I believe that the proposal from the CT Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to change the required teacher-child ratio in child care centers for 2-year-old children should be REJECTED by the Regulations Review Committee of the Connecticut state legislature.
The proposal is badly flawed and goes against decades of professional guidance and common sense. This proposal would increase profits for commercial day care centers but compromise the well-established standard of care for this age group.
There is a shortage of places in childcare programs, but the proposal to increase the ratio of teachers to children in the two-year old group from 1:4 to 1:5 will be HARMFUL to the children, teachers, and families.
Adequate care for 2-year-old children is very labor intensive. Every child needs a strong attachment to their caregiver in order to learn and develop. Two-year-olds are often in diapers, need help with eating and dressing, have immature language skills, need guidance in socialization and help in managing transitions. They need constant supervision to prevent accidents. If an individual child has medical problems (such as asthma) or emotional challenges, that child needs the full attention of an adult, while the other children still require supervision.
There are not enough trained caregivers, so there is a shortage of staff which means that centers close classrooms and some centers close completely. The solution to this problem is NOT to increase the number of children per teacher, but to make sure the teachers have adequate professional support, reasonable salaries and benefits, and incentives to remain in the profession. More children per teacher will lead to more burnout.
Families will suffer because their children will not have the attention they need to promote their development and emotional maturation. There will be more accidents and illnesses, and the families will miss days at work.
This proposal is not good for anyone except the shareholders of commercial day care centers.
Deborah Ferholt, MD is a pediatrician in Hamden.