Rules
for Richmond's preschools may get stricter next year
By Kate Richards
December 13, 2004 | RICHMOND -- Preschool
regulations may be tightened in Richmond in the next
year when a new business ordinance is drafted.
Currently, the only requirement for a preschool operator
is a business license, but daycare providers must follow
strict state rules.
Mayor Kip Panter expressed concern about the inconsistency
between requirements for daycares and preschools in
Richmond at September's city council meeting. Resident
Lora Smith requested permission to open a preschool
and in the discussion prior to the approval of her request,
the differences were brought up.
Though daycares are limited to six or eight children,
there is no limit on the number of children allowed
in preschool.
"I think we ought to make the preschools eight," Panter
said, noting that in order to avoid the limit on children
in the program, a care provider could just call it a
daycare.
City Manager Marlowe Adkins said he would examine
state regulations for preschools and look into establishing
city guidelines.
Linda Auger, child care licensing specialist for the
state of Utah, said there aren't any state requirements
for a preschool. Daycares are limited to eight children
per care provider if none of the children are younger
than 2, and six children with no more than three children
younger than 2.
Auger said preschool is not all day, but for a couple
hours and then the kids go home. If the kids stay all
day, or after the preschool part, it should be a daycare.
"It's just the way they write it up," she said.
Daycares require a license, preschools do not. Auger
said cities could establish their own preschool requirements,
but she is unaware of any Utah cities that have done
so.
"My understanding is they do not have any type of
regulations for true preschools," she said.
Auger said preschool providers like to have control
over their curriculum and there hasn't been a push for
guidelines.
Tamara Hardy ran a daycare in her Richmond home for
six years, then switched to preschool six years ago
because she preferred the schedule. She said she now
has a total of 24 children in two preschool classes
and she thinks 12 to 15 children should be the maximum
for one class.
Hardy's son attended a preschool in Smithfield with
30 children in the class. She said that was too many,
but eight seems too small.
There aren't any stipulations as to who can teach
preschool, either. "I think you should at least have
a degree of some kind," Hardy said.
She has a degree in elementary education. But she
said if the rules get too strict, they could end up
harming her teaching.
Adkins said he wants to talk to more people before
drafting any new ordinance, and the city isn't in a
hurry to impose new restrictions.
"If you kick it around a while, you get an idea of
what you should or shouldn't do," he said. "Right now
we don't have a safety issue. If we did we'd move fast."
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