Saukville -- Most
parents, at one time or another, have wished they could become a mouse in
the corner and see what really happens in their children's
day care center or classroom.
Now parents at Leed Child Enrichment Center can see what's going on, not
as a mouse, but with a click of one.
In what is believed to be the first
such use in Wisconsin, the Saukville day care center is on the
internet. Cameras continuously show images of each classroom, so
parents can see their children at play, at lunch or at sleep.
"This is one of the first things I wanted in the day care center,
so parents could see what was going on," said Lisa Lecher, who
bought the center about a year ago.. "It helps parents stay
connected"
A window about the size of a postcard shows stop-action stills from
individual child care rooms.
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Every
5 seconds, the picture changes. While there's no sound, parents
can spot their children by reading body language and catching bits of
the action. The system is similar to other programs -- with names such as
Toddlerwatch and Kindercam and Cybersitters -- now available in other
parts of the country.
Lecher instead worked with a local firm, NovaTech Solutions, Inc.
of Milwaukee, which helped develop the "Peek-A-Boo Web Cam"
system and get it up and running.
The center's "technology
fee" for families is $1 per child per day, or about $20 a month,
but that also includes the cost of computers for children to use
in classrooms, Lecher said.
Lecher fronted $12,000 of her own money for the project.
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"I
partnered with NovaTech so we could get it in our day care
without as much expense," Lecher said. "And we plan on
packaging this and selling it to other centers in the area and --
not just day care centers -- but senior centers or adult day cares or
anywhere people want to see what's happening with their loved
ones."
Judy Hermann, a state licensing director overseeing southeastern
Wisconsin, said she did not know of any other day care centers using the
online systems. "Its certainly really new here," Hermann said.
Asked if day care inspectors would consider using the system for more
frequent checks, Hermann said she hadn't considered that possibility.
"It would never replace on-site inspections," she said.
"We do rely very much on parents to see if everything is all right
in the centers.
And this is just another way for
them to observe, another way the can be eyes and ears."
~Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel~
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