After almost 20 years with the same rules and regulations, Missouri day care centers are facing change. The newly proposed regulations come after the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies reported Missouri ranks 44th for its child care safety and performance standards.  The report cited weaknesses in the education level of workers, background checks, and required training hours.

Academy of Fine Arts and Early Learning Education's Director Stephanie Chandler said her workers are more than qualified.

"A lot of our employees have masters degrees. I don't feel like they need any more education to work here. I can understand someone with only a high school degree or a GED, but that's not here," she said.

If the proposal passes, day care centers will have at least six new requirements: increasing the amount of early childhood development training for new child care workers from 12 to 15 hours, capping the size of a preschool class at 20 and requiring centers that exceed that limit to reduce child to worker ratios, requiring centers with employees who are not Missouri residents to obtain a background check from their states of residence as well as a checking with the FBI National/State Sex Offender Registry, requiring staff members certified in CPR to be present at a center during operating hours, requiring directors to take three additional course hours of college business or management courses, and requiring infants to be placed on their backs at nap time to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

"The requirements for child services haven't been changed since 1991" Sue Porting of the Missouri Department of Regulatories and Licensing Representative of Child Services said. "So, we went in and wanted to make sure the rules are up-to-date with current practice."

Chandler said she thinks smaller day cares may not have enough money to meet the new requirements.

"I can understand the financial hurt for rural area day care centers because if you have to cut back on classroom size, then you cut down on revenue," she said.

The proposed requirements still need legislative approval and will not apply to at-home day care or church day care.