As much as I understand and appreciate the licensing standards as standards to keep children safe and also to keep early childhood educators accountable. Sometimes, the wording and standards make it hard to understand or how to interpret what the standard wants. It feels like we are walking a tightrope in the early childhood education field. Then you have the licensing agent come in, whom you think should be on your side, to work with you and encourage you, only to make it feel like they are kicking you because you did not get a paper filled out correctly and training was not done promptly. I get that child's safety matters, but their happiness, smiles, and respect shown to them matter, not if every paper has all its t's crossed and i's dotted.
The other thing that could be a problem with smaller centers like the center I currently work at is "Infants, toddlers, & twos shall have a separate outdoor play area or shall not occupy the outdoor play area at the same time as preschooler & school-age children ." As a small center, this will be hard, especially in the afternoon with afternoon play. It will limit the time a class can go out. This standard says we can not simultaneously have mixed-aged groups in our one-play structure area. Even though the play structure is made for 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s, as a small center, this makes it harder for us than it already is cause there will be a need for more hiring so children can go out at different times, not in a mixed environment. It is hard enough in the childcare field with hiring. I hope there will be some exceptions to this standard being put into place to make it easier for smaller centers with only one main play area.