INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) Childcare providers say proposed state regulations could lower education and training standards for people caring for children.The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) held its first publ ic hearing Monday on rule changes affecting registered childcare ministries, school-age programs and providers in the state's Child Care and Development Fund.Indiana has 751 registered childcare ministries serving nearly 40,000 children.The broad proposal covers staffing, qualifications, health and safety, and facility standards. People who spoke Monday said they support updating the rules but worry some changes could lower the minimum standards for providers.It's safety, and it's lowering the education requirements, but again, those programs can set their own standards, said Cori Kerns, an early-childhood education strategist.Some of the rules date back to 1988. Current rules require school-age staff to complete 12 hours of training each year. The proposal removes that requirement and replaces it with state-approved orientation and safety training.It's not going to bring down the cost of childcare to put somebody in a classroom with a high school diploma that you're going to have to seriously invest in, with the training and the supervision guidelines and the educations requirements that they're going to need to help regulate these children to get them ready for kindergarten, Kerns said.Under the proposal, caregivers would have up to 90 days to finish some required training, though they would still need to complete certain safety training sooner.If that teacher is not getting adequate training, then that lends to there being risk to children, whether it's safety, security, supervision, as well as developmentally, said Jacqueline Strong, site director of Little Duckling Early Learning Academy, a Christian childcare with three Indianapolis locations.In a statement, the FSSA said current requirements make it difficult to grow the state's childcare workforce.The agency said strict education rules have limited the number of people who can open centers because few Hoosiers earn early-childhood education degrees, only about 112 per year over the last 15 years. Indiana has about 4,800 credentialed caregivers, but needs many more for the more than 85,000 positions statewide. By lowering requirements and paying for degrees, the FSSA aims to find more workers and create more spots for children.The agency said in a statement that the changes will give providers more flexibility and make childcare more available.For years, the overly restrictive regulations have limited parent choice and made it harder for childcare businesses to open or expand. By aligning regulations more closely with what is essential for health and safety, and giving businesses more flexibility in hiring, daily operations, and facility management, FSSA aims to expand capacity and strengthen the overall childcare space. It is understandable how some current businesses might not want competition, but more supply and more competition will ultimately lead to better options and higher-quality care for working Hoosier families." Speakers Monday focused on the potential impact on education and training. They said they hope their comments lead to changes before the next public hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.There are a lot of childcare providers that have experience in both the childcare sector as well as the business sector that could come up with something that is sustainable that would benefit early learning as well as benefit the state, Strong said. ...read more read less