Several other states were also considering similar measures, spurred by the same shortage of child care providers and the same economic pressures that had forced Kansas lawmakers to act. But the debate in Kansas, with its echoes of past tragedies and past successes, was particularly poignant.
“We can’t go back to the days of unsafe child care,” said state Sen. Danielle McKay, a Democrat who had been a vocal opponent of the proposed legislation. “We’ve seen what happens when we don’t have proper oversight and regulations in place. We can’t let history repeat itself.”
As the debate raged on in Topeka, child care providers, parents, and advocates across the state held their breath, waiting to see if the lessons of the past would be forgotten or if the legacy of Lexie’s Law would be upheld.
Lexie’s Law, passed in 2010 after a toddler died in an unlicensed home, requires unlicensed child care providers to adhere to certain safety standards. Goss emphasized that the law had significantly reduced the number of child deaths in Kansas. She also warned that the proposed changes would increase the risk of harm to children and undermine years of progress in ensuring their safety.
Opponents of the bill also pointed out that teenagers, no matter how well-intentioned, lack the training and experience necessary to provide high-quality care to young children. They argued that child care is not just about supervision, but also about fostering development and ensuring children’s well-being.
The bill ultimately failed to pass, but similar proposals continue to crop up in other states. The debate over child care deregulation is far from over, with lawmakers, advocates, and experts continuing to clash over the best way to address child care shortages and support working families. As states grapple with the aftermath of the pandemic and the end of federal aid, the future of child care policy remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the decisions made now will have a lasting impact on the well-being of children and families across the country.
They were busy changing diapers, feeding babies, and trying to calm a crying child. Strahorn saw the chaos and felt a pang of guilt – she knew the teachers were overwhelmed and under-resourced, but there was nothing she could do about it. The deregulation bill had passed, and now they were operating at maximum capacity with minimal staff.
As she administered the medicine to the toddler, Strahorn couldn’t help but worry about the long-term effects of this deregulation on the children in their care. Would they receive the attention and support they needed to thrive? Or would they be left to fend for themselves in an overcrowded, under-resourced environment?
Strahorn knew that quality child care was essential for the healthy development of young children. She had seen firsthand the impact of nurturing, responsive caregiving on the children at Conmigo Early Education Center. She was determined to fight for their right to safe, affordable, high-quality care.
And so, as the tug-of-war over child care in Kansas continued, Strahorn joined forces with other providers, advocates, and parents to push back against the deregulation bill. They organized rallies, lobbied lawmakers, and shared their stories with the media.
Slowly but surely, their efforts began to pay off. Lawmakers started to listen, and public opinion began to shift. People began to see that quality child care was not a luxury, but a necessity. And they realized that the well-being of our children was worth fighting for.
Eventually, the tide turned, and the deregulation bill was defeated. In its place, a new bill was introduced that aimed to strengthen, not weaken, child care standards in Kansas. It was a hard-fought victory, but it was worth it. The children of Kansas deserved nothing less.
And as Kay Strahorn looked around the Panda classroom, she knew that their fight was far from over. But she also knew that they had the passion, the dedication, and the determination to keep fighting for what was right. For the children.
Strahorn and her dream team continue to provide high-quality care for the children at Conmigo Early Education Center, despite the challenges they face. Their dedication to the well-being and education of the children in their care is unwavering, and they refuse to compromise on safety and quality standards. As they navigate the ever-changing landscape of child care regulations in Iowa, they remain committed to providing the best possible environment for their students.
It is clear that the issues facing child care providers in Iowa are complex and multifaceted. While some initiatives show promise in addressing the challenges of low pay and retention, there is still much work to be done to ensure that all children have access to high-quality early education programs. The ongoing debate over regulations and deregulation highlights the need for thoughtful and informed policy decisions that prioritize the well-being of children and the professionals who care for them.
As Strahorn, Brown, and Nieto continue to work tirelessly to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children at Conmigo, their dedication serves as a reminder of the importance of early childhood education and the critical role that child care providers play in shaping the future of our communities. They are truly the dream team, and their commitment to excellence is an inspiration to us all.
They expect more deregulation efforts in the future.
During the brief but frenzied final stretch of the presidential campaign, many child care advocates saw Vice President Kamala Harris as the best chance for more federal investment in child care — and with it, a meaningful counterweight to the deregulation movement. Harris spoke frequently of her plans for a “care economy,” which included a proposal to cap child care costs at 7 percent of a working family’s income, and called for child care providers to “receive the wages that they deserve based on the dignity of their work.” These plans followed some imperfect yet notable child care policy strides made during the Biden administration, including new federal rules that lowered the cost of care for military families and low-income families.
