Depending on how the laws are written, in many places that seems to be the case. The home of Lisa Snyder in Irving Park Michigan is a designated buss stop for her local school. She allowed a couple local moms to drop their kids off an hour or so early and wait for the bus in her home. The Department of Human Services caught wind of this and sent her an order to stop operating her “unlicensed day care”… or she would be prosecuted.
With this in mind… are there people who help out their neighbors to such a degree that they should be punished?
Update:Yes. It is likely to be corrected. It shouldn’t have been written so poorly in the first place. We have professional legislators, many of whom are attorneys. It would be nice if they were to spend some time trouble shooting laws they pass to look for the ways they will likely abused. It would be great if our legislators even were to even read bills. An ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure and all. Too often I believe that the lawyers who write these laws do so in such a way such that they must be endlessly debated in court. The worse a job they do, the more money they earn later fixing the mess on other people’s dime.
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There are many people operating unlicensed day care centers, and that can be a problem. The situation in Michigan was different. This woman was not operating a business--but a neighbor complained and officials had to look into it. Most people recognize that this is not what was intended by the law and it's likely to be corrected.
These sites should help you out.