Massachusetts daycare workers will soon be required to complete a lot more paperwork as a part of their regular jobs. According to Edward Mason and Jessica Van Sack in the Boston Herald News article “State imposing host of new requirements on day-care providers”, daycare workers will become educators preparing children for Kindergarten and reporting on their development.
New Requirements for Daycare Providers in Massachusetts
Among the new requirements that will take effect in January, 2010, daycare workers will be required to write progress reports on each student every 3-6 months that track the development of the children in their care. The daycare workers will also have to assist the children in tooth-brushing after meals and for any child in their care for at least 4 hours.
Private nannies will be affected by this legislation as well, having to create a curriculum that gives evidence of educational activities designed to prepare children for school. Sherri Killins, Early Education Commissioner, stands by the new rules saying that “We’re not asking anyone to do anything that’s not in the best interests of high quality care for children.”
The Effect of New Legislation on Child Care Workers
As this new legislation takes effect in January, child care workers in Massachusetts will find themselves inundated with additional paperwork and planning requirements. Planning for age-appropriate educational activities will take on a whole new meaning as these plans will be required and filed away to prove the worth of the program. Time may very well be taken away from the children as child care workers begin to try to find additional time to fill out the required paperwork on each child.
How will this legislation effect the child care situation across the Nation? Indeed this legislation may be precedent setting and only time will tell whether other states follow Massachusetts’ lead. While arguments can be made that it is in the children’s best interests, having the government intervene in child care settings may not provide the best results as legislation regarding the No Child Left Behind Act has had a mixed result in the school system.
Will New Child Care Regulations Benefit the Children?
In a society where parents are more likely to drop their children off at activities, daycare, school, etc, it is not entirely surprising that requirements are changing for child care workers. The less involved parents become in their children’s lives, the more necessary it will become for those who care for the children to step up and fill those responsibilities.
It is important for parents and child care workers to understand the new legislation that will go into effect in Massachusetts in January, 2010. It will become increasing important for parents to pay attention to who is caring for their children and whether their child’s needs are being met. Parents also need to evaluate whether they are taking responsibility for their child’s upbringing and not leaving it up to those educators to whom they drop their children off to every day.
Read more about the drop-off generation.
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