Will some of the best people be eliminated?

It's not a matter of whether or not people without college degrees can give good care to young children- of course they can. But it's a matter of wanting an extra layer of security and assurance that the specific childcare provider you are paying will do so. Education and training ensures that the childcare providers will have a strong understanding of child development, how to teach, how to encourage positive emotional development, etc.

Do some people understand these things innately without college? Yes, absolutely. But do you have any way of knowing that the person watching your child is one of those people? No, you don't.

The college degree requirement lets parents know that they are sending their child to someone with an understanding of the science behind child development and also someone who is committed enough and passionate enough about taking care of children to go through the process of getting the degree.

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather a uniform standard of licensure, similar to what people obtain to become a paramedic, or a cosmetologist. Child care workers should have to meet some minimum standard as determined by the state, in the interest of public health and safety.
A 4 year degree is ridiculous.
Cosmetologists require somewhere between 1000-2500 hours of study. That's over kill.
Surely we can come up with the needed skills and information within 25-100 hrs of training.

I agree with this structure.

I agree that daycare workers should meet some kind of standard, but requiring a 4 year degree out of the blue is counterproductive. What about some kind of grandfather clause where current daycare employees can take a test and receive some kind of certification that is in lieu of the 3 year degree?

The daycare facility my kids went to was treated like a school. All of the employees had college degrees; you could only be a classroom lead with a 4 year degree. An Associate's Degree got you a job, but only as an Assistant Teacher. My kids used sign language before they could speak and the center offered basic classes to parents so they could use sign language at home. Spanish immersion started as soon as they graduated to the 1 year old room. "Thank you, Libby. Gracias, Libby." It even had a Pre-K 2 program for the late bday 5 year olds and those who were red shirted so that they weren't just repeating time in Pre-K. But this facility we used was expensive. I was thankful to be able to afford it and can see how starting a kid off in a facility like this vs. a facility where a HS diploma or GED are the max achieved by the teachers can be a hindrance, especially for the low income children who are already at a disadvantage. However, experience matters! And a worker who has been in the field for 15+ years with just a HS education shouldn't be penalized or lose their job.

This will just cause more underground daycare places to pop up, IMO. I went to several home daycares as a kid and my experiences in them is why before I had kids I told my husband that if we couldn't afford a reputable facility then I'd stay home or work part time. I had a home daycare provider who drugged us all on snow days. It wasn't until I was older that I figured out that the juice she gave us all early that morning was heavily laced with Benadryl (or something similar).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the college requirement is great, but I also think mothers should consider taking six months to a year off from work at a minimum to be home with their baby rather than put them in day care. The longer kids stay at home, the better. We need to value caregiving as much as we value working outside the home. Making a college degree a requirement is a step in the right direction.

What about fathers?

And why the first 6 months? At 6 months, my baby needed a stable caregiver, not necessarily his mother. It was sure hard on ME to go back to work (got that sucked) but he was fine. Now at almost 5 he knows and needs me much more than he did when he was 6. And yet, I am now mandated by the government to send him to school 6 hrs/day ....

You may homeschool your five year old if you believe he needs you more now, than when he was a six month old infant. But somehow I don't think you'd be interested.

Actually, I would love to homeschool him if I could afford it, and if I thought I would be good at it (not sure about that). He's doing pretty well now, but I feel like the time he most needed me was probably 3-4. But thanks for the not-so-veiled suggestion that I am a terrible mother!

The suggestion was that you apparently haven't studied much about infant attachment... to the mother who carried the baby for nine months.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the college requirement is great, but I also think mothers should consider taking six months to a year off from work at a minimum to be home with their baby rather than put them in day care. The longer kids stay at home, the better. We need to value caregiving as much as we value working outside the home. Making a college degree a requirement is a step in the right direction.

What about fathers?

And why the first 6 months? At 6 months, my baby needed a stable caregiver, not necessarily his mother. It was sure hard on ME to go back to work (got that sucked) but he was fine. Now at almost 5 he knows and needs me much more than he did when he was 6. And yet, I am now mandated by the government to send him to school 6 hrs/day ....

You may homeschool your five year old if you believe he needs you more now, than when he was a six month old infant. But somehow I don't think you'd be interested.

Actually, I would love to homeschool him if I could afford it, and if I thought I would be good at it (not sure about that). He's doing pretty well now, but I feel like the time he most needed me was probably 3-4. But thanks for the not-so-veiled suggestion that I am a terrible mother!

Anonymous wrote:They need to have some of these parents get college degrees first.

+1

They need to have some of these parents get college degrees first.

Does the D.C. government want to eliminate the home-based childcare providers with this new legislation?

I think yes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

And yet SAHM are told that they don't deserve a college education. You guys are hilarouus.

No, just that they are wasting it.

Tell your nanny this some day!

My nanny is a kind, responsible, intelligent young woman, who did not finish college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a wonderful idea.

+1, we came from Wisconsin, and it's crazy out there how little regulation or enforcement action there was in daycare. At home operations run by people with almost zero training in anything. Scary.

It's better here, but a degree requirement would make it even better. You really can't skimp on this kind of thing. There's ways to save, keep your car a few years after you pay it off, whatever, but it's worth it.

You act like for all families it's just a matter of keeping your cars after you've paid them off. Reminds me of the people who claim everyone could be a SAHM if they just cut cable and summer vacations!

Gosh, you people are small-minded, privileged people living in a bubble.

Please share... How was it for you when it came to the full-time care of your infants?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's a wonderful idea.

+1, we came from Wisconsin, and it's crazy out there how little regulation or enforcement action there was in daycare. At home operations run by people with almost zero training in anything. Scary.

It's better here, but a degree requirement would make it even better. You really can't skimp on this kind of thing. There's ways to save, keep your car a few years after you pay it off, whatever, but it's worth it.

You act like for all families it's just a matter of keeping your cars after you've paid them off. Reminds me of the people who claim everyone could be a SAHM if they just cut cable and summer vacations!

Gosh, you people are small-minded, privileged people living in a bubble.

If this is true, daycare workers should be paid more.

Anonymous wrote:Once they have their degrees, they will go work for the schools.

I understand they want quality care for the kids, but a degree is not the best solution.

Good point. If I have a college degree, why would I work at a center for $15/hour when I could go work for a public school for $50K/year?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

And yet SAHM are told that they don't deserve a college education. You guys are hilarouus.

No, just that they are wasting it.

Tell your nanny this some day!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the college requirement is great, but I also think mothers should consider taking six months to a year off from work at a minimum to be home with their baby rather than put them in day care. The longer kids stay at home, the better. We need to value caregiving as much as we value working outside the home. Making a college degree a requirement is a step in the right direction.

What about fathers?

And why the first 6 months? At 6 months, my baby needed a stable caregiver, not necessarily his mother. It was sure hard on ME to go back to work (got that sucked) but he was fine. Now at almost 5 he knows and needs me much more than he did when he was 6. And yet, I am now mandated by the government to send him to school 6 hrs/day ....

You may homeschool your five year old if you believe he needs you more now, than when he was a six month old infant. But somehow I don't think you'd be interested.