Care.com, which posts listings of child caregivers across the country, removed tens of thousands of unverified day care center listings last month, according to the Wall Street Journal. The paper said the removals happened just before it published an investigation on March 8.
WSJ reports 46,594 listings -- about 72% of the day care centers on the site -- were removed.
The states with the largest reduction in day cares on site were California, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Minnesota went from 2,959 before the purge to just 314 after, according to WSJ.
A spokesperson for Care.com confirmed the listings were removed March 7, according to WSJ, although she said the amount was 45%.
WSJ said previous reporting found there was limited vetting of caregivers on the site.The paper also said it found nine caregivers who had prior police records.
A check of Care.com's FAQs section finds this statement: "Generally, we do not verify the accuracy of the information businesses provide in their profiles. Please be sure to verify the information that is important to you before choosing a care-related business."
You can read WSJ's full report here.
