Jacquelyn Fubler?s confession to injuring ten-month-old Stephen Ebbin has prompted one child care operator to take a closer look at what?s happening at her establishment.

Yolanda Burrows, who runs Government?s Happy Valley Day Care Centre, said she was shocked to hear about the injuries inflicted on Stephen.

?Parents have drawn it to our attention, and it?s made me take a closer look at what?s going on and what we?re doing here with our programme,? she said.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann said the Health Department does not inspect centres where a care taker is supervising one to three children. Establishments of this kind do not need licenses. Centres where more than three children are being cared for must be licensed by the Health Department and are inspected annually by the department.

When asked by if the yearly inspections were enough to ensure children in day care were safe, Dr. Cann said: ?In terms of our purposes and mandates it is enough. We listen to public complaints and if there is a complaint or a necessity to monitor some places more frequently than others, then we will do so.?

Dr. Cann also pointed out that a register of home day cares outlining the qualifications of the owner will eventually be available to the public.

?We?re working on monitoring them with information set up through a website by the Health Ministry. We?ll work on that as the Ministry develops a website,? he said.

Dr. Cann said Child and Family Services was responsible for keeping a record with the Police of anyone who had committed any child-related offences.

Parents with inquiries about child care should contact Eselyn Harvey, Chief Environmental Health officer at the Health Department for information.

1.) Look for a low child to teacher ratio because it indicates how much attention a child gets. Eight infants to one care giver is inappropriate. There should be four kids to one adult maximum. Once a child is between the ages of 12-24 months there should be a ratio of five toddlers to one care-giver.

2.) Look for well-trained staff and for professional qualifications of teachers and staff. They should have a degree of some sort in early childhood education and should have completed the entry level program at the Bermuda College and should have at least an Associate degree in early childhood education. Day cares do take on trainees out of high school, but they should be supervised by a more experienced care-giver at all times.

3.) Look at the cleanliness and safety of the centre. A license granted by the Health Department should be displayed on the wall. If they are not licensed, be aware of what to look for and use your own discretion as the centre is not inspected by the Health Department.

4.) The curriculum should encourage learning and development.

5.) The day care should have an active PTA and an open door policy for parents who want to come in and look around.