Child day care facilities: nutrition.

Existing law, the California Child Day Care Facilities Act, administered by the State Department of Social Services, provides for the licensure and regulation of child day care facilities, defined to include, among others, family day care homes. Under existing law, the department may assess a civil penalty of no more than $50 per day, with exceptions, for violations of the act relating to family day care homes. Willful or repeated violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. This bill would require, except as provided, a family day care home, at a minimum, to provide meals and snacks that, in amount and component, meet certain nutrition standards. The bill would require the department to explain these nutritional requirements on its Internet Web site, in appropriate department outreach materials, and during the orientation of prospective family day care home providers, and would authorize the department to send updated nutritional standard information to providers through a provider bulletin or other similar instruction. The bill would require a family day care home to keep daily menus, available for parents and guardians to see, of all meals and snacks served, as specified. The bill would require the department to take specified actions with respect to noncompliance with these provisions, and would exempt a family day care home from all other procedures that would otherwise govern noncompliance with these provisions. The bill would require the department to inform prospective and current child day care providers about the above-described nutrition requirements by posting certain information on the department's Internet Web site, and by disseminating information by other means deemed appropriate by the department.