BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 598 (Calderon) - Child care: family child care home
education networks
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|Version: August 1, 2016 |Policy Vote: ED. 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 1, 2016 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill codifies activities of family child care
home education networks (networks).
Fiscal
Impact:
Unknown, likely significant cost pressure related to codifying
activities and existing practices of family child care home
education networks. To the extent all contractors and
providers are not currently satisfying all the duties being
codified in this bill, additional resources would be needed to
come into compliance with the new law, thereby putting
pressure on state resources. For context, the total contract
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value for the networks is $35 million, prior to the enactment
of the Budget Act of 2016. If these activities constitute 5
percent of the total contract value, the statewide cost
pressure could exceed $1 million. See staff comments.
(General Fund)
Background: Existing state law establishes the Child Care and Development
Services Act to provide child care and development services as
part of a coordinated, comprehensive, and cost effective system
serving children from birth to 13 years old and their parents
including a full range of supervision, health, and support
services through full- and part-time programs. Child care and
development services are defined as services designed to meet a
wide variety of children's and families' needs while parents and
guardians are working, in training, seeking employment,
incapacitated, or in need of respite. (Education Code § 8200, et
seq.)
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
to contract with entities organized under law to operate
networks that support educational objectives for children in
licensed family child care homes that serve families eligible
for subsidized child care. Existing law lists requirements for
the networks including: ensuring that provider services are of
high quality and educationally and developmentally appropriate;
recruiting and enrolling eligible families; and collecting
family fees. Networks contract with the California Department
of Education (CDE) to make payments to licensed family child
care home providers, and to provide educational and support
services to providers and to children and families eligible for
state-subsidized child care and development services. (EC §
8245, 8246, and 8208)
Proposed Law:
This bill codifies activities of network contractors and
providers. Specifically, this bill:
Expands the required components of a network program to
include: nutrition education and training, and maintenance of
a developmental portfolio for each child that includes, among
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other items, a child's work product and observations of the
child.
Requires a network contractor to do specified activities when
completing the developmental profile for each child, including
completing the developmental assessment profile selected by
CDE and utilizing the developmental portfolio maintained by
the provider, including provider observations of each child.
Requires a network contractor to also:
o Develop and implement a plan for timely
payment to providers;
o Conduct a parent survey as directed by the
CDE;
o Ensure that parent conferences are offered to
the parent of each enrolled child;
o Support 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;
o Offer providers at least 12 hours annually of
training and technical assistance, as specified, in
group or individual settings.
o Employ at least one child development
specialist who has educational qualifications
equivalent to a child development teacher permit to
provide training, technical assistance, and coaching
to providers; and
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o Maintain a signed agreement, including
specified components, with each affiliated provider
and an authorized representative of the network.
Expands beyond current law the requirement that a network
contractor conduct periodic assessments of program quality to
require the network contractor to conduct no less than six
site visits to each affiliated provider in a program year to
conduct assessments and provide technical assistance,
training, and support.
Requires a provider in a network to adopt and use a curriculum
appropriate for the ages of the children in the home. Allows
a contractor to adopt a policy limiting the curricula
acceptable within its network.
Requires a provider in a network to, among other things,
provide age and developmentally appropriate educational
activities for children; provide parenting education, as
specified; provide nutrition that is consistent with federal
standards; work in consultation with the contractor to
complete the developmental profile for each child, as
specified; and obtain no less than 12 hours of professional
training per year and maintain documentation of the training
for three years.
Related
Legislation: SB 1154 (Liu, 2016) codifies the duties of child
care resource and referral programs (R&R), many of which are
included in state regulations. R&Rs provide information and
services related to child care to all parents regardless of
income and to all providers. This bill (AB 598) similarly
codifies the duties of the networks which provide information
and services specifically to family home child care providers
and contractors. SB 1154 failed passage in this committee.
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Staff
Comments: According to the author, this bill codifies the
expectations for both the contracting agency and the provider in
administering child care programs within home settings.
Family child care home education networks were codified in the
Education Code through Chapter 897, Statutes of 2004 (AB 379,
Mullin). However, the CDE has contracted with networks for over
30 years under the General Child Care and Development Program,
though their duties are not codified in statute. AB 379
established a second type of network, the California Family
Child Care Home Education Network. This bill would further
codify its activities. According to the CDE, it contracts with
33 agencies that provide service to 2,625 children via 799
family child care home providers. Under the General Child Care
and Development program authority, there are 60 agencies serving
4,503 children. Some agencies hold contracts under both types
of networks.
While several of the activities appear to be required through
regulations and contract funding terms and conditions, their
codification creates a cost pressure for the specified
activities. Codifying activities in statute makes activities an
ongoing obligation whereas regulations can be more easily
amended or deleted. Also, to the extent all contractors and
providers are not currently satisfying all the duties being
codified, such as six site visits in a program year, providing
12 hours of professional training, or employing at least one
child development specialist who has educational qualifications
equivalent to a child development teacher permit, additional
resources would be needed to come into compliance with the new
law, thereby putting pressure on state resources. The total
contract value for family child care home education networks is
$35 million, prior to the enactment of the Budget Act of 2016.
If these activities constitute 5 percent of the total contract
value, the statewide cost pressure could exceed $1 million.
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