Five children died after being left in day care vehicles in Tennessee between 1997 and 2003. The state responded to the deaths and other issues by doubling its number of child care inspectors, significantly increasing how often it inspects child care facilities and adding many more rules about transporting children. “We have about 12 pages of regulation on transportation,” said Lois Barrett Luke, director of the Tennessee Department of Human Services’ Child & Adult Care Licensing unit.
Three notable changes
- Tennessee requires that three people inspect and document on a checklist that each child safely exits vehicles.
- For CCCCCare providers must install an alarm in the back of larger vehicles that sounds when the vehicle's ignition is turned off. Staff members must walk to the back of the vehicle to turn off the alarm, which prompts them to check for children still aboard.
- Staffers who transport children must undergo continuing training for, among other issues, how to load, unload and track children on vehicles.
Georgia’s requirements pale in comparison to Tennessee’s but are comparable to what most other Southern states require, according to a review of numerous states’ regulations.
Georgia does not require an alarm in vehicles or driver training for tracking kids. Until recently, it required only one vehicle inspection for children after a trip.
After the Jazmin Green incident, the state now requires two for providers that supervise seven or more children. It also is requiring those providers to document in greater detail the loading and unloading of kids on vehicles.
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