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I work part time as a daycare provider in Texas, in charge of the after-schoolers (ages 5 -12) and for two weeks now my director has been letting the toddler's caregiver go and sending them all to my room. I have been taking care of an average of 21 kids ranging from 2 to 12 years from 4 pm to closing time (7:30). Is this allowed by the state? 21 kids from very different ages seems like a lot to me. Around 4 kids still wear diapers, they have different attention spans, and the older kids need help with homework. When I asked her today she just gave me the run around and I can't for the life of me find a precise answer on google. Does anyone know?
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I can't imagine this is okay. Usually the ratio is based on the age of the YOUNGEST child in the room. So if you have 2 year olds, that would be the ratio. I don't know what the exact ratio in Texas is, but I can't think of any State that would allow 21 one kids with one provider. -
What your director is doing is illegal. Here are the regulations for centers in Texas
Ratios for Daycare Centers in Texas State
Age Range Child: Staff Ratio Maximum Group Size
0 – 11 months 4:1 10
12 – 17 months 5:1 13
18 – 23 months 9:1 18
2 years (24 months) 11:1 22
3 years 15:1 30
4 years 18:1 35
5 years 22:1 35
6-8 years 26:1 35
9 – 12 years 26:1 35Comment
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Here's ratio info from this site: https://daycare.com/texas/
There's no way what they're asking you to do is legal.Comment
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What happens when you leave your page open for a while before responding? You give the same answer as someone else! LOLWhat your director is doing is illegal. Here are the regulations for centers in Texas
Ratios for Daycare Centers in Texas State
Age Range Child: Staff Ratio Maximum Group Size
0 – 11 months 4:1 10
12 – 17 months 5:1 13
18 – 23 months 9:1 18
2 years (24 months) 11:1 22
3 years 15:1 30
4 years 18:1 35
5 years 22:1 35
6-8 years 26:1 35
9 – 12 years 26:1 35
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Looks like they are just leaving out the age factor.
Chart above says 21 kids is allowed, if they are all 5+. Your director is probably thinking, who cares about the ages.Children are little angels, even when they are little devils.
They are also our future.Comment
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You're going to determine the "specified age group" of your mismatched class and then the ratio is based on that...
Minimum standards from the DFPS website for a child care center (so you can print directly from there): http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Ca...46_Centers.pdf
754.1509 In determining child/caregiver ratio, the following apply:
Child/caregiver ratio is based on the specified age of the children in the caregiver’s group or the age of the youngest child in the group, depending on the activity and the number of children at the child-care center.
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§746.1603. How do I determine the specified age of the children in each group?
Identify the specified age of the children in each group using this formula:
(1) List all of the children in the group in order of their ages from youngest to oldest. Children younger than 24 months should be listed by their age in months. Children two years and older are listed by their age in years.
(2) Determine the total number of children in the group and divide this number by two. If the result is not a whole number but is .5, such as 6.5, round up to the next number, which is 7. This will be the core number of the group.
(3) Begin counting at the first or youngest child on your list and count down the list from youngest to oldest, until you reach the core number. The age of this child is the specified age of the children in this group.Comment
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I'm in Texas, but thank goodness the regs for homes aren't that complicated! We go by the age of the youngest child in the group.Comment
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