BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2463
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 13, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Jim Beall, Jr., Chair
AB 2463 (Brownley) - As Introduced: February 19, 2010
SUBJECT : Child care resource and referral programs
SUMMARY : Updates and makes clean up changes to the child care
and resource and referral (R&R) statutes. Specifically, this
bill :
1) Deletes an obsolete appropriation to the child care and
development resource and referral agency. Section 2
2) Repeals a code section regarding funding that was
provided for R&Rs to serve families under stress who needed
short term assistance to avoid the Child Protective Service
system. Since that time, any of those funds have been
reallocated to Alternative Payment Programs (APP), most of
whom work closely and/or are under the same agency as the
R&R. These funds have been co-mingled with APP funds to
serve at-risk families and the service is no longer under
the auspice of R&R services. Section 3
3) Adds a code section for a written complaint procedure
process to conform to existing R&R regulations. Section 4
4) Adds language specifying that the basic child care
referral is at no cost to all persons requesting services
and a fee for an enhanced referral to conform to R&R
regulations. Section 5
5) Adds language to explain two different Child Care
Initiative Projects: State Program-California Child Care
Initiative Project and the other, Quality Plan Program -
California Child Care Initiative Projects. Section 7
6) Adds language to clarify the role of the R&R in
providing maximum parent choice and maximum access to
services in order to conform to existing R&R regulations.
Section 8
7) Adds a new code section outlining the R&Rs role in
Trustline implementation for license-exempt providers and
AB 2463
Page 2
to provide a cross-reference to the Education Code.
Section 10
8) Makes technical changes to clarify the language such as
"chapter" to "article" or "identify from "Identification
of." Section 1 and 2
EXISTING LAW establishes the R&R agencies to serve the child
care needs of the state.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : According to the author, the California Child Care
Resource and Referral Network (Network) is at the forefront of
the oldest, most well-established system of child care resource
and referral (R&R) agencies in the United States. The Network
combines practical knowledge at the local level with extensive
experience in working on state and national child care policy.
Over the past thirty years, California's R&R services have
evolved from a grassroots effort helping parents find child
care, to a well-developed system that supports parents,
providers, and local communities in finding, planning for, and
providing affordable, quality child care. R&Rs are the only
state and federally-funded programs that serve all parents
regardless of income and all types of child care providers.
California has allocated state funds for the local R&Rs to
provide services since 1976. The R&R funding has grown from
$900,000 in 1976 to a current budget in FY 2009-2010 of
$19,438,000, a mixture of state and federal funds ($3.6 million
in federal funding).
Every county in California is served by at least one R&R agency.
The Child Development Division of the California Department of
Education administers the R&Rs' state contracts. Over the last
two decades, R&R services have evolved from a grassroots effort
to help parents find child care, to a system that supports
parents, providers, and local communities in finding, planning
for, and providing affordable, quality child care. While R&R
agencies have evolved, the California Code which governs them
has not.
Amendments contained in AB 2463 serve to clarify the role and
AB 2463
Page 3
expertise of child care resource & referral programs in every
county throughout California to provide the following services:
1) Ensure that all families have access to information to
make the best child care choices to meet their family
needs;
2) Support and develop the child care profession through
training, education, outreach and resources;
3) Document and analyze the child care supply and demand at
the local and statewide levels and strive to improve the
quality, accessibility and affordability of child care;
4) Educate and inform the community about child care needs,
parent needs and available resources; and
5) Ensure the integration of child care resource and
referral services in the development and implementation of
any quality improvement system.
The sponsor, the Network, states that AB 2463 updates and
clarifies tasks performed by R&R programs many of which are
required in the contract Funding Terms & Conditions under
Section IV Community Assistance. The Network has been working
with its members over a two-year period and the amendments
contained in this bill is the product of that effort.
AB 2463
Page 4
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
BANANAS (Child Care Resource & Referral agency)
California Child Care Resource & Referral Network
Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo Co., Inc.
Community Child Care Council of Sonoma Co.
Contra Costa Child Care Council
Del Norte Child Care Council
Marin Child Care Council
Pathways
River to Coast children's Services
Sharon Erickson, Bd. Chair, Childcare Coordinating Council of
San Mateo County
Solano Family & children's Services
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Frances Chacon / HUM. S. / (916)
319-2089