Dear Neighbor,
I genuinely never thought about cameras in childcare before July 16, 2024. I just assumed, like any other parent, that my daughter was safe when I dropped her off at daycare.
However, that day we learned my daughter was subject to abuse for months, along with many other infants in the care of two people who were supposed to care for her. Without cameras in that infant room, the two perpetrators likely would have suffered no greater penalty than losing their job and likely would’ve ended up working with children again.
Sadly, the horrific experience our family endured is not an isolated childcare center case. Harvey Muklebust lost his life at Rocking Horse Ranch Childcare in Savage last September, just days before his first birthday. In January, Savage police charged an 18-year-old childcare worker, in connection with Harvey’s death.
This tragedy hit home for my family after our own daughter suffered maltreatment at a childcare center. This session, I have authored legislation to address this issue. Had cameras been present, the life of young Harvey may have been spared because another infant at the same center reportedly had experienced a similar medical emergency just three days earlier.
Harvey’s parents and I spoke about the bill, dubbed “Harvey’s Law” at a press conference this week. Specifically, the proposal stipulates any childcare center in Minnesota that receives state funding – through CCAP, Great Start Compensation, or Early Learning Scholarships – must install cameras in all infant and toddler rooms and retain the footage for 28 days.
This work started last session. We established standards for cameras in centers around the security of their data. However, the requirement only applied to centers that had active maltreatment violations. This was better than nothing but meant something awful had already happened and there are very few centers with maltreatment violations because, even if there is maltreatment by one of the employees, that violation usually does not stick to the center.
Harvey’s story shows why this can’t wait.
This is not about distrusting every childcare provider. The vast majority of providers are loving, dedicated professionals who pour their hearts into caring for our children. In fact, I expect cameras to exonerate childcare workers more often than anything. Also, cameras in classrooms are already standard in many centers, and nearly every center has cameras on the exterior of their building.
I will continue working to move this bill forward with bipartisan support and a House committee hearing is scheduled to take place March 10. Look for more from the House as developments occur.
There is also a petition started by advocates of Harvey’s Law with well over 4,000 signatures. Please consider signing it to show support!
Sincerely,
Nolan