Why are daycare ratios more stringent than public school class sizes?

[Anonymous]

I know for 5 year olds, daycares have a legal limit of 15 kids per 1 adult. But my kid's public school classroom has 24 kids in it. I would think that it should be the opposite way around, since...ya know...schools aren't daycare and have the legal obligation to teach curriculum and such whereas daycare is just care.

[Anonymous]

In daycare for 5 year olds the daycare teachers are providing a lot of care- helping with coats, meals, toileting (in many cases), etc. In kindergarten, the teachers aren’t supposedly providing “care” like that, they’re teaching a classroom.

Feel free to tell me how K teachers do help kids toilet or open their lunches etc but this is the rationale behind it

[Anonymous]

I agree it's crazy. We went from a daycare/preschool with 22 kids and 3 teachers (always at least 2 in the room, usually 3) to 25 kids and 1 teacher in MCPS K. I have no idea how one teacher can manage all those kids and then actually teach on top of that.

[Anonymous]

My office has 50 people per caregiver. It's crazy that we manage to get anything done!

[Anonymous]

That's not true OP

Many family daycares have preschool teachers and teaches academics. Many daycares are just preschool daycares. Also we have to call them family childcare

[Anonymous]

Daycare: 8 kids 1 teacher, with infants you need 1 or another 2nd teacher as well. Depends on the state.
Maryland has good ratios. Virginia, not so good

[Anonymous]

OP never met a family daycare with teachers and curriculum lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know for 5 year olds, daycares have a legal limit of 15 kids per 1 adult. But my kid's public school classroom has 24 kids in it. I would think that it should be the opposite way around, since...ya know...schools aren't daycare and have the legal obligation to teach curriculum and such whereas daycare is just care.

So child care centers provide care and school provides education and there is no overlap between them? LOL

FWIW if you are referring to Maryland, the required child care ratio for 5 year olds applies to "approved educational programs," in other words these are programs that do have a legal obligation to teach curriculum.

I don't know why they have this requirement for child care and not for public schools. I assume it has to do with funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daycare: 8 kids 1 teacher, with infants you need 1 or another 2nd teacher as well. Depends on the state.
Maryland has good ratios. Virginia, not so good

huh? I think Virginia's ratios are great and wouldn't want any stricter. Also, these are the bottom limits. Our daycare has extra teachers too so that if one goes to the bathroom, they are still within ratio. Plus there are additional people who are helping prepare meals, cleaning up or doing other things that aren't the main teachers.

1. For children from birth to the age of 16 months: one staff member for every four children;

2. For children 16 months to two years: one staff member for every five children;

3. For two-year-old children: one staff member for every eight children;

4. For children from three years to the age of eligibility to attend public school, five years by September 30: one staff member for every 10 children;

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Daycare: 8 kids 1 teacher, with infants you need 1 or another 2nd teacher as well. Depends on the state.
Maryland has good ratios. Virginia, not so good

huh? I think Virginia's ratios are great and wouldn't want any stricter. Also, these are the bottom limits. Our daycare has extra teachers too so that if one goes to the bathroom, they are still within ratio. Plus there are additional people who are helping prepare meals, cleaning up or doing other things that aren't the main teachers.

1. For children from birth to the age of 16 months: one staff member for every four children;

2. For children 16 months to two years: one staff member for every five children;

3. For two-year-old children: one staff member for every eight children;

4. For children from three years to the age of eligibility to attend public school, five years by September 30: one staff member for every 10 children;

Virginia is 9 infants 3 teachers for family daycare

Maryland only allows you to have 4 max with 2 teachers

See, Virginia doesn't have enough staff for infants. And centers are worst, too many kids

Virginia is not great, they are allowed even bigger class of kids with 1 teacher,

Center: 1 teacher 12 kids of 2 y/o

Crazy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Daycare: 8 kids 1 teacher, with infants you need 1 or another 2nd teacher as well. Depends on the state.
Maryland has good ratios. Virginia, not so good

huh? I think Virginia's ratios are great and wouldn't want any stricter. Also, these are the bottom limits. Our daycare has extra teachers too so that if one goes to the bathroom, they are still within ratio. Plus there are additional people who are helping prepare meals, cleaning up or doing other things that aren't the main teachers.

1. For children from birth to the age of 16 months: one staff member for every four children;

2. For children 16 months to two years: one staff member for every five children;

3. For two-year-old children: one staff member for every eight children;

4. For children from three years to the age of eligibility to attend public school, five years by September 30: one staff member for every 10 children;

Eh I don't like how staff in centers are switched often or quit. The babies gets all confused. Who's the next teacher or assistant.

And many caregivers there are lost, don't know what to do because they keep being switched to different classrooms

[Anonymous]

I prefer Maryland than Virginia

[Anonymous]

My preschool center has 1:12 kids ratio, and it is normally 2:24 kids in a classroom. They have school curriculum but they also provide childcare hours.

MCPS has 1:20-25 kids ratio. Some classroom has additional part time resource teacher as a helping hand because there are some kids with IEP.

[Anonymous]

High quality school districts might have up to around 24 kids in a kindergarten class but they also have a full time aide and if there are special ed kids in the class they have a special ed para there as well. If your school district isn't providing this it isn't high quality.