An investigative report highlights how the increasing deregulation of childcare requirements in several states worsens staffing shortages.
According to the Hechinger Report, 10 states have introduced or enacted childcare deregulation policies that may raise staff-to-child ratios or reduce training requirements. Investigative reporter Jackie Meader cites a quiet wave of deregulation spreading across the nation that’s being presented as a solution to childcare staffing shortages.
“The same states that are making these proposals already have deep problems with their childcare systems that looser standards won’t help,” Meager writes after reviewing hundreds of pages of childcare inspection reports.
Several states are easing childcare regulations, including South Carolina, which removed the requirement for childcare employees to have at least six months of experience in a licensed facility; Utah, where unlicensed providers can care for up to eight children without training or oversight beyond a background check; and Kansas, which has proposed increasing child-to-staff ratios and the number of children a single provider can care for in a home-based setting.
Wisconsin has proposed allowing 16-year-olds to work as classroom teachers, while Iowa permits 16-year-olds to supervise up to 15 children simultaneously. Montana has relaxed rules to allow caregivers to watch more toddlers at once. Other states considering deregulation measures include Connecticut, Indiana, Oklahoma, and North Carolina.
Meager highlights the struggles childcare providers in these states faced even before the deregulation measures were introduced. Disturbing incidents occurred at some childcare programs, including reports of infants being “forced to drink bottles” and subjected to physical abuse, such as being hit, thrown on the floor, kicked, and yelled at when they became restless. In one case, when a baby cried, a staff member silenced the noise by holding a bib over the infant’s mouth and nose, according to records.
Other findings revealed nearly two dozen incidents where children were left unattended, including multiple cases where teachers were found sleeping while supposed to be supervising the children. Over 40 reports documented staff members yelling at children, using profanity, calling them derogatory names, and telling them to “shut up.” There were also numerous accounts of physical abuse, such as teachers slapping children, confining them in dark bathrooms during nap time, spraying them with water bottles for not napping, and withholding food as punishment.
Additionally, more than 20 instances were reported where staff worked without proper background checks, including sex offender registry screenings. In over two dozen cases, hazardous items were left accessible to young children, including cleaning supplies, medication, a gun safe containing ammunition with the key still in the lock, alcohol, a rat trap, knives, and a saw.
Advocates for deregulation argue that relaxing specific rules could streamline operations, allowing programs to hire teachers more quickly and, in theory, accommodate more children. However, childcare providers contend that deregulation does little to address their core challenges, such as more funding, higher salaries, better support for managing challenging child behaviors, and more tremendous professional respect.
Educators and experts assert that increasing group sizes and staff-to-child ratios will undermine a teacher’s ability to give each child the necessary attention and support, particularly crucial during the early, formative years of brain development.
“In the coming year, the country will have a presidential administration that is unlikely to stand in the way of the deregulation attempts that quietly transform childcare programs across the country,” Meager argues.
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