I got a job offer today for a local kids enrichment program. I work as a nanny and was just looking for some side income. Interview went great, seemed really promising. Then I got the email with the offer letter and background check details.
They said to go to my local BCA office 40min away and purchase my own background check, reminding me that “they only accept cash.”
A couple things:
-it’s illegal (at least in my state) to have someone pay for their own background check
-they are providing childcare and are only getting state level background results, not federal, other states, or sex offender results. For people working with ages 18 months to 12 years.
That is so alarming to me. Especially when their website reassures parents that they do “a level 2 background check” on all staff.
Why is the childcare industry, in particular, rampant with this kind of thing? In my experience as a childcare worker for the past five plus years, I have applied to multiple jobs that have attempted to make me pay for my background checks, required trainings and certifications, etc. One that even tried to reduce my wages retroactively after I resigned. And these jobs pay next to nothing to make things worse. Why don’t people care more about the quality of care their children are getting (which is directly tied to the treatment of the people caring for them)?
I make more as an independent nanny than I ever did working for any company, and no one tries to illegally mess with my wages. But I wish that the childcare industry was better regulated so that more options were available as well.
*Edit: BCA- Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (state agency)