Day care regulators rethink revisions New child-staff ratio plan alarms providers

SOUTH PORTLAND – State regulators said they might have to scale back plans to revamp Maine’s day care regulations after several proposals were criticized in a series of hearings this week.

Day care providers told officials they would have to cut staff and ask children to leave if forced to comply with the state’s proposal to reduce the staff-to-child ratio and maximum group sizes.

Some parents said if day care centers raised fees, they would have to quit their jobs or seek cheaper, unlicensed home operations.

Kerry Wiersma of the Department of Human Services said Thursday that regulators would be flexible about the changes.

“What we’re going to have to do is to find a middle ground between what we proposed and what we currently have to alleviate some of these concerns,” said Wiersma. “I don’t think Maine can afford to do what we proposed. Our job over the next month is to look at public comment.”

The changes, which could affect many of the 25,000 children enrolled in the state’s 630 day care programs, would be implemented as early as September and on a staggered timetable, Wiersma said. The child-to-staff ratio component of the rules, for example, may not be implemented for a couple years, she said.

Under the proposed changes, for example, the minimum child-to-staff ratio for 4-year-olds would be 9-to-1, down from the existing 10-to-1 ratio. Also, a 4-year-old could not be in a group of more than 18 children. Now, the same child is allowed to be in a maximum group of 30 children.

The ratio was the primary source of discussion Thursday when Wiersma and two other DHS officials met with more than 80 child care providers, educators, politicians and parents at Southern Maine Technical College in South Portland.

It was the last of three public hearings. The previous sessions were in Bangor and Augusta.

Kathy Hamblen of Gorham, a special education teacher with an infant and toddler, said her day care center already has warned her to expect a 35 percent increase in fees under the proposed ratio change.

“I would be working to keep my kids in day care,” said Hamblen. “The point of doing that is ridiculous.”

Brenda Powers, co-owner of a Biddeford day care center, said she has always provided affordable care and does not want to raise fees to hire more staff to meet state standards.

“This ratio thing is going to hurt the working-class people that are trying to pay mortgages, car payments and day care,” she said.

Not everyone opposed the proposals. A smaller but broad coalition of people showed strong support for the changes, which also included increasing the minimum usable space per child from 35 square feet to 45.

Some even testified in favor of tighter measures for the day care centers, which serve more than 12 children.