BILL NUMBER: AB 598 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 31, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 21, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 14, 2016
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 4, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Calderon
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Rendon)
FEBRUARY 24, 2015
An act to amend Sections 8245 and 8246 of, to add Section 8248 to,
and to repeal and add Section 8247 of, the Education Code, relating
to child care.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 598, as amended, Calderon. 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,
components, 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 and ensure that a developmental profile is
completed for each child in consultation with the provider.
This bill would require that tools used to make these assessments
be appropriate to family child care home settings. The bill
would require the network to complete the developmental profile in
collaboration with the provider by doing certain things, including
conducting a parent survey of a child's developmental progress as
directed by the department and incorporating it into the profile. The
bill settings and would require a family child
care home education network program to include the
maintenance of a developmental portfolio,
portfolio for each child, as provided. The bill would
also require a family child care home education network to conduct a
minimum of 9 site visits to each affiliated provider in a calendar
year, as provided, among other things.
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.
Existing law imposes various requirements on family child care
home education network contractors, including ensuring that a
developmental profile is completed for each child.
This bill would impose additional requirements on those
contractors, including that the developmental profiles specified
above be completed in accordance with the provider's observations,
conducting site visits, and offering training and technical
assistance, as specified.
This bill would delete this law. a
provision specifying that the provisions relating to family child
care home education networks do not impose any new requirements on a
family child care home education network or require any increase in
reimbursement rates.
The bill would require a provider in a
also impose various duties on family child care home education
network providers, including requiring those providers to
adopt and use a curriculum or curricula of the provider's
choosing that is appropriate for the age range of children in the
home. The bill would also impose additional duties on providers,
including providing and to provide age and
developmentally appropriate educational activities for children.
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 Superintendent, with funds appropriated for this
purpose, shall contract with contracting
authorized entities 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.
(5) Nutrition education and training.
(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. Tools used to make an assessment shall
be appropriate to family child care home settings.
(8) Developmental profiles for children enrolled in the program.
(9) Maintenance of a folder, known as a developmental portfolio,
for each child that includes, among other items, a child's work
product and observations of the child by the provider, the
child development specialist, or both. child.
(10) Parent Opportunities for parent
involvement.
SEC. 2. Section 8246 of the Education Code is amended to read:
8246. (a) A 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)
(1) Recruit, enroll, and certify eligible families.
(b)
(2) Recruit, train, support, and reimburse licensed
family home providers.
(c)
(3) Collect Ensure collection
of family fees in accordance with contract requirements.
(d)
(4) Assess, according to standards set by the
department, the educational quality of the program offered in each
family child care home in the network using assessment tools that are
appropriate to family child care home settings.
(e)
(5) Ensure that Complete
a developmental profile is completed for each
child based upon observations of network staff, and in
collaboration accordance with the
provider, provider's observations, by
doing at least all both of the
following:
(1)
(A) Collaboratively In
consultation with the provider, completing the
developmental child assessment profile selected by the department.
The contractor's child development specialist shall sign the
developmental profile.
(2)
(B) Utilizing the developmental portfolio, as described
in paragraph (9) of subdivision (b) of Section 8245, maintained by
the provider, including provider observations of each child.
(3) Conducting
(6) Conduct a parent survey
concerning his or her child's developmental progress
as directed by the department and incorporate it
into the developmental profile. department.
(f)
(7) Ensure that parent conferences are offered to the
parent of each enrolled child. The parent may decline a parent
conference.
(g) Monitor requirements, including quality standards, and conduct
periodic assessments of program quality in each family child care
home affiliated with the network.
(h) Ensure that basic health and nutrition requirements are met.
(8) Monitor each family child care home affiliated with the
network to ensure that requirements are met, including, but not
limited to, basic health, nutrition, and quality standards.
(i)
(9) Provide data and reporting in accordance with
contract requirements.
(j)
(10) Conduct a minimum of nine
no less than six site visits to each affiliated provider in a
calendar program year for purposes of
conducting assessments and providing technical assistance, training,
and support.
