AB 290, Alejo. Child day care: childhood nutrition training.
Existing law, the California Child Day Care Act, requires that, as a condition of licensure and in addition to any other required training, at least one director or teacher at each day care center, and each family day care home licensee who provides care, have at least 15 hours of health and safety training, covering specified components, including preventive health practices courses. Existing law requires the Emergency Medical Services Authority to establish minimum standards for that training.
This bill would provide that, for licenses issued on or after January 1, 2016, a director or teacher who receives the health and safety training shall also have at least one hour of childhood nutrition training as part of the preventive health practices course or courses. The bill would require the childhood nutrition training to include content on age-appropriate meal patterns, as specified, and information about reimbursement rates for the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and would direct child care providers to the CACFP Unit of the State Department of Education for detailed information on CACFP eligibility and enrollment. The bill would authorize the Emergency Medical Services Authority to establish standards for the childhood nutrition training through bulletin or similar instructions from the director until regulations are adopted.
This bill would also make legislative findings and declarations.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Nearly 25 percent of California’s preschool age children are overweight or obese and at risk of developing chronic diseases, which contribute to escalating health care costs.
(b) Child care participation in the United States is at an all-time high. There are more than 45,000 licensed child care facilities in California that serve over one million children.
(c) Research demonstrates that taste preferences and lifelong nutrition habits are formed during the early childhood years.
(d) Research shows that the diets of most children in the United States do not meet the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Children’s diets tend to be low in fruits, vegetables, calcium-rich foods, and fiber and high in total fats, saturated and trans fats, salt, and added sugar.
(e) Research supports that training for child care providers can improve the quality of early childhood programs.
(f) The state has a strong policy and financial involvement in the licensed child care system and in the health and safety of children while they are engaged in that system.
(g) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish an effective date for the requirements of this act that provides sufficient time for the Emergency Medical Services Authority to develop and approve adequate childhood nutrition training standards using existing processes and procedures and to avoid excessive costs and burden on the authority.
Section 1596.865 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:
It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage any person who provides child care in a child day care facility licensed pursuant to this chapter, Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 1596.90), or Chapter 3.6 (commencing with Section 1597.30) to have the following elementary health care training:
(a) Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
(b) Pediatric first aid.
(c) Preventive health practices, including food preparation, childhood nutrition, and sanitation practices that support overall health and reduce the spread of infectious diseases.
Section 1596.866 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:
(a) (1) In addition to other required training, at least one director or teacher at each day care center, and each family day care home licensee who provides care, shall have at least 15 hours of health and safety training, and if applicable, at least one additional hour of training pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2).
(2) The training shall include the following components:
(A) Pediatric first aid.
(B) Pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
(C) (i) A preventive health practices course or courses that include instruction in the recognition, management, and prevention of infectious diseases, including immunizations, and prevention of childhood injuries.
(ii) For licenses issued on or after January 1, 2016, at least one director or teacher at each day care center, and each family day care home licensee who provides care, shall have at least one hour of childhood nutrition training as part of the preventive health practices course or courses.
(3) The training may include instruction in sanitary food handling, emergency preparedness and evacuation, caring for children with special needs, and identification and reporting of signs and symptoms of child abuse.
(b) Day care center directors and licensees of family day care homes shall ensure that at least one staff member who has a current course completion card in pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR issued by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, or by a training program that has been approved by the Emergency Medical Services Authority pursuant to this section and Section 1797.191 shall be onsite at all times when children are present at the facility, and shall be present with the children when children are offsite from the facility for facility activities. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to require, in the event of an emergency, additional staff members, who are onsite when children are present at the facility, to have a current course completion card in pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR.
(c) (1) The completion of health and safety training by all personnel and licensees described in subdivision (a) shall be a condition of licensure.
(2) Training in pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR by persons described in subdivisions (a) and (b) shall be current at all times. Training in preventive health practices as described in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) is a one-time only requirement for persons described in subdivision (a).
(3) The department shall issue a provisional license for otherwise qualified applicants who are not in compliance with this section. This provisional license shall expire 90 days after the date of issuance and shall not be extended.
(4) A notice of deficiency shall be issued by the department at the time of a site visit to any licensee who is not in compliance with this section. The licensee shall, at the time the notice is issued, develop a plan of correction to correct the deficiency within 90 days of receiving the notice. The facility’s license may be revoked if it fails to correct the deficiency within the 90-day period. Section 1596.890 shall not apply to this paragraph.
(d) Completion of the training required pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (b) shall be demonstrated, upon request of the licensing agency, by the following:
(1) Current pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR course completion cards issued by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, or by a training program approved by the Emergency Medical Services Authority pursuant to Section 1797.191.
(2) (A) A course completion card for a preventive health practices course or courses as described in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) issued by a training program approved by the Emergency Medical Services Authority pursuant to Section 1797.191.
(B) Persons who, prior to the date on which the amendments to this section enacted in 1998 become operative, have completed a course or courses in preventive health practices as described in clause (i) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), and have a certificate of completion of a course or courses in preventive health practices, or certified copies of transcripts that identify the number of hours and the specific course or courses taken for training in preventive health practices, shall be deemed to have met the training in preventive health practices.
(3) In addition to training programs specified in paragraphs (1) and (2), training programs or courses in pediatric first aid, pediatric CPR, and preventive health practices offered or approved by an accredited college or university are considered to be approved sources of training that may be used to satisfy the training requirements of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a). Completion of this training shall be demonstrated to the licensing agency by a certificate of course completion, course completion cards, or certified copies of transcripts that identify the number of hours and the specified course or courses taken for the training as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a).
(e) The training required under subdivision (a) shall not be provided by a home study course. This training may be provided through in-service training, workshops, or classes.
(f) All personnel and licensees described in subdivisions (a) and (b) shall maintain current course completion cards for pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR issued by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, or by a training program approved by the Emergency Medical Services Authority pursuant to Section 1797.191, or shall have current certification in pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR from an accredited college or university in accordance with paragraph (3) of subdivision (d).
(g) The department shall have the authority to grant exceptions to the requirements imposed by this section in order to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq.).
(h) The department shall adopt regulations to implement this section.
Section 1596.8661 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:
(a) For purposes of the training required pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 1596.798, pediatric first aid training pursuant to Section 1596.866 shall include a component of training in the administration of inhaled medication described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 1596.798.
(b) The Emergency Medical Services Authority shall establish, consistent with Section 1797.191, minimum standards for a component of pediatric first aid training that satisfies the requirements of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 1596.798. For purposes of this subdivision, the Emergency Medical Services Authority is encouraged to consult with organizations and providers with expertise in administering inhaled medication and nebulizer care, including, but not limited to, the American Lung Association, respiratory therapists, and others.
(c) For purposes of the training required pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1596.866, instruction in childhood nutrition shall be at least one hour in length and shall include content on age-appropriate meal patterns based on the most current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In order to increase child care providers’ capacity to serve healthy foods at a lower cost, the training shall contain information about reimbursement rates for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) (7 C.F.R. 226.20), and shall direct child care providers to the CACFP Unit of the Nutrition Services Division of the State Department of Education for detailed information on CACFP eligibility and enrollment.
(d) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the Emergency Medical Services Authority may, through bulletin or similar instructions from the director until regulations are adopted, establish standards for the training in childhood nutrition required pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1596.866.
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