in violation of a law dating back to 1973 against unlicensed day care centers. The legal basis of the law is that if a child is injured there could be an issue. In Michigan it is against the law to watch kids for more than four weeks each year in their home unless they are a licensed day-care provider. It doesn't matter if they are watching those children for free. That law may be changing with even the agency Director Ismael Ahmed saying that good neighbours should not be penalized when helping to keep children safe. Governor Jennifer Granholm has asked Ahmed to work with the state to change the current law. The Lakeland Ledger reports:

"Being a good neighbor means helping your neighbors who are in need," Ahmed said in a written statement. "This could be as simple as providing a cup of sugar, monitoring their house while they're on vacation or making sure their children are safe while they wait for the school bus."

Snyder was turned in by another of her neighbours. Snyder's home is a designated school bus stop. The children in question attend school six miles away in Middleville. Snyder watches the children during the week and often the other mothers, Francie Brummel, Mindy Rose and Lori Forbes, babysit for each other during the evening and on weekends. Michigan state Rep Brain Calley is working with the moms to change the law as MSNBC reports:

“It takes a village, but I guess in Michigan we’re saying it takes a licensed village,” Calley told Matt Lauer, referring to the title of Hillary Clinton’s book about raising children.