Child-care centers subsidized by the federal government will, for the first time, have to meet a uniform set of standards for employee background checks, first-aid training and other protective measures.
Under the new regulations proposed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, state governments would have to require child-care providers to comply with fire, health and building codes, set up safety training, fingerprint employees and agree to surprise inspections.
More than 500,000 facilities across the nation would be affected by the new rules, the agency said in a statement.
The announced standards update regulations issued in 1998, which gave oversight of child-care businesses mainly to states.
The decision to expand federal oversight is being proposed because "too many children remain in settings that do not meet minimum standards of health and safety," explained HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a statement.
"Many children already benefit from the excellent care of high-quality child care providers who are meeting or exceeding the proposed requirements," she said. "These basic rules ensure that providers take necessary basic steps to shield children from an avoidable tragedy."
The proposed rules would apply to the country's care providers supported by the federal Child Care and Development Fund, which serve about 1.6 million low-income children, according to the agency.
The proposal is subject to a 75-day comment period before taking effect and wouldn't impose on a state's ability to license child-care providers, the agency said.
The new standards would require states to share information about provider health, safety and licensing information with parents through dedicated websites.
While the rule changes would establish new minimum standards, they would as well recognize the need for innovation and flexibility on the state and local levels and thereby let communities tailor specific approaches to best meet the needs of the children and families they serve.
That said, the agency said the changes would not change or block a state's ability to license child care providers.
The public comment period for the revised child-care standards will last for 75 days, with the proposed rules on public display at https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection