We just received more updated Texas State Guideline (ie. licensing guidelines) today, 5/26/20 that contradict the new Governor's Guidelines that were issued last Monday 5/18/20. Here is what the update says:
Should I follow the modified child care ratios?
Yes, to the extent possible, you should follow the modified child care ratio chart on page 6 of the Open Texas Checklist for Child Care Operations. Modified ratios will allow you to implement social distancing strategies and help to reduce the close contact exposure should a child or caregiver test positive at your operation. We recommend group sizes be stable, with the same children and caregiver in the same group every day, this includes all age groups. These groups can be in the same room but caregivers, to the extent possible, should enforce the separation of the groups.
Will I be cited if I do not follow the modified child care ratios?
No, the modified child care ratios are not Minimum Standards nor Emergency Rule and cannot be cited. Child Care Regulation will enforce Minimum Standards related to Child/Caregiver Ratios and Group Sizes.
However, last Monday, the information we received along with the new ratios said this:
(g) If this emergency rule is more restrictive than any minimum standard relating to the operations addressed by this rule, this emergency rule will prevail so long as this emergency rule is in effect.(h) If an executive order or other direction is issued by the Governor of Texas, the President of the United States, or another applicable authority, that is more restrictive than this emergency rule orany minimum standard relating to the operations addressed in this emergency rule, the operations must comply with the executive order or other direction
So who are we to believe? Arrghhh! The right hand and the left hand need to slap each other!
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Tim Kaminski
Director/Owner
Gingerbread Kids Academy
Richmond TX
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-23-2020 07:17 AM
From: Christine Heer
Subject: New Texas Guidelines will Ensure that Daycares will not Survive
We haven't heard yet if our ratios will change here in Massachusetts, but I wonder, across the board, can we keep the same amount of children and teachers but just break the groups up differently and utilize outside as another "classroom". For example if you have a class of 12 with two teachers- 6 are in the indoor classroom with one teacher and 6 are in the outdoor classroom with one teacher. You then rotate that schedule daily. Better yet...find more outdoor space so everyone can be outside with enough room to spread out. We know now that the virus is much more likely to be passed person to person and not on surfaces...outside provides ample fresh air to carry those droplets away and to the ground rendering them inert. I urge us all to work with our state licensing bodies for early education and care so that we are not creating another trauma experience for children as they return to our care. We must focus on their emotional health as well as their physical health while considering the economical health of our programs. Anything that you can do inside can be done outside and it is the BEST place to be...does anyone have a connection to LL Bean, REI etc. to get rain and snow gear discounts or donations for children and educators? That is one draw back to being outside all the time in all weather, while it is the healthiest , it is costly to have proper gear so children and educators can enjoy themselves outside in all types of weather.
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[Christine] [Heer, M.Ed.]
[Director; Co-Owner]
[Grow, Bloom & Thrive, LLC]
[Dover] [MA]
Original Message:
Sent: 05-22-2020 08:34 AM
From: Tina Summers
Subject: New Texas Guidelines will Ensure that Daycares will not Survive
Hello Patricia -
In my state, the group size in a classroom was determined by two factors: ratio of student-to-teacher based on age, and allocating a specific square footage per student, which I can't recall right now. So for example, the ratio for 3-year-olds is 8 children with 1 teacher, and the physical space of their classroom in my school allows for a group size of 12 children with 2 teachers. With this new group size restriction of 10 bodies in a physical space, regardless of the allowable square footage or size of your rooms, centers are faced with turning students away and losing that revenue, or spreading staff across smaller groups if you have the space in your center to do this, or hiring more staff if you don't have enough teachers qualified to lead a class by themselves. It's complicated and financially detrimental and disheartening.
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Tina Summers
Amherst NH
Original Message:
Sent: 05-21-2020 12:58 AM
From: Patricia Mezu
Subject: New Texas Guidelines will Ensure that Daycares will not Survive
hello Tim,
Thanks for sharing this document, I will read through it later.
I don't live in the US, but I do have a question for you Tim, & all the educators who have replied to your post - will the number of children in a classroom be based on the size of the class as well as the new requirements for social (perhaps that term should change to 'physical') distancing? In the UAE the regulations for class sizes in preschool is based on the size of the room and each child is expected to have a minimum amount of space. Thanks.
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Patricia Mezu
Professional Minds FZ LLC
www.prminds.org
Original Message:
Sent: 05-19-2020 01:10 PM
From: Tim Kaminski
Subject: New Texas Guidelines will Ensure that Daycares will not Survive
Yesterday the Governor of Texas announced that all day cares could be open. Now there has never been an order from the Governor mandating that Day Cares had to close during the Covid 19 crisis. In fact day cares were encouraged to stay open for "Essential Worker" employees and then at one point, day cares were restricted to only taking in "Essential Worker" students. The rest of the time the needs of the day cares in terms of their financial and operational struggles were pretty much ignored by the Governor's office. Centers that closed did so because they couldn't afford to stay open, not because they were mandated too.
So now the Governor wants to make it sound like he has done this grand gesture by saying "all" day cares can be open. The good news is that centers are no longer restricted to only Essential Worker students which gives the centers more options for enrollments. However the extremely bad news is that in order for centers to stay open or reopen they have to comply with a new 13 page document and significantly modified child care ratios that reduce the amount of revenue that can be generated per class group and increase the labor costs at the same time. Here is an example of the new ratios:
0-11 ratio 1-4 no more than 8 children in the room and they have to be divided into two groups Reduced by (2)
12-17 ratio 1-5 no more than 10 children in the room and they have to be divided into two groups Reduced by (3)
18-23 ratio 1-7 no more than 14 children in the room and they have to be divided into two groups Reduced by (4)
2 yrs ratio 1-8 no more than 16 children in the room and they have to be divided into two groups Reduced by (6)
3 yrs ratio 1-10 no more than 20 children in the room (these children wont be able to remain in two groups?) Reduced by (10)
4 yrs ratio 1-10 no more than 20 children in the room (these children won't be able to remain in two groups?) Reduced by (8 or 15)
5 yrs ratio 1-10 no more than 20 children in the room and they have to be divided into two groups Reduced by (12 or 15)
6-8 yrs ratio 1-10 no more than 20 children in the room and they have to be divided into two groups Reduced by (16)
9-13 yrs ratio 1-10 no more than 20 children in the room and they have to be divided into two groups Reduced by (16)
Total Reduction (77 students)
So this means instead of needing 5 teachers for your 3yr-13yrs based on the old ratios you will now need 10 teachers for that same # of students and that's just for one (8 hour) shift and have the space to divide into two separate groups.
Obviously there were no childcare business owners utilized to come up with these numbers which is typical of how these things get decided
in Austin. Please review the attached document and let me know if you are assessing this the same way I am. I don't see how this helps
us at all.
With the new ratios and guidelines in place, I cannot see how a childcare center that is used to operating with 120 paying students can survive if they are limited to around 70 students based on their available space and the new ratio mandates and they have to add 5 additional staff if they want to go above that number. If someone can figure out a budget that works with these numbers, please let me know.
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Tim Kaminski
Director/Owner
Gingerbread Kids Academy
Richmond TX
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