This is definitely an interesting perspective and I appreciate that both of you took the time to interview. I’d really challenge Sara to provide data to support the assertion that crib spacing or toy ratios are keeping an economically significant portion of potential child care operators/workers out of the market. She talks about deregulation, but some of the most expensive regulations are the ones around staffing ratios - exactly the area that I, as a parent who is concerned about the quality of childcare my children receive, don’t want deregulated or reduced. The federal government recommends 1 caregiver to every 3 infants, but some states allow 1 adult to care for 5 or even 6 infants. I know I would struggle to provide high-quality care to 4 or 5 infants at once and I have three children of my own.
I also think caring for young children in a formal, group setting like daycare is a different skill set and knowledge base than providing 1-1 care like a primary caregiving parent or grandparent does. We don’t expect that someone with an MIT degree is automatically qualified to be a kindergarten teacher, so I’m not sure that educational requirements (which are already only present in some states) for early childhood caregivers aren’t necessary.
These points are very valid - that said, as somebody working in healthcare I wouldn’t underestimate the cumulative burden of lots of tiny regs that sound good but don’t individually make much impact. When you’re working with tight margins (as necessitated by the core staffing regulations that are fundamental) those things disproportionately matter.
This is definitely an interesting perspective and I appreciate that both of you took the time to interview. I’d really challenge Sara to provide data to support the assertion that crib spacing or toy ratios are keeping an economically significant portion of potential child care operators/workers out of the market. She talks about deregulation, but some of the most expensive regulations are the ones around staffing ratios - exactly the area that I, as a parent who is concerned about the quality of childcare my children receive, don’t want deregulated or reduced. The federal government recommends 1 caregiver to every 3 infants, but some states allow 1 adult to care for 5 or even 6 infants. I know I would struggle to provide high-quality care to 4 or 5 infants at once and I have three children of my own.
I also think caring for young children in a formal, group setting like daycare is a different skill set and knowledge base than providing 1-1 care like a primary caregiving parent or grandparent does. We don’t expect that someone with an MIT degree is automatically qualified to be a kindergarten teacher, so I’m not sure that educational requirements (which are already only present in some states) for early childhood caregivers aren’t necessary.
These points are very valid - that said, as somebody working in healthcare I wouldn’t underestimate the cumulative burden of lots of tiny regs that sound good but don’t individually make much impact. When you’re working with tight margins (as necessitated by the core staffing regulations that are fundamental) those things disproportionately matter.