Assembly Bill 348 proposes to amend the regulations surrounding the hiring of assistant child care teachers in Wisconsin. Currently, the law allows licensed child care centers to employ individuals as assistant child care teachers if they are at least 17 or 18 years old, depending on their qualifications. The new bill lowers the minimum age for hiring assistant child care teachers to 16 years, provided that the individual has completed early childhood education training. The bill also maintains existing requirements for these teachers to provide sole supervision to groups of children, stipulating that this can only occur if a qualified child care teacher is present on the premises.

Additionally, the bill clarifies the definitions of various roles within child care settings, including "assistant child care teacher," "child care teacher," "full-day center," "school-age program," and "school-age program leader." It specifies that an assistant child care teacher who is at least 18 years old and has completed the required training may supervise children for limited periods, such as during opening and closing hours or designated naptime, but only if a qualified teacher is present. This legislative change aims to expand the workforce in child care settings while ensuring that supervision standards are upheld.