To be entrusted with the care of other people’s children is a great responsibility, and one that most caregivers take very seriously. Parents who must work and do not have the option of having a family member watch their child put a great deal of effort into finding the right place for their child to spend the day ”“ with people they can trust.

That trust was apparently broken at Sunshine Childcare and Preschool in Lyman over the past few years, where allegations of mistreatment have led to the site’s closure. The charges are disturbing, to say the least: Humiliation of children and staff by the owner, grabbing a child by the arm and dropping him to the floor, pulling a chair out from under a child and causing him to hit his chin on a table; putting soap in the mouths of children and force-feeding them milk.

What’s even more disturbing is that the state’s Department of Health and Human Services knew about the allegations and never informed the parents ”“ for a period of two years.

The first findings at Sunshine were found in 2012, but the DHHS took no action, as they reportedly felt their case was not strong enough to survive appeal.

We were glad to see the admission recently that the DHHS “could have done a better job with this case,” by Kenneth Albert, director of the Bureau of Licensing and Regulatory Services, though we feel it’s an understatement.

The bureau has announced that it will embrace a change in policy: Parents will now be informed when abuse is uncovered at a child care facility ”“ information previously held as confidential. Albert said he began discussing the change in June 2013 with the Attorney General’s Office, and the decision was made in October. It will go into effect with the next occurrence, he said.

Parents whose children were enrolled at the daycare between 2012 and its closure a few weeks ago must be enraged to have not been informed that evidence of abuse had been uncovered at the facility. By withholding such important information, the DHHS put these children in harm’s way and have put parents in the situation of feeling guilty for placing them there, even though they were not informed.

It’s unfortunate that incidents such as these seem necessary to bring about change to nonsensical ”“ and even harmful ”“ rules, but at least change is under way, and the next time allegations of abuse are revealed to be well-founded, parents will be notified.

Part of the problem the DHHS has uncovered with its child care licensing process is its reliance on self reporting. Currently, the division relies on people to tell the truth on applications for licensure, including whether they’ve had prior contact with Child Protective Services. Cheryl Dubois, owner of Sunshine Childcare, had none under her current name, but apparently did under two other names, and the DHHS did not have a process for a full background check.

Following the Sunshine Childcare debacle, however, the division is now looking into creation of a web-based portal that will allow parents to check the public record of child care providers and review inspection deficiencies. It won’t be cheap and may involve legislative action, but its development is a step in the right direction toward giving parents easy access to the information they need to make an informed decision about placing their child in a safe situation.

Those whose business it is to mind our children must be held to the highest standards, and parents must be made aware of any legitimate finding of abuse, neglect or mistreatment so they can make informed decisions about their child’s care. Withholding that information from them is inexcusable.

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Today’s editorial was written by Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Kristen by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.