Commenter:
Paige Kepner, Child Development Center at Wyndham
Staff Training, Lead Teacher Requirements, 10 Hour Required Preservice Training
Staff Requirements and Training: Hiring qualified applicants for childcare centers with only a high school degree can be very challenging as these same candidates are able to secure a less demanding job for a higher pay. Requiring degrees or 24 hours of additional training for lead teachers adds an additional layer of difficulty as it limits the pool of eligible candidates. Many individuals with a passion for childcare and a high school diploma may possess valuable hands-on experience, but they might find it challenging to meet the formal education requirements. Moreover, centers invest a lot time and resources into training lead teachers for their specific programs, making it challenging to require additional hours of general training. While I recognize the importance of professional development, I think a more reasonable balance, such as a 12-hour training requirement, ensures that centers can adequately prepare their lead teachers for their specific educational approaches while also meeting broader industry standards.
8VAC20-78-120B.2.b. Lead teacher qualifications. Reduce the mandatory training hours from 24 to 12 reduces the burden on the industry without sacrificing quality. Orientation training should also count towards this qualification. .
8VAC20-781-140A. Orientation Training. The 10 hour preservice training sponsored by the Department should be shortened to 5 or 6 hours and give staff who work at non-subsidy schools the ability to “opt out” of the chapters on subsidy training/billing, etc... Furthermore, the Department should permit schools that have their own preservice training programs to “opt out” by proving that their preservice training covers substantively the same topics and request approval that their training be used in lieu of the 10 hour preservice training at their Centers.
