DC now requiring day care workers to have college degrees

[Anonymous]

What a horrible idea! It's completely unnecessary and will raise costs for parents in a city that already has among the highest day care costs in the nation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/district-among-the-first-in-nation-to-require-child-care-workers-to-get-college-degrees/2017/03/30/d7d59e18-0fe9-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html?hpid=hp_local-news_daycare-730am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.f07a1f3a83c4

[Anonymous]

Having a person trained in child development or education is a bad idea? I don't follow you. What standard is "good enough" for your kids then?

Because I'd hate to see this city have a system like VA where any illiterate redneck trailer trash can have an unlicensed operation with up to half a dozen kids.

If people are better qualified, then it will cost more, yes. I'd call that worthwhile. I'm sure there are other expenses in your household budget that you could re-evaluate and decide if it might be worth eliminating some things to put that money towards better care for your children.

Seems like a no brainer to me. I'd want the most qualified person there was watching my kids. I work from home, and we have a nanny, too, but I can't see how this would upset people. I don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having a person trained in child development or education is a bad idea? I don't follow you. What standard is "good enough" for your kids then?

Because I'd hate to see this city have a system like VA where any illiterate redneck trailer trash can have an unlicensed operation with up to half a dozen kids.

If people are better qualified, then it will cost more, yes. I'd call that worthwhile. I'm sure there are other expenses in your household budget that you could re-evaluate and decide if it might be worth eliminating some things to put that money towards better care for your children.

Seems like a no brainer to me. I'd want the most qualified person there was watching my kids. I work from home, and we have a nanny, too, but I can't see how this would upset people. I don't get it.

Cost. Someone doesn't need a college degree to change diapers, give bottles, and put my child down for a nap. I only have so much money to spend on help for the early years. And if the cost of care for infants-3 year olds RISES it puts a lot of families in a very hard spot. It's already incredibly expensive. I do not have a nanny because I can't afford one.

If we are going to treat infant-3 year old care the same as kindergarten, then it should be provided FOR FREE like public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having a person trained in child development or education is a bad idea? I don't follow you. What standard is "good enough" for your kids then?

Because I'd hate to see this city have a system like VA where any illiterate redneck trailer trash can have an unlicensed operation with up to half a dozen kids.

If people are better qualified, then it will cost more, yes. I'd call that worthwhile. I'm sure there are other expenses in your household budget that you could re-evaluate and decide if it might be worth eliminating some things to put that money towards better care for your children.

Seems like a no brainer to me. I'd want the most qualified person there was watching my kids. I work from home, and we have a nanny, too, but I can't see how this would upset people. I don't get it.

And next we'll require new mothers to have a college degree before having a child.

My child was in an in-home daycare in Arlington. The provider was a 55 year old Bangladeshi grandmother who runs a very successful business. As a parent, I decided that she was qualified based on research and references. She had the requisite training in CPR and first aid. My child thrived under her care, so you may want to check your many assumptions.

[Anonymous]

College degree might be important for K and up and maybe even Pre-K.
Kids 3 and under though don't need someone with a college degree. They need someone who cares about then and genuinely likes kids. They need someone who can read and follow a curriculum. If you can follow a curriculum and like kids then you are good imo.

[Anonymous]

College degree doesn't mean "qualified" in this age range, though. I don't care if someone knows child pysch or development. I need them to be calm, patient, loving, and enjoy kids, which is not related at all to whether they were willing/able to sit in a classroom for 4 years.

DC's child care is already incredibly regulated (too much so, IMO), so this will drive up costs without improving quality. I would like to see providers at centers paid more, but there's no guarantee this requirement would lead to that.

[Anonymous]

Not to mention that you're throwing people out of a job that has low barriers to entry. By all means, monetarily incentivize childcare workers who have college degrees, but don't require it.

That kind of regulatory requirement leads to people taking out loans at for profit diploma mills just to maintain a low-paying job.

[Anonymous]

Hang on- it appears to apply only to lead teachers and directors and it can be an associates degree- not a bachelors.

[Anonymous]

My DD has numerous caregivers at her daycare that have no degree. They are wonderful, caring, creative and nurturing. They do NOT need a degree to do what they're doing. Plus, a lot of these caregivers cannot afford college degrees. Especially not on childcare salaries. Ridiculous idea. Now for K and up, absolutely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Having a person trained in child development or education is a bad idea? I don't follow you. What standard is "good enough" for your kids then?

Because I'd hate to see this city have a system like VA where any illiterate redneck trailer trash can have an unlicensed operation with up to half a dozen kids.

If people are better qualified, then it will cost more, yes. I'd call that worthwhile. I'm sure there are other expenses in your household budget that you could re-evaluate and decide if it might be worth eliminating some things to put that money towards better care for your children.

Seems like a no brainer to me. I'd want the most qualified person there was watching my kids. I work from home, and we have a nanny, too, but I can't see how this would upset people. I don't get it.

Yes, it's a bad idea to require people who make $8-13/hr to go back to college. Is the district going to pay their tuition to get the AA degree? Is it going to provide paid time off to attend college classes? If not, how to you expect people who are in the bottom 25% of the pay scale to attend?

Also, if you expect them to have an AA, then you will need to pay them more. If you pay them more then daycare costs go up. There are many people struggling now with the cost of early childcare and you want to increase that?

You reek of being a 1%er who is out of touch with reality. You can afford a nanny. You realize that you pay your nanny more than the average daycare worker earns. And yet you expect them to afford college classes and time off from work from an hourly position where "no work"="no pay". Many daycares are only barely profitable and you want them to afford to pay higher wages to more educated employees? The costs will have to be passed on to the parents, many of whom are already stretched thin. You are entitled and clueless. You have a typical first world rant.

[Anonymous]

If the prospect of an increase in the cost of daycare is enough to cause people to panic, then maybe that's an indication that their priorities about where they're choosing to live are misguided.

DC is a premium location, and frankly, it's not for everyone. So if daycare costs are causing undue budgetary hardships, then perhaps you should consider living somewhere more affordable.

This isn't hard to figure out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the prospect of an increase in the cost of daycare is enough to cause people to panic, then maybe that's an indication that their priorities about where they're choosing to live are misguided.

DC is a premium location, and frankly, it's not for everyone. So if daycare costs are causing undue budgetary hardships, then perhaps you should consider living somewhere more affordable.

This isn't hard to figure out

Yawn, troll. Yawn.

[Anonymous]

Because I was "gifted" with math ability and logic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the prospect of an increase in the cost of daycare is enough to cause people to panic, then maybe that's an indication that their priorities about where they're choosing to live are misguided.

DC is a premium location, and frankly, it's not for everyone. So if daycare costs are causing undue budgetary hardships, then perhaps you should consider living somewhere more affordable.

This isn't hard to figure out

Sure, more affordable places. That don't have jobs. That's why they are affordable. I could live in a WVA coal town for SUPER CHEAP. But anything is expensive when you don't have a job.

[Anonymous]

That is insane. I can't get past the pay wall, can someone tell me if that is only for centers or in home as well?