(k)
(11) Support the affiliated providers in meeting the
standards for program quality by reviewing, observing, and assessing
the providers' program components, and providing technical
assistance, training, and coaching.
(l)
(12) Offer providers at least 12 hours annually
of training and technical assistance in group or individual
settings. Trainings Training may
include, but are is not limited to, the
following:
(1)
(A) Age and developmentally appropriate educational
practices and activities for children.
(2)
(B) Appropriate care and supervision of children.
(3) Parenting and parent involvement in the development of
children.
(C) Engaging parents in the program and providing parenting
information on age-appropriate child development and activities.
(4)
(D) Menu planning and nutrition information,
unless this is provided by a United States Department of Food and
Agriculture-funded program. information.
(5)
(E) Provider and family communication.
(6)
(F) Understanding the developmental measures of the
developmental profile child assessment instrument.
(7)
(G) Individualizing the provider's program to meet the
needs of each child in the provider's care by using the results of
the developmental profile.
(m)
(13) Employ at least one child development
specialist, who shall have specialist who has
educational qualifications equivalent to a child development teacher
permit, to provide training, technical assistance, and coaching to
providers. Notwithstanding any other law, family child care home
education network contractors providers
shall not be required to employ individuals with child development
teacher permits.
(n)
(14) Maintain a signed, written agreement with each
affiliated provider and an authorized representative of the family
child care home education network. The agreement shall include, but
not be limited to, all of the following:
(1)
(A) The provider's status as an independent contractor
with the family child care home education network.
(2)
(B) The provider's nondiscrimination policy.
(3)
(C) The established reimbursement rates.
(b) A family child care home education network contractor is not
required to maintain a parent advisory committee.
SEC. 3. Section 8247 of the Education Code is repealed.
SEC. 4. Section 8247 is added to the Education Code, to read:
8247. (a) A provider in a family child care home education
network shall adopt and use a curriculum or curricula, of the
provider's choosing, appropriate for the age range of children in the
home.
(b) In order to ensure educational quality for children, the
contractor may adopt a policy limiting the curricula acceptable
within its network. The policy shall include not less than three
curricula, and the contractor may approve provider developed
provider-developed curricula if they are
educational and appropriate for the age ranges of children in the
homes.
SEC. 5. Section 8248 is added to the Education Code, to read:
8248. (a) A provider shall do all of the following:
(1) Provide age and developmentally appropriate educational
activities for children.
(2) Provide care and supervision of children.
(3) Provide parenting education to parents. Parenting education
may include, but is not limited to, general program information and
formal or informal parent conferences and exchange of information
about the development, needs, and skills of the parents' child or
children.
(4) Identify child and family social service or health needs, and
share those needs with the contractor.
(5) Provide nutrition that is consistent with standards of the
Child and Adult Care Food Program of the United States Department of
Agriculture.
(6) Collaborate Work in consultation
with the contractor in completion of to
complete the developmental profile for each child, including
doing all of the following:
(A) Collaborating in completion of In
consultation with the contractor, complete the developmental
profile child assessment instrument.
(B) Maintaining Maintain a
developmental portfolio, as described in paragraph (9) of subdivision
(b) of Section 8245, for each child that includes items produced by
the child. A copy of this portfolio shall be shared with the family
child care home education network contractor for purposes of
department review.
(C) Maintaining Maintain
observations of the child, and other documentation
of the child's skills.
(D) Conducting or participating Conduct or
participate in parent conferences,
conferences per contractor policies.
(7) Provide the contractor with copies of all citations issued to
the provider by the Community Care Licensing Division of the State
Department of Social Services within five calendar days of the
issuing date of the citation.
(8) Obtain no less than 12 hours of professional training per
year, and maintain documentation of the training for three years.
Training may include group or individual training provided by the
contractor, or training provided by other qualified individuals or
organizations.
(b) A provider may, but is not required to, encourage parent
involvement in the provider's home family
child care program.
(c) A provider is not required to maintain a parent advisory
committee, as required by center contractors.
committee.