Religious Nursery Schools May Face New Health Department Regulations

Religious nursery schools in New York City that have long been exempt from certain child care regulations may face new requirements under a Health Department proposal.

The Health Department's board yesterday voted to open for public comment several measures to improve safety at child care facilities, including one measure that would require some 500 child care services to obtain city permits and conduct criminal background checks on employees. Currently, faith-based nursery schools that are attached to elementary schools are exempt, thanks to their "No Permit Required" status.

Advocates said the proposals are in line with efforts over the past few years to improve safety at child care centers. "When a parent makes a choice about child care, whether they are choosing to have them in institutions run by a religious organization or whether its one run by a community organization, those programs have to meet the same safety and health requirements," the executive director of the Citizens' Committee for Children of New York, Gail Nayowith, said.

Still, some religious officials said that while they are committed to safety for their children, implementing the regulations could be challenging. In particular, they focused on the facility requirements and educational qualifications for child care staff. "Many of our schools have, in fact, their own training systems outside of the traditional colleges that would approach these issues from, perhaps, a more faith-based perspective," an executive vice president at Agudath Israel of America, David Zweibel, said.