A state lawmaker is renewing calls for legislation to protect children riding in day care vans.
State Representative Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) says the death of a four-month-old child in Milwaukee last week, who was left alone in a daycare van for several hours, is unacceptable. She says that incident, and several others like it in Milwaukee over the past year, shouldn't be allowed to happen.
Grigsby is again pushing legislation that would require day care providers to install alarm systems in vehicles that transport children. They would require drivers to go to the back of the vehicle whenever the van is turned off, so they can check for any passengers that may have been left behind.
The Milwaukee Democrat also believes the state needs to adopt a rating system for child care providers, so there's more transparency about problems that could lead to a child's life being put in danger. A ratings system for taxpayer funded providers is included in Governor Doyle's proposed state budget.