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closeIn Georgia, a person only needs to be 21, have a high school diploma and a year of child care experience to open or run a child care center. The requirements for lead teachers also are not stringent, officials say.
The lack of state-mandated training is why one state agency is working to make sure even the tiniest children are being cared for by people trained to understand child development.
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Public hearing
A public hearing on proposed child-care provider changes will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today in Macon.
The hearing will be held at Central Georgia Technical College, H Building auditorium, at 3300 Macon Tech Drive.
For more information about the proposed policy changes, visit http://decal.ga.gov/BftS/News.aspx?t=0.
“Over the years, we have learned through research and observation that child care must be more than about feeding a child and making sure they don’t stick a finger in a socket,” said Pat Willis, executive director of Voices for Georgia’s children, an advocacy group in Atlanta that’s seeking stricter training. Eighty-five percent of a child’s brain development happens by age 3 or 4, she said.
The Department of Early Care and Learning, the state agency that oversees early education, is proposing regulatory changes that, if passed, would affect directors and lead teachers in licensed child care centers and group day-care homes.
A hearing is set for today in Macon to address the proposed changes.
The changes include:
Ÿ A child care center director must be at least 21, have six months of experience and must have at least a child development associate or technical certificate of credit or 40 hours of director training and five years experience in child care.
Ÿ Lead teachers must be at least 18 and have at least a child development associate or technical certificate of credit or 25 hours from a college in early childhood or childhood development, among other requirements.
The state would give child care officials until December 2012 to meet the new requirements.
If today’s public hearing yields no new input for state officials to consider, the requirements could be passed at the agency’s next commission meeting this year, Willis said.
According to the state, more than 65 percent of families use some form of child care. Macon has 77 child care centers on record, as well as five group homes and 53 family centers, Willis said.
“Georgia has lagged behind other states in these credential and standards for a long time,” she said.
To contact writer Julie Hubbard, call 744-4331.
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