With the election of Donald Trump and JD Vance, the prospects for a renewed national commitment to quality, affordable child care have dimmed considerably. Now, child care advocates are gearing up to fight for federal resources from a deeply conservative administration that has not only signaled hostility toward federally funded programs but also made deregulation a cornerstone of its agenda. Project 2025, a blueprint for a second Trump administration organized by the Heritage Foundation, calls for the elimination of the Office of Head Start, which oversees federally funded early learning programs that serve more than 800,000 low-income children. It also directs the administration to prioritize funding for military families and “familial, in-home” care, including money for stay-at-home parents.
Trump’s first term in office offers some additional insights into what we might expect. During his first go-round, Trump proposed cuts to the Child Care and Development Block Grant, a federal program that helps low-income families afford care. (Congress ultimately passed increases to the program, which Trump signed off on.) Although Trump then provided $3.5 billion in relief to the program during the pandemic, his child care policy approach has since focused largely on reducing costs for families through tax credits, without addressing the operating and staffing costs that are major barriers for programs.
For his part, Vance has devoted considerably more time to the topic of child care, but largely along lines that are hostile to robust government support. Vance is a vocal opponent of formal, publicly funded child care. In 2021, he wrote on X that “‘Universal day care’ is a class war against normal people.” During this year’s vice presidential debate, he acknowledged that the government may need to spend more money on child care but said that money should go toward informal care arrangements.
Vance also has suggested that regulations are to blame for child care staffing shortages, claiming in a September interview with far-right Turning Points USA founder Charlie Kirk that there are plenty of people who want to work in child care, but that “the state government says you’re not allowed to take care of children unless you have some ridiculous certification that has nothing to do … with taking care of kids.” (It was unclear what Vance was referring to, as the only formal certification required of child care staff in licensed settings is typically in first aid and CPR.)
Vance also appeared to blame the staffing challenges that providers are facing on education requirements for child care teachers. “Don’t force every early child care specialist to go and get a six-year college degree,” Vance told Kirk. (No state requires anything close to that level of education to work in child care.)
The similarity of such arguments to those advanced by pro-deregulation politicians suggests just how strongly their goals will be aligned over these next four years. The Trump-Vance administration almost certainly will fan the flames of the child care deregulation movement at both the state and national levels. And while there is little evidence that the states that have moved toward deregulation have seen positive changes on the ground — many parents are still unable to find care, and providers are still shutting down — that hasn’t curbed the deregulatory zeal of many politicians. In Kansas, as elsewhere, the push continues.
This spring, in Kansas, Republican lawmakers once again brought forward a series of deregulation measures. Although they made no mention of 14-year-olds this time, they did propose increasing child-to-staff ratios as well as the maximum number of children who can be cared for by one provider in home-based settings — those settings where the majority of child deaths have occurred.
After several revisions, the proposed legislation died, but that didn’t stop the Republican majority in the Legislature from asserting its will: In April, lawmakers passed the final state budget, which was stripped of most of the $56 million in funding that Gov. Kelly was seeking for child care.
Also this spring, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment completed a lengthy process of changing regulations on its own, including some easing of child care ratios. The new regulations were approved by the Republican state attorney general and took effect in early August.
A child prepares to go down the slide at Conmigo Early Education Center. Credit: Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report
“Do I think they went far enough? No, and they know that,” said Sen. O’Shea, referring to the state’s efforts. “But it’s a step in the right direction.” It remains unclear whether Republican legislators will try to push for more deregulation in the upcoming term. In late April, O’Shea announced she would not run for reelection.
On the federal level, experts question whether lawmakers will ever give the child care industry the funding it needs to solve the problems that states are trying to solve on their own. Sonya Michel, a child care historian, told me she’s pessimistic that America will ever adequately fund child care. “Given the political polarization and our lack of a history or tradition of social democratic support for public social service … I don’t see that happening,” she said.
Es difícil ver de dónde vendría el impulso en este momento.
Mientras tanto, en programas de cuidado infantil en todo el país, los niños de América ya están en medio de sus días más críticos de desarrollo cerebral, sus cerebros produciendo rápidamente nuevas neuronas. Independientemente de qué circuitos del cerebro se fortalezcan y cuáles no, los legisladores seguirán debatiendo cuánto de nuestro dinero y atención merecen los primeros años, y luego pasarán a los niños a las escuelas donde muchos maestros intentarán resolver los mismos problemas que no necesitaban ser creados en primer lugar.
Sara Hutchinson contribuyó a la investigación de esta historia.
Contacta a la escritora Jackie Mader al (212) 678-3562 o [email protected].
Esta historia sobre regulaciones de cuidado infantil fue producida por The Hechinger Report, una organización de noticias sin fines de lucro e independiente centrada en la desigualdad y la innovación en educación, con un apoyo sustancial de la Beca Spencer en la Escuela de Periodismo de Columbia. Suscríbete al boletín de Educación Infantil.
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