07/24/2024
The Department of Human Services' “Draft Revised Family Child Care Licensing Standards” attacks the family child care profession with many nonsensical and subjective requirements. Compliance on a typical day would require hours of unnecessary tasks and documentation in addition to significant costs.
These proposed changes would turn our loving family child care HOMES into sterile and institutionalized environments. DHS claims that these changes will ensure children’s health and safety; they WON’T. However, they WILL ensure the catastrophic loss of thousands of wonderful licensed family child care providers and deal a devastating blow to Minnesota’s children, families, and economy.
Some of the hundreds of alarming and ludicrous requirements proposed by DHS include:
• No pet hair, feathers, or debris in our homes or yards;
• No “offensive” or “unpleasant” odors;
• No air fresheners--even natural ones--or essential oils;
• No sound machines, fans, or music for sleeping infants unless the provider is next to them, in addition to checking on sleeping infants every 15 minutes;
• Fencing or installing natural barriers around most providers’ play areas (and requiring self-closing and inaccessible gate locks);
• Every area of our homes used by children must stay between 68 and 82 degrees AND 30-50% relative humidity;
• Specifying the exact toys and quantities of toys we need for every single age group, down to the number of blocks and books per child;
• Testing any bare soil for lead with a national EPA-approved lab (many have bare soil under swings or at the bottom of slides);
• Testing water frequently;
• Placing 9" or more of mulch, pea rock, or sand, or 6" or more of cushioning material, under and 6-feet out from all play areas that have "fall zones" (swing sets, forts, climbers, etc.);
• Ridiculous frequency for cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting toys and surfaces that exceeds reasonable cleaning requirements;
• Detailed attendance logs signed by the parents each day;
• Prohibiting PVC in our homes and programs (PVC is used for many homemade and fun science and math activities);
• Testing radon levels every 2 years...even if you have a radon mitigation system;
• Professional inspection and maintenance of furnace and A/C every year;
• Cleaning and sanitizing refrigerators monthly and freezers quarterly; and
• Shampooing carpets every 6 months.
DHS’ proposal should be stricken in its entirety. However, please visit www.MACCP.org/draft to view our detailed concerns about and summary of the draft.
How can you help?
READ the draft, or at least read our response to the draft.
Then, SHARE it with everyone you know.
CONTACT legislators and share about your family child care and how the proposed changes would affect you and your program.
ENCOURAGE every Minnesotan to do the same.
You can view a sample letter with legislators' contact info on our website.
Please share your thoughts with [email protected] before July 31, as well
Please become a member of MACCP as we continue to advocate for our and try to stop this attack on our profession. Licensed family child care providers can join for FREE at www.MACCP.org/membership . Our voices are amplified--and our impact magnified--by your membership.
