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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