BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                       AB 762


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          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING


          AB  
          762 (Mullin)


          As Amended  June 1, 2015


          Majority vote


           ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
          |Committee       |Votes |Ayes                |Noes                 |
          |                |      |                    |                     |
          |                |      |                    |                     |
          |----------------+------+--------------------+---------------------|
          |Human Services  |7-0   |Chu, Mayes,         |                     |
          |                |      |Calderon, Lopez,    |                     |
          |                |      |Maienschein,        |                     |
          |                |      |                    |                     |
          |                |      |                    |                     |
          |                |      |Mark Stone,         |                     |
          |                |      |Thurmond            |                     |
          |                |      |                    |                     |
          |----------------+------+--------------------+---------------------|
          |Appropriations  |14-0  |Gomez, Bigelow,     |                     |
          |                |      |Bonta, Calderon,    |                     |
          |                |      |Chang, Daly,        |                     |
          |                |      |Eggman, Eduardo     |                     |
          |                |      |Garcia, Gordon,     |                     |
          |                |      |Holden, Quirk,      |                     |
          |                |      |Rendon, Weber, Wood |                     |
          |                |      |                    |                     |
          |                |      |                    |                     |
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                                                                       AB 762


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          SUMMARY:  Expands the age range of the childcare optional toddler  
          component.  Specifically, this bill:  


          1)Increases the upper age limit for optional toddler programs  
            authorized by the Department of Social Services (DSS) from 30  
            months to 36 months.


          2)Directs day care centers with an optional toddler program to,  
            beginning January 1, 2016, extend the toddler component to serve  
            children up to three years old.


          EXISTING LAW:  


          1)Establishes the California Child Day Care Facilities Act,  
            creating a separate licensing category for child day care  
            centers and family day care homes within DSS's existing  
            licensing structure.  (Health and Safety Code (HSC) Section  
            1596.70 et seq.)


          2)Defines "day care center" to include infant centers, preschools,  
            extended day care facilities, and school-age child care centers.  
             (HSC Section 1596.76)


          3)Requires any person or entity operating, as specified, as child  
            day care facility in California to have a current valid license.  
             (HSC Section 1596.80)


          4)Directs DSS to develop guidelines and procedures for authorizing  
            licensed child day care centers serving preschool-age children  
            and licensed child day care centers serving infants to create a  
            special optional toddler program for children between the ages  
            of 18 and 30 months and further requires this optional toddler  








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            program to meet certain requirements, as specified.  (HSC  
            Sections 1596.955 and 1596.956)


          FISCAL EFFECT:  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, this bill will result in one-time costs to DSS of  
          likely less than $100,000 for regulatory and policy changes. 


          COMMENTS:  


          Licensed child care:  The California Child Day Care Facilities Act  
          governs the licensure and operation of child day care centers and  
          family day care homes.  This law and the attendant regulations  
          found in California Code of Regulations Title 22 establish general  
          health and safety requirements, staff-to-child ratios, and  
          provider training requirements. 


          Infant centers serve children under two years old, preschool child  
          care centers serve children between the age of two and when they  
          start school, and school-age child care centers serve children who  
          have entered the first grade or are in a child care program  
          exclusively for children in kindergarten and above.  A  
          "combination center" is any combination of an infant center,  
          preschool child care center, school-age child care center and  
          child care center for mildly ill children that is owned and  
          operated by one licensee at a common address.  In California,  
          separate licenses are currently required for serving infants and  
          for serving preschool-age children.  Thus, owner/operators of  
          combination centers serving both populations must get two licenses  
          and undergo separate inspection and compliance processes for each  
          license.


          Toddler program:  In 1988, the Senate Select Committee on Children  
          and Youth and the Senate Select Committee on Infant and Child Care  
          and Development convened a task force to examine what at the time  








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          were the two basic licensing categories for child care centers:   
          an infant category for children up to two years of age, and a  
          second category for children between the ages of two and 12.  This  
          task force recommended the establishment of a third optional  
          category for toddlers between the ages of 18 and 30 months.  SB  
          629 (Morgan), Chapter 1079, Statutes of 1989, established this  
          optional license category for day care programs and SB 434  
          (Morgan), Chapter 246, Statutes of 1993, refined and made the  
          optional program permanent. 


          As it currently exists, the optional toddler program is available  
          to both centers that serve preschool-age children and centers that  
          serve infants.  These centers can create a special program  
          component for children between the ages of 18 and 30 months; the  
          program has its own staffing ratio and maximum group size  
          requirements, but is considered an extension of the infant or  
          preschool license and does not require a separate license.  The  
          toddler program is to be located in areas separate from those used  
          by younger and older children.  Children can only be placed in  
          this program with parental consent.  A toddler who is more than 30  
          months of age may participate in an optional toddler program with  
          parental permission.


          This bill's extension of the optional toddler program to children  
          up to 36 months of age will help provide flexibility and  
          continuity of care to children and their parents.




          Analysis Prepared by:                                               
                          Daphne Hunt / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089  FN:  
          0000813












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