INDIANAPOLIS – A bill that would increase the number of children allowed to be supervised by unlicensed home providers advanced with full-throated Republican support over the concerns of Democrats on Wednesday.
House Bill 1102 would allow such home-based providers to supervise up to seven children before licensing, an increase from the current maximum of five. Additionally, programs operating out of schools will be exempt from licensing requirements, so long as they meet health and safety standards.
Democrats worried about increasing the number of children supervised by home providers because kids related to the provider don’t count toward the maximum.
Testimony from the Family and Social Services Administration shared minimum staffing ratios for center-based providers, which are: one adult for four infants and one adult for five two-year-old children. By age three, one teacher can supervise up to ten children.
Theoretically, a home provider could have four young children at home on top of the seven allowed under the bill.
“This makes me uncomfortable – expanding in this way without addressing the number of children that might be present in the home already from the parent,” said Sen. Yoder (D), of Bloomington.
Indianapolis’ Ford additionally wondered about background checks for visitors at home-based centers, which prompted Sen. Liz Brown to fire back about government overreach in private homes and she implored the committee to “put our reasonable hats on.”
The bill passed on an 8-2 vote with support from Republicans and now moves to the Senate.
Read the complete Whitney Dowanrd story for the Indiana Capital Chronicle, here.
Downard-Courtesy-ICC
