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WI AB348

WI AB348
The minimum age of assistant child care teachers.


summary

Introduced
07/08/2025
In Committee
07/08/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

2025-2026 Regular Session

Bill Summary

Under current law, the Department of Children and Families regulates child care providers and is required to promulgate rules to carry out that function. Under rules promulgated by DCF, a person hired by a licensed child care center to be an assistant child care teacher must be at least 18 or 17 years old, depending on the qualifications the person meets. An assistant child care teacher or school-age group leader who is at least 18 years old and has completed the training required for the position may provide sole supervision to a group of school-age children for up to 45 minutes if there is a qualified school-age program leader or child care teacher on the premises, and an assistant child care teacher may provide sole supervision to a group of children in full-day centers for up to two hours during opening and closing hours and during the center[s designated naptime. This bill provides in the statutes that a licensed child care center may hire an individual to be an assistant child care teacher if the individual is at least 16 years old and has completed early childhood education training. The bill maintains the current law requirements for assistant child care teachers providing sole supervision to a group of children and adds that an assistant child care teacher may only provide sole supervision to a group of children in a full-day center if there is a child care teacher on the premises.

AI Summary

This bill modifies regulations for assistant child care teachers by lowering the minimum hiring age to 16 and establishing specific training requirements and supervision guidelines. Under the new provisions, child care centers can hire 16-year-old assistant child care teachers who must complete either two early childhood education credits, a non-credit department-approved course in early childhood education, or an approved assistant child care teacher training program within six months of being hired. The bill also clarifies that assistant child care teachers who are at least 18 years old and have completed the required training may provide sole supervision in specific circumstances: in full-day centers (which operate 5 or more consecutive hours), they can supervise children during opening and closing hours (up to 2 hours at the start and end of the day) and during naptime, as long as a child care teacher is on the premises; in school-age programs, they can provide sole supervision for up to 45 minutes if a school-age program leader or child care teacher is present. These provisions aim to provide more flexibility in staffing while maintaining appropriate supervision and training standards for child care centers.

Committee Categories

Education

Sponsors (24)

Last Action

Read first time and referred to Committee on Children and Families (on 07/08/2025)

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