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DAY CARE COMES TO THE INTERNET
The Cincinnati Post

      Christine Probst works eight miles away from the Mason, Ohio, child care center where her two children spend the day, but she can see her kids any time she wants on the Internet. Cameras in the Kids 'R' Kids day care center constantly photograph the children and transmit the images onto the Internet for parents to view. 

"It's wonderful," said Probst. ''I usually check on them once in the morning and once in the afternoon. It gives me a nice, peaceful feeling to see them." 

Cameras in the back of all 10 Kids 'R' Kids classrooms and cafeteria transmit photographs that are updated every one to six seconds on the Internet. 

"It's a technology that eventually will be used by all child care centers," said Seth Steinberg, founder of ParentNet in Atlanta, which provides the Internet service for Kids 'R' Kids and other day care centers. 

Steinberg said technology is changing so quickly that it won't be long before the transmissions are similar to live, continuously moving television pictures. 

For security purposes, parents are given passwords that allow them to see images from the room where their child is. 

"It's an excellent concept for parents, children and us," said Doris Moore, director of Kids 'R' Kids. "To me, it's just another way of encouraging parental interest in their children's day care centers. We have nothing to hide."  Kids 'R' Kids doesn't charge extra for the Internet service.