There’s a New Law in Town.

References are important. How many times have you based a decision on a positive reference? It can be anything, what movie to see, what restaurant to go to, who to employ? No matter where you go in life, a good reference will tip a decision in a certain direction. Sadly there are people who take advantage of that. In the domestic staffing industry a positive reference can be the difference between getting the job you want vs getting back in the unemployment line. You’d be surprised to see the lengths people go to get these references. Oftentimes people ask close family and or friends to vouch for them, other times people downright lie for others, in some cases both. This is all too common in the childcare industry; thankfully those days are coming to an end. A new law was passed this week making it illegal to provide a false reference for childcare workers. Lulu & Leo’s law criminalizes the falsification of a caregivers experience and credentials. The new law passed earlier this week by Assemblyman Steve Otis (D-Rye) and Senator Andrew Lanza (R-C-I Staten Island) takes aim at better protecting families in their search for reliable caregivers. As well as specifying that the term “caregiver” be defined as someone hired to provide fifteen or more hours of care per week in homes of said children or in the caregivers own home, the exception being those licensed under social services law. To cause a distortion would amount to a class A misdemeanor punishable up to six months in prison. While there was a law in place similar to this, it was only in place to protect childcare facilities. Lulu & Leos law ensures the same standards be applied to the environment of a private home. Thus further ensuring the comfort of parents in search of care for their little ones.