HB 1480

Bill Subjects

Criminal Procedure Study Commissions, Committees And Reports Welfare (Social Services)

Abstract

Removes certain programs from the list of child day programs exempt from licensure and clarifies that such programs are not considered child day programs and therefore are not subject to licensure. The bill also modifies the terms of certain child day programs that remain listed as exempt from licensure and requires that such programs (i) file with the Commissioner of Social Services (the Commissioner), prior to beginning operation of a child day program and annually thereafter, a statement indicating the intent to operate a child day program, identifying the Code provision relied upon for exemption from licensure, and certifying that the child day program has disclosed to the parents of children in the program the fact that it is exempt from licensure; (ii) report to the Commissioner all incidents involving serious injury or death to children attending the child day program; (iii) have a person trained and certified in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) present at the child day program; (iv) comply with background check requirements established by regulations of the Board of Social Services (the Board); (v) maintain daily attendance records; (vi) have an emergency preparedness plan in place; (vii) comply with all applicable laws and regulations governing transportation of children; (viii) comply with certain safe sleep practices for infants; and (ix) post in a visible location notice that the program is not licensed by the Department of Social Services and only certifies basic health and safety requirements. The bill exempts from licensure any program offered by a local school division, operated for no more than four hours per day, staffed by local school division employees, and attended by school-age children who are enrolled in public school within such school division. The bill also modifies staffing ratios for religious-exempt child day centers. The bill directs (a) the Board to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the bill and (b) the Commissioner to establish a process to inspect child day programs exempt from licensure and a process to gather and track aggregate data regarding child injuries and deaths that occur at such child day programs. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2019.