Action | Amend Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers to Address Federal Health and Safety Requirements |
Stage | Final |
Comment Period | Ended on 5/12/2021 |
Program Director Qualifications - Serious consideration should be given to School Age After School Programs that operate less than 30 hours per week. A large barrier for said programs is trying to hire and recruit program director qualified staff that only wish to work 20-30 hours per week. Current standards are written for full-day early childhood programs that operate 40+hours per week. This is overkill. I would suggest adding a standard that speaks to the number of hours the center is open as well as ages. It is tough finding staff as it is, even Program Aides, and while I understand the intention, the standard is counter-productive and undermines the ability to attract and hire future teachers and child care employees, further sending programs into a downward spiral in which quality suffers and supervision is inadequate. This is the number 1 challenge providers face in the after school space. Program quality and supervision would improve if this standard is reviewed and amended.