EXCERPT FROM: The Reno Gazette
By Tammy Krikorian
Although new day care regulations adopted by the state went into effect this month, Nevada's child care standards still rank below average compared with other states.
The new day care regulations were passed a year ago by the Legislative Commission. But the regulations didn't pass -- regulations that included stricter standards on adult-child ratios, group size and director qualifications -- would have put improved Nevada's standing nationally.
"We're still not up to middle ground without those," said Melissa Faul, bureau chief of child care licensing.
Faul's department had been working on the new regulations since 2004 when Healthy Child Care Nevada and the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension did a comparison study of more than 209 national standards with 288 Nevada child care regulations and found Nevada only fully met five of the national standards. Thirty-four standards were rated as "not met" and 170 standards were rated as "partially met."
Some lawmakers felt that stricter regulations on ratios, group size and director qualifications would put too much of a financial burden on child care providers during a time when many are struggling. Some child care centers are finding it harder to fill slots because some parents are out of work in the poor economy.
Faul said it's up to the board to decide whether to reintroduce the regulations, but she said they'll likely be on hold until the economy improves.
A report released last month by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies ranked Nevada 35th in small family child care home facilities, which looked at 14 national standards for home providers serving six or fewer children. The standards included inspections, background checks, provider education and training, parent-provider communication, required toys, materials and learning activities, and others.
The report listed several strengths in Nevada's regulations, including that providers must follow seven of 10 health requirements, such as immunizations and exclusion of ill children; that regulations address seven of 10 safety requirements, such as crib safety, fire drills and emergency plans; and that a single provider can only care for two children younger than 24 months at one time.