Child Care Officials to Hold Public Hearings in September

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL --- Six public hearings are scheduled in September to obtain input on proposed changes in Oklahoma’s Child Care Center Licensing Requirements, the first major changes since 1995, according to an Oklahoma Department of Human Services official.
The Oklahoma Child Care Advisory Committee has approved the proposed revisions and is seeking input from childcare owners, teachers, parents and others concerned with child well being. The committee is composed of childcare center operators, childcare professionals, and other state agencies.

OKDHS Division of Child Care Director Nancy vonBargen said, "We believe that the provision of childcare is a partnership between childcare professionals, parents, and state and local organizations. We welcome the input of all persons as we strive to ensure appropriate settings for children who need care outside their homes. We all benefit when children arrive at school with confidence and a love of learning."

Major "proposed" revisions include:

• Increased director and staff qualifications,
• Entry level training for staff,
• Improved staff-child ratios, and
• Expanded use of car seats.
  
  Additional information and a copy of the proposed changes is available on the OKDHS Web site at: www.OKDHS.org or by calling the OKDHS Division of Child Care at: 1-800-347-2276 or in central Oklahoma at 405-521-3561.

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MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES: The Schedule of Public Hearing dates and locations of meetings and a two-page overview, fact sheet of the major changes carrying fiscal impacts are attached for your convenience.

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LICENSING REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS
FACT SHEET

The OKDHS Division of Child Care encourages your thoughtful consideration of all proposed revisions. Several of the major revisions that could have a fiscal impact for your center are discussed in more detail below.

1. Section 7.1, (h) Employee qualifications, (3) which requires, effective January 1, 2005, all directors to have obtained the Bronze level of the Oklahoma Director Verification System. (page 10)
Rationale. The director’s role is challenging, requires a broad variety of knowledge and skills, and has a tremendous impact on the center’s quality of care. The Bronze level addresses the need for training in both child development and administration. At least 30 other states have higher director qualifications than what is required in Oklahoma.

Considerations. Existing and new resources will enable all directors to achieve this goal. Child development course work supported by TEACH scholarships at all two year colleges and Child Care Careers courses are available statewide. Management courses are becoming more available through satellite or on-line instruction. The Oklahoma Child Care Association has delivered the NAC and DAT course to over 1000 participants. Achieving the Bronze level will allow directors to receive a $500 bonus from REWARD.

2. Section 7.1 (h) Employee qualifications, (5) which requires, effective January 1, 2005, all master teachers to have obtained the qualifications at Level III or higher of the Early Childhood Education Professional Development Ladder. (page 11)

Rationale. If a lead or master teacher is to be successful in supporting other teaching staff in program development, they must have a basic level of education in early childhood education.

Considerations. Centers are only required to have one master teacher for every 60 children of licensed capacity, and the director may be counted as the master teacher if the licensed capacity is 30 or less. Over 1200 teachers are participating in the TEACH scholarship program and upon completion, will exceed the Level III qualifications.

3. Section 7.1, (j) Professional development, (2) requires that, prior to or within three months of employment, staff counted to meet staff-child ratios must participate in an entry-level training course of at least 20 hours. (page 14)

Rationale. Entry-level training will ensure that teachers have the basic information required to provide a safe and healthy environment for children. With 45% of full-time teachers leaving their centers each year, thousands of new teachers never receive any training under current requirements. Entry-level training could reduce turnover by improving teachers’ skills and success early in their career. The number of states requiring pre-service training for teachers continues to grow each year, with at least 21 states now requiring it.

Considerations. The Center for Early Childhood Professional Development currently has a 20-hour course and educators available to train it. Avenues are being explored to offer the training via satellite or on-line. Other training programs with similar content can be approved by OKDHS.

4. Section 11, (d) Licensed capacity, (1)(A) which requires that new construction used for child care after January 1, 2005 have 40 square feet of floor area per infant in rooms occupied only by infants. (page 22)

Rationale. Anyone who has viewed an infant room with 140 square feet of space (approx. 12’ x 12’) for four infants knows how crowded it is. When you add four cribs, a rocking chair, a diaper changing table and large muscle equipment, there is no room left for floor play needed to encourage infants’ physical development.

Considerations. This would not apply to any existing childcare space, even if there were a change of ownership. It would only apply to newly constructed space, and the two-year delay in implementation provides time for anyone currently planning to build new space to make this adjustment.

5. Section 29, (e) Passenger restraints, (1) which requires children who have not entered kindergarten and weighing less than 60 pounds to be properly secured in a child passenger restraint system (car seat). (page 47)

Rationale. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends car seats for children until they reach 4’9" or around 8 years of age. Most young children in seat belts move the shoulder belt behind them, which often results in brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and abdominal injuries. In Oklahoma, more than 20 children under 6 years of age die each year in a motor vehicle crash, and more than 1,100 are seriously injured. More than 70 percent of children who die are NOT in a child safety seat.

Considerations. While recommended for children up to age 8, this revision only adds four and some five year olds to those who are currently required to have booster seats. This would only apply to children in seats equipped with a shoulder belt. Booster seats have been distributed free across Oklahoma or can be purchased for $20 through SAFE KIDS. Centers could also require that parents provide them.

6. Appendix D and E. Child Care Center Staff Ratio (phased in between July 1, 2003 and July 1, 2005), which improves ratios in all age groups.

Rationale. Improvements in ratios have been recommended for many reasons:

Research demonstrates that ratios have a major impact on quality of care and outcomes for children (go to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site  to review some of these studies) In every age group, a majority of states have better ratios than Oklahoma. For example, 27 states have a better toddler ratio and 34 states have a better four year old ratio. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association and all national accrediting programs recommend ratios that are significantly better than Oklahoma’s. Staff-child ratios have not been improved since 1970.
Meeting the needs of so many children is an emotionally and physically demanding job and may contribute to the 45% annual turnover rate among full-time teachers and 64% rate among part-time teachers.

Considerations. If all ratio changes were implemented immediately and centers reduced group sizes without adding any new slots, approximately 12,000 existing slots statewide could be eliminated. However, it is estimated that 21,000 of 130,000 licensed slots are typically vacant. Shortages of slots would most likely occur with infant and toddler care.
If ratio changes were implemented beginning in 2003, most centers would increase their rates to cover the additional cost of care. The Division of Child Care would immediately seek a rate increase for the OKDHS subsidy program to respond to the change in the market rate. The phased-in approach will allow DHS to monitor changes in rates and availability of funds before proceeding with each step.

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Oklahoma Child Care Licensing Requirements
Public Hearing Schedule 

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