Texas Ponders More Early Care Training

Texas has some of the lowest standards for child care providers in the nation, but training requirements may soon increase. A legislative committee has recommended that the minimum training requirements, both to become a child care worker and to stay in operation as one, be increased. According to an Austin American Statesman report today, officials at the Department of Family and Protective Services are examining whether they have the authority to follow the panel's request and change the standard.

 

A bill to increase the training requirements was one of the top legislative priorities of early childhood education proponents in 2009; however, the bill did not make it through the legislative process, due to late-session stalling over an unrelated bill. As former Texans Care for Children executive director Susan Craven pointed out in a column in the Statesman's Insight section Sunday, high quality child care brings significant returns both for children and for communities. Attention to early brain development, and especially age-appropriate environments for young children (the majority of whom spend the majority of their day in child care settings), should be part of any consideration about how to improve educational outcomes and address other social issues in Texas.

 

Efforts to improve child care standards in Texas, as well as consider next steps, are being coordinated by the Building Better Beginnings Coalition. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Melanie Rubin.