every morning all over the country. about 11 million children are dropped off at licensed daycare centers each day as their parents head off to work. but some parents may not know the full story of just who is watching their kids. because some of the caregivers entrusted with their children s safety have been keeping disturbing secrets about their background. like this man, who we found driving for children at a center in louisville, kentucky. he s had several drug convictions and an assault charge. or this provider in beaumont, texas who has more than 175 kids in her care. she pleaded no contest to criminal conspiracy after her daycare center burned down. and this woman who runs a center in palmetto, florida. she served prison time for manslaughter. tonight we go undercover to find out just how easy it is for people with questionable backgrounds to get jobs in daycare. and you ll be surprised by some of their records. child abuse, cruelty toward a child, injury, aggravated
running a day care center? in state after state, there s shock after shock. that s a very good piece of investigative journalism, frankly. who s watching your kids? undercover in the hansen files. welcome to dateline, everyone. i m lester holt. it s a question for millions of parents. while you re at work, who s watching your kids? tonight dateline investigates the day care industry, the first in a new series of hidden camera reports from our own chris hansen. chris? thanks, lester. if you have a child in day care, chances are you ve already done some checking, visited the center beforehand, talked to the owner, looked into reference, you probably think your state has done some thorough checking, too. but there might be something about the day care provider you ve chosen that no one is telling you. it s a scene that place out every morning all over the country. about 11 million children are dropped off at licensed day care centers each day as their parents hea