What's happening
This bill removes the requirement that staff/child ratios in day care programs be no less stringent than 2000 regulations.
Why it matters
Allows for potential changes to staff-to-child ratios in day care settings. by removing the requirement to adhere to the (potentially stricter) 2000-era standards, giving the Office of Children and Family Services more flexibility in setting these ratios through regulation.
Could impact both day care providers and families. , as changes in ratio requirements might affect the cost of care, availability of slots, and the level of individualized attention children receive.
Shifts regulatory authority. from fixed statutory standards to administrative rulemaking, meaning future staff/child ratio standards could be more easily updated—either tightened or relaxed—without the need for legislative action.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Change Day Care Ratios
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Signed chap.644
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to assembly
- Passed senateVote 58–1
- 3rd reading cal.1794
- Substituted for S278
- Referred to children and families
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Advanced to third reading cal.26
- Reported
- Referred to children and families
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Change Day Care Ratios
Senate Floor Calendar · Sponsor James Skoufis
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
612
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by M. of A. HEVESI, MEEKS, EPSTEIN, SLATER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to the appropriate staff/child ratios for family day care homes, group family day care homes, school age day care programs and day care centers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 2-a of section 390 of the social services law, as added by chapter 416 of the laws of 2000, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The office of children and family services shall promulgate regulations which establish minimum quality program requirements for licensed and registered child day care homes, programs and facilities. Such requirements shall include but not be limited to (i) the need for age appropriate activities, materials and equipment to promote cognitive, educational, social, cultural, physical, emotional, language and recreational development of children in care in a safe, healthy and caring environment (ii) principles of childhood development (iii) appropriate staff/child ratios for family day care homes, group family day care homes, school age day care programs and day care centers[, provided however that such staff/child ratios shall not be less stringent than applicable staff/child ratios as set forth in part four hundred fourteen, four hundred sixteen, four hundred seventeen or four hundred eighteen of title eighteen of the New York code of rules and regulations as of January first, two thousand] (iv) appropriate levels of supervision of children in care (v) minimum standards for sanitation, health, infection control, nutrition, buildings and equipment, safety, security procedures, first aid, fire prevention, fire safety, evacuation plans and drills, prevention of child abuse and maltreatment, staff qualifications and training, record keeping, and child behavior management.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00928-01-5
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.