September 23, 2004
Other, School and Daycare
Question from Antioch, California, USA:
I am a stay-at-home-mom of two ages four and two. We are homeschooling the children, although we are not technically a school because they are well under six. My husband is a type 1 diabetic, diagnosed at about 10 months, and on the pump. My sister is also a type 1 diabetic. A co-worker of my husband has a two year old who is type 1, on insulin shots. Can I administer medication to this child, with the parents’ written consent, should we choose to help them care for their son? They have limited funds because the father is on disability. We want to help them get the child with someone familiar with diabetes. Because he is so young, it’s still a bit of a scare because his verbal/expression skills are not that of an older child. A lot of observation and testing will be needed, as well as communication with parents and doctors. What are my legal requirements here? Do I have to get a business license? Can we work out an agreement between the two of us? If I am at the wrong place, can you please help direct me to some help.
Answer:
I am not an attorney, but here are some thoughts. If this is something more than a babysitting arrangement, I would consult an attorney. There are liability issues, of course with caring for another parent’s child. It sounds like you have the skills to help this family out. And, you are wise to keep it a safe relationship from a legal standpoint.
BS
Additional comments from Brenda Hitchcock:
You may want to get a license for tax purposes. You may want to speak to a local day care facility to see if there are other licenses for providing medical services.
BH
