Over the past week, I have received a number of calls and emails from longtime colleagues, friends and stakeholders within our community expressing concern, and asking about our perspective on the requirement of ratios for child care programs. To be clear: Wonderschool has always supported the utilization of age-appropriate ratios— and will continue to.
When state policy leaders ask, we urge states to establish ratios aligned with best practices, and always have pointed states to policies that offer specific guidance for ratios in child care programs. I am a proponent of policies that detail age-specific ratios for different types of programs, including center-based, and small or large family child care homes.
Although we never have and never will recommend or advocate for the elimination of child-to-staff ratios, we know that – regardless of our view – states will pursue different approaches grounded in both their unique geographic, demographic and political realities, and the broader set of policies and tools at their disposal.
At the end of the day, our mission at Wonderschool is to support early educators to build sustainable businesses and help families find high quality, affordable child care – no matter where they live. When working with providers to help them get started, we coach them on the benefits of having low ratios: they enable the operation of sustainable businesses because they are less likely to burn out; parents will understandably equate low ratios with quality care. Sustainable, safe, and quality childcare businesses are able to afford to pay more experienced teachers who can provide individualized care for children. In fact, feedback from providers working to keep ratios low while maintaining high quality and safety standards is what led us to build our substitute teacher pool and acquire a teacher recruitment platform.
As many of you know, Wonderschool’s mission is deeply personal to me. As a beneficiary of an amazing home-based care program, I know, firsthand, the power of a strong start. I’m honored to be able to support so many incredible providers across the nation.
-Chris
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