Legislation To Improve Child Safety Clears House Panel
Indianapolis—State lawmakers hope to further improve childcare standards through a proposal that passed a House panel Jan. 22. The House Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee, in a 9-3 bipartisan vote, approved House Bill 1036. The measure, which also is supported by the Indiana Catholic Conference, now moves to the full House.
Rep. Kevin Mahan, R-Hartford City, author of the proposal, HB 1036, spent the past several months studying childcare issues to bring better safety for children, while mitigating any concerns from church ministries that provide child care that tighter standards would infringe upon rights and freedoms.
The legislation addresses issues such as group sizes of children; food; health; safety; and sanitation standards. The bill would authorize the state Division of Family and Children to determine specific standards. The bill also would provide children-to-adult-staff ratios that mirror the requirements for licensure. It also would require reporting of injuries to children where a licensed medical professional is involved.
The bill targets childcare providers that receive Child Care Development Fund dollars. The CCDF dollars or vouchers are provided to low-income families for use at participating child care providers.
Glenn Tebbe, executive director for the Indiana Catholic Conference, testified before the House panel in support of the legislation. “The provisions outlined in 1036 are reasonable and conform to good practice that ought to be followed by providers whether or not they are in statute,” Tebbe said. “The health and safety of children are vitally important to the wellbeing of the children and for their parents.”
Mahan reminded his fellow lawmakers of the bipartisan support in the Indiana General Assembly to improve care and early-childhood education overall. Last year, lawmakers passed legislation requiring criminal background checks for providers and basic safety for childcare providers that accept the taxpayer-funded CCDF dollars.
“As legislators we are accountable for programs that use taxpayer funds because our constituents expect it,” Mahan said. “If we are really interested in getting children ready for kindergarten and we are already spending $178 million per year of tax dollars on childcare in CCDF funds, we need to make sure the vendors that we pay to care for these children meet basic health and safety standards. House Bill 1036 focuses on quality and accountability with taxpayer funds.”
Mahan said the bill focuses on the “most basic, common-sense requirements,” and does not require any facility changes. “I want to make sure kids aren’t sitting around eating pop tarts and tater tots,” Mahan said. “There is not a mandated curriculum; instead, I want to make sure kids have a regular routine and are not being put in front of a television all day.”
Eric Miller, executive director and founder of Advance American, who represents 3,400 churches in Indiana, raised numerous concerns with the legislation – saying the bill would give too much license to the state agency to regulate what goes on inside the church walls.
“We are just trying to do what’s right for children,” said Rep. Gail Riecken, D-Evansville, a member of the committee that developed the bill, in response to Miller. “As a member of the Catholic Church, they have no problem with compliance over and above the minimum standards,” added committee member Rep. Cindy Ziemke, R-Oldenburg. “So we’re not picking on churches in this bill.”
Connie Sherman, executive director of St. Mary’s Child Care Center, an agency of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, testified in support of the bill. She told lawmakers that 90 percent of the children St. Mary’s serves are in low-income situations. Sherman explained that children who are in poverty are up to two years behind. “The good news is high-quality, early-childhood education mitigates the results of the poverty,” Sherman said. “And the best news for the children of Indiana today is that this bill provides the research-based benchmarks of high-quality education so desperately needed for our children.”
“Because many of the providers are religious ministries, following concerns raised by church leaders during the first hearing on the bill, a subcommittee worked on language to clarify that only health and safety and not curriculum and religious activities are involved,” Tebbe said. “This new language was adopted in the bill. “
Mahan said that while many childcare providers already exceed the bill’s proposed requirements, it may take time for some childcare providers to adjust their programs. The majority of the provisions in HB 1036 will not be effective until July 1, 2015, to give providers time to prepare.
Indiana law currently allows at least three types of child care providers: 1) a licensed childcare center; 2) a licensed childcare home; and 3) an unlicensed, registered childcare ministry. Under current law, each type comes with certain requirements.
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Statehouse Calendar
Feb. 3—Third reading deadline for House bills in the House
Feb. 5—Third reading deadline for Senate bills in the Senate
March 3—Third reading deadline for Senate bills in the House.
March 4—Third reading deadline for House bills in the Senate.
March 14—Session Adjournment
