Their child died at an unlicensed day care. How parents can avoid the same fate.

Danielle London had dropped her two children off for day care last October when she received a call.

Something was wrong with her youngest son, Chase.

“You think of crazy situations — if something is wrong with both of our kids,” she said, describing her fears when she received the call. “We just had no detail. And you’re thinking just the worst possible scenario, which unfortunately, it was.”

London’s 2-month-old child, Chase London, was unresponsive, and died at a hospital, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.

An autopsy report revealed Chase died of probable suffocation due to an “unsafe sleeping environment.” He was found in a travel bassinet with a “too-large mattress, loose fitted sheet, and a blanket,” the autopsy said. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies under one year old sleep without blankets, pillows or other loose bedding.

Now the Londons and their attorney Lakai Vinson want parents to be alert for unlicensed childcare providers.

Chase’s death sparked an investigation into the day care center, and in July, police charged 53-year-old Aqunietta White with running a day care in her home without a license.

The day after Chase died, investigators discovered 16 children in White’s home, but the district attorney’s office didn’t find probable cause to prosecute her on charges related to Chase’s death at the time, officials said. White is representing herself, and her case is still moving through the court system, the district attorney’s office said. She did not respond to attempts to reach her by phone.

The Londons learned of White’s daycare, God’s Little Glory, through word of mouth, and enrolled their older son in the center a year before enrolling Chase. The parents had no issue with White’s home in the year prior to Chase’s death, they said.

In 2013, the N.C. Division of Child Development and Early Education found that White was operating legally without a license. Providers caring for one or two children don’t require a license in North Carolina. She continued to operate without a license until the time of Chase’s death, when she had many more children in her home, police said.

Licensed day cares are supposed to keep their licenses visible, and parents can also check online through a free database maintained by the N.C. Division of Child Development and Early Education. If a daycare isn’t listed in that online database, it’s unlicensed and parents should report it, CMPD Capt. Roslyn Maglione said.

For many parents, the challenge of finding proper childcare is a financial issue. Parents often opt for in-home facilities, as opposed to major childcare providers that charge top dollar for services.

“It’s almost like hotels, the amenities they offer,” Chris London, Chase’s father, said about major day care centers, noting those amenities come at a steep price.

Mecklenburg County contracts with a private company, Child Care Resources Inc., to subsidize care at licensed facilities for eligible families. Among other requirements, parents or guardians must prove that they’re at work or in school a certain number of hours every week and earn less than a certain amount, which rises depending on how many people are in the family, documents from Child Care Resources show.

Families with subsidized childcare work with a Child Care Resources social worker and must track their child’s attendance at the childcare program with a swipe card, documents show.

Angie Patterson, a Charlotte-area daycare provider, runs her center from her home near uptown. Patterson’s home is licensed to operate as a day care, but she said she’s aware unlicensed facilities exist, and why parents choose them.

“A lot of day cares are charging $200 a week,” Patterson said. “So I understand why they go to an unlicensed daycare, because a lot of them charge $100 a week, or $80 a week. That’s affordable for some of the parents.”

Licensed childcare providers, like Patterson, take annual training where they’re certified in safe sleep for infants, CPR and other aspects of childcare. Licensed providers also are required to have emergency plans and are subject to random inspection from the state.

“You’ve got to have the passion for it,” she said of being a day care provider. “It can’t be something you just want to do for income. You have to have a passion for the children.”

Candace Gates operates her licensed daycare from her north Charlotte home. She has watched kids for 40 years, but just became licensed in Charlotte last year.

Licensing hasn’t changed much for Gates, who said she always had a high standard for how she provides childcare. For her, a child’s well-being isn’t about whether a facility is licensed or not, but the childcare provider.

“It’s all about the person,” she said. “It really is.”

Vinson, the Londons’ attorney, said parents should research rules and regulations governing day care providers. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services website offers checklists to help parents figure out what to look for while touring both in-home and larger day cares.

“And once you know that information, ask the day care provider about that,” she said.

The Londons, who have since enrolled their older son in a learning academy, would like to see an increase in more affordable day care services, especially for parents who need childcare services while both parents are at work.

“No parent should ever have to lose a child,” Chris London said. “Especially at a day care.”

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Their child died at an unlicensed day care. How parents can avoid the same fate.."