Parents can now search an online database of Wisconsin's 5,700 licensed child-care centers that lists how often each center has violated state laws or been fined in the prior two years.

Starting July 1, employees of child-care facilities will be required to sign a statement saying they have not been convicted of a violent crime.

The classroom was noted as being "very dirty," along with the bathroom and hallway floors. Inspectors found a staff member who yelled and cursed at children. And some children were wearing soaked, saturated diapers.

Sue Houck's child care business in Wilkinsburg is a rarity -- a small, home-based facility that consistently receives the highest marks from a voluntary statewide rating system.

Every day in Wisconsin, about 163,000 children under age 6 are in some form of regulated child care. Of those, about 59,000 have their child care fees subsidized by the state at a cost of over $300 million a year.

It's hard enough for parents to say goodbye to their kids at drop-off time at preschool or the baby sitter's house. Add in the threat of a major storm or other disaster, and the thought of being unable to reach them can make things scary.

The flowers are blooming, the grass needs to be cut. No doubt about it, summer is almost here, which means school's just about out, too.

Day-care owner Ginger Wood-Oguno packs spray bottles filled with cool water on the van that Educational Excellence Academy uses for field trips during the warmer months.