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State social workers are in the process of developing new licensing standards for daycare centers, including lowering the ratio of adults to children.

"Quality is not defined by minimum standards, quality is defined by men and women in this industry," a daycare provider and critic of the proposed changes said at a public hearing Tuesday.

It was a passionate plea heard from dozens of daycare providers in front of a committee considering changes to licensing standards.

Critics of the proposed new rules said they are taking good care of their children and fear changes to staffing levels might devastate their daycare financially.

"I'm a single mom who works to provide for my family and I'm not sure what I'd do," Monica Carney said. "This is what I've done my whole life."

Carney owns Tree House Academy, and operates three centers in Texas.

Carney said her facilities were designed for capacity ratios, but the proposed changes would mean fewer kids per caregiver.

She said the cost to pay more teachers, or cut out kids, could come at the expense of low-income clients.

"If I am looking at, ‘Now I have to take six less school-age children,’ guess which six I'm probably going to choose?" she said.

But Megan Johnston, whose center already has fewer kids per adult, said the changes made a big difference in providing what she thinks is better care.

"I tell you the difference in having 18 4-year-olds and 14 4-year-olds is huge. Anyone who's worked with that number of children knows what a difference those numbers can make," she said.

Some state officials agree.

"We don't think the regulations are getting ahead of the industry, we think the regulations are catching up," Patrick Crimmins, with the Department of Family and Protective Services, said.

Texas is one of three states that allow one adult to oversee as many as nine 18-month-olds. Those standards wouldn't change.

Among the group to have more adult oversight are 2- and 3-year-olds and school-age children.

Other proposed daycare standards include ways to combat obesity like limiting TV and video game time, serving water instead of juice at meals and more outside playtime.

If approved, the new standards are expected to take effect Dec. 1. Daycares will have an extra two years to comply with ratio changes.

The public can e-mail comments on the proposed changes to MSC@DFPS.state.tx.us until July 12.