Colorado’s Proposed Day Care Rules Would Dictate Race of Dolls, Time Between Meals
Via Fox News: Day care providers in Colorado may have to meet new rules that would dictate the race of dolls at centers, how much TV kids can watch and time in between meals, making Colorado child care facilities some of the most regulated in the country.
The changes being proposed by the Colorado Department of Human Services include that dolls at centers should represent three races (which are not specified). TV and computer time would be limited to 20 minutes per day unless it’s a special occasion. In addition, providers must not serve whole milk to children older than 2 years old, only 1 percent, 2 percent or skim milk, and guidelines for eating times are outlined. The proposed rules also require providers and children take at least one physical education class per year and that each child have an assigned caregiver.
Some Colorado day care providers say the stipulations are too harsh and that it will break the bank for them, and they are nervous that managing these new guidelines will take focus off of other issues. “My time will be taken up with regulating and micro-managing my classroom. … My time is better spent on curriculum and creating resources for special needs children,” an employee at the Montview Community Preschool in Denver told FoxNews.com, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Others are not as concerned. “We think it’s wonderful. We think it’s great that there are more requirements for children,” Anne Mill from Colonnade Children’s Center in Denver told FoxNews.com.
Linda Smith, executive director of the National Association of Child Care Resource Referral Agencies, told FoxNews.com that the Colorado Department of Human Services has good intentions, but there are other ways to reach their goals “that are not so arbitrary or rigid that allows for things to change and evolve without regulation.”
“Colorado has serious problems with their regulation of child care centers” she told FoxNews.com. “Doggie day care centers are inspected every six months while child day care centers are inspected every other year.“
Why does the government need to meddle in business, believing they know what’s best for children? Any responsible parent is going to choose a day care provider that is the best one, in their opinion, to take care of their child. And having a different race of doll isn’t probably high on their criteria for choosing a quality facility.
DCG
