12/12/2011

By MICHAEL HALL The Brunswick News

A new rule from the state agency that oversees early child care and education in Georgia is forcing some day care center employees in Brunswick to go back to school to keep their jobs.

Bright From the Start, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, will require lead classroom teachers in licensed day care centers to have as a minimum qualification for the job either a child development associate credential or technical certificate of credit, beginning December 2012.

To Sharon Gammage, director of Mary House Day Care in Brunswick, it means a loss of employees. Many who have been in child care for a long time but have never earned any type of secondary education are getting out of the business because of the new rules, she said.

“It is going to be difficult,” she said.

None of her employees has earned the credentials yet, but those who plan to stay in the field are enrolling in programs now to finish by next year.

Finding time and money to pay for the courses is difficult in a job that tends to pay hourly wages and requires long hours, she said.

State budget cuts in a program that used to help many of her customers pay for child care have dropped revenues to a point where she is unable to help her employees pay for classes, Gammage said.
In a few years, she sees another problem.

“I will have to pay new employees more when they have the credentials,” Gammage said.

Andrea Dickerson, director of Akeba Academy in Brunswick, says the new rules will be beneficial. Several of her employees already have the certifications, which is why she hired them.

“My goal is to make sure the children I care for are ready for school. Having the (child development associate) credential will equip the teachers to improve on the quality of care.

“For so long we have only been looked at as baby-sitters. This could change that,” Dickerson said.
She agrees with Gammage that it might be difficult for some people to find affordable and available courses to meet the new requirements. She said people in Glynn County should feel lucky because they have options like Altamaha Technical College.

Stephanie Sutton, an early childhood instructor at Altamaha Tech, says no one has enrolled in the child development associate program at the Brunswick campus since it started last year.

There are other private options available for the training, but those who need the classes shouldn’t wait too long. “This isn’t something they can start in August and finish by the end of 2012,” Sutton said.

An associate degree, technical college diploma, teaching certificate or bachelor’s degree also will meet the new state requirement.

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