California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 598

Introduced by Assembly Member Rendon

February 24, 2015

An act to amend Sections 8245 and 8246 of, to add Section 8248 to, and to repeal Section 8247 of, the Education Code, relating to child care.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 598, as introduced, Rendon. Child care: family child care home education networks.

Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to contract with entities organized to operate family child care home education networks that support educational objectives for children in licensed family child care homes that serve families eligible for subsidized care. Existing law requires the family child care home education network programs to include certain things, including an assessment of each family child care home provider to ensure that services are of high quality and are educationally and developmentally appropriate. Existing law also requires each family child care home education network to do certain things, including assess the educational quality of the program offered in each family child care home in the network.

This bill would require that tools used to make these assessments be appropriate to family child care home settings.

Existing law provides that the above laws do not impose any new requirements on a family child care home education network nor does it require any increase in reimbursement rates.

This bill would delete this law.

This bill would state that it is the intent of the Legislature to provide consistency in the implementation and administration of family child care home education network programs, as provided.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 8245 of the Education Code is amended
to read:

8245.  

(a) The begin delete Superintendent of Public Instruction, end delete
begin insert Superintendent, end insert with funds appropriated for this purpose, shall
contract with entities organized under law to operate family child
care home education networks that support educational objectives
for children in licensed family child care homes that serve families
eligible for subsidized child care.

(b) Family child care home education network programs shall
include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Age and developmentally appropriate activities for children.

(2) Care and supervision of children.

(3) Parenting education.

(4) Identification of child and family social or health needs and
referral of the child or the family to the appropriate social or health
services.

(5) Nutrition.

(6) Training and support for the family child care home
education network’s family home providers and staff.

(7) Assessment of each family child care home provider to
ensure that services are of high quality and are educationally and
developmentally appropriate. begin insert Tools used to make an assessment
shall be appropriate to family child care home settings. end insert

(8) Developmental profiles for children enrolled in the program.

(9) Parent involvement.

SEC. 2.  

Section 8246 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

8246.  

Each family child care home education network
contractor, in addition to the requirements set forth in subdivision
(b) of Section 8245, shall do all of the following:

(a) Recruit, enroll, and certify eligible families.

(b) Recruit, train, support, and reimburse licensed family home
providers.

(c) Collect family fees in accordance with contract requirements.

(d) Assess, according to standards set by the department, the
educational quality of the program offered in each family child
care home in the network begin insert using assessment tools that are
appropriate to family child care home settings end insert .

(e) Assure that a developmental profile is completed for each
child based upon observations of network staff, in consultation
with the provider.

(f) Monitor requirements, including quality standards, and
conduct periodic assessments of program quality in each family
child care home affiliated with the network.

(g) Ensure that basic health and nutrition requirements are met.

(h) Provide data and reporting in accordance with contract
requirements.

SEC. 3.  

Section 8247 of the Education Code is repealed.

begin delete

8247.  

This article does not impose any new requirement on a
family child care home education network, nor does this article
require any increase in reimbursement rates. This article does not
require the department to modify its contracting procedure that
was in effect for a family child care home education network prior
to January 1, 2005.

end delete

SEC. 4.  

Section 8248 is added to the Education Code, to read:

8248.  

It is the intent of the Legislature to provide consistency
in the implementation and administration of family child care home
education network programs that acknowledge the higher standards
met by participating family child care providers, the need for a
reimbursement differential above their regional market rate, and
technical assistance, training, assessment, coaching, and other
supporting services offered by family child care home education
network contractors.