HB 159 (updated March 1, 2014)
A new bill (
HB 159 http://le.utah.gov/~2014/bills/static/HB0159.html) has been introduced in the Utah State Senate that will establish a Child Care Center Licensing Committee that will be responsible for regulating and making rules governing child care licensing. The proposed committee will consist of five individuals--four of whom will be licensed child care center owners. The Governing Board of the Utah Association for the Education of Young Children opposes this legislation. Below is our rationale for opposing the bill and a call to action for all early childhood professionals.
We believe that protecting the health and safety of young children in child care is the shared responsibility of families, early childhood professionals, and government. This bill would create a narrowly focused committee contrary to current best practices recommended in Caring for Our Children (AAP and APHA, 2011,
http://cfoc.nrckids.org/)
Standard 10.3.1.3 States (
http://cfoc.nrckids.org/StandardView/10.3.1.3)
“State licensing rules should be developed with active community participation by all interested parties including parents/guardians, service providers, advocates, professionals in medical and child development fields, funding and training sources.”
4 reasons to VOTE NO on HB 159:
1. HB 159 was NOT developed in collaboration with the early childhood community. How the bill will strengthen our ability to protect the health and safety of young children is unclear. In fact the Child Care Licensing Advisory Committee, which this bill proposes to split, was not consulted on development of the bill.
2. HB 159 will establish a regulatory committee that violates appropriate checks and balances as 4 of the 5 members making the rules would be licensed child care center owners being regulated by the rules. A stark example of the “fox watching the hen house”. While many child care center owners are concerned with ensuring high quality in their programs, our concern is some owners may push for changing licensing requirements in order to increase profits. For example reducing space, while increasing teacher-child ratios, and group size increases profits, but does not safeguard the health and safety of our children.
3. HB 159 establishes a regulatory committee without adequate expertise. We recommend a structure similar to that of other Health Department rule making committees (e.g. Emergency Medical Services and Health Facility Licensing) that includes 12-15 members. Diversity is necessary to adequately represent stakeholders. Representation should include families that use licensed child care, health practitioners, and child development and early education experts. The licensed program owner/directors on the committee should be representative of the diverse sectors of licensed child care programs (e.g. privately owned, nonprofit, and publically funded programs).
4. HB 159 gives the committee for child care center providers rule making authority while leaving family child care providers (residential committee) as an advisory committee. It is unclear why a new regulatory structure would be beneficial for child care centers, but not for family child care providers. In Utah, the majority of licensed child care providers are family child care providers. There are approximately 1,000 family child care providers and 300 licensed child care centers).
4 Ways You Can Help Make it Happen
1. Contact Senator Greg Hughes and encourage him to drop HB 159 or work with the early childhood community to strengthen it.
Address: 472 Midlake Dr. Draper, UT 84020
Email:greghughes@le.utah.gov
Work Phone: 801-548-2922
2. Volunteer to provide testimony at committee hearings: We need licensed child care center owners or directors, and licensed family care providers to voice concerns to legislative committees regarding HB 159. Please contact our public policy chair Jared Lisonbee if you are interested in testifying:
Email:
jaredlisonbee@weber.edu
Phone: 206-661-4958
3. Contact all the members of the Utah House Business and Labor Committee by Tuesday March 4
th and ask them to VOTE NO on HB 159. Their names, emails, and phone numbers are attached. Phone calls are most powerful, but we also need at least 100 emails in opposition. If you live or work in the district of any of a committee member highlight that you are from their district.
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