Braun welcomes feedback on new child care center rules
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Gov. Mike Braun at the Shepherd Center's child care center. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
Gov. Mike Braun signaled this week that he's open to revising draft child care regulations after pushback from providers.
Why it matters: Providers across the state say proposed rules that lower educational standards for early childhood teachers will hurt the industry and the kids it serves.
Driving the news: While touring a child care center on Indy's near east side Tuesday, Braun reiterated what he's been saying for months — that expanding access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education programs will be a priority during next year's budget-writing session.
- When Axios asked if some of the proposed changes conflict with that goal, Braun said his team will "look at the rules and make sure that they're not inhibiting what I'm going to try to do."
Catch up quick: In June, the Indiana Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning proposed an overhaul of rules for licensed child care providers in home- and center-based settings, including those addressing education requirements for providers and caregiver-to-child ratios.
- Providers and early-learning advocates say some of the revisions could come at the expense of quality.
- Lowering the lead teacher requirement from some form of higher education (college or a specialized credential) to a high school diploma risks undermining program quality and child outcomes, according to the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children.
At the Shepherd Community Center's early learning facilitator that Braun toured — and praised — this week, all lead teachers have, or are working toward, a credential or degree in early child education or development.
- Plus, all staff receive 25 hours of additional training each year.
- Jay Height, the Shepherd Center's executive director, said they'd continue to pay for staff to earn their Child Development Associate credential even if educational requirements were lowered because "it's going to help them better serve our kids."
The latest: The early childhood office is reviewing the 230 comments received during the first public comment period, which closed this month.
Between the lines: When the proposed changes were announced, Braun said that by "reducing administrative burdens and unnecessary expenses, Indiana is empowering child care businesses to grow and innovate."
- On Tuesday, Braun said he welcomes the pushback he's received from early childhood providers. Education, he said, has to be part of the equation for high-quality providers.
- "It's more than child care," he said. "It's going to be how we get a 'twofer' as we do it."
What's next: A spokesperson for the Family and Social Services Administration, which oversees the early childhood office, told Axios any changes made will be published with the notice for a second public comment period.
- The start of the comment period and subsequent public hearing have yet to be set.