Child care and development services.

(1) The Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Education, provides that children up to 13 years of age are eligible, with certain requirements, for child care and development services. The act requires the department to contract with local contracting agencies to provide for alternative payment programs, and authorizes alternative payment programs for services provided in licensed centers and family day care homes and for other types of programs that conform to applicable law. This bill would require child care providers authorized to provide services pursuant to those provisions to submit to the alternative payment program a monthly attendance record or invoice for each child who received services that, at a minimum, documents the dates and actual times care was provided each day. The bill would require the monthly attendance record or invoice to, at a minimum, be signed by the parent or guardian of the child receiving services and the child care provider once per month to attest that the child's attendance is accurately reflected. The bill would require verification of attendance to be made by signature at the end of each month of care and under penalty of perjury by both the parent or guardian of the child receiving services and the child care provider. By expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require an alternative payment program to accept the monthly attendance record or invoice as documentation of the hours of care provided if the attendance record or invoice includes adequate information documented on a daily basis, as specified. The bill would specify the hours or days and hours that an alternative payment program is required to reimburse. The bill would make these provisions operative on July 1, 2014. This bill would also authorize alternative payment programs and providers and other contractors providing child care development services to maintain records in electronic format if the original documents were created in electronic format, including, but not limited to, child immunization records. (2) Existing law authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to enter into and execute local contractual agreements with any public or private entity or agency for the delivery of child care and development services related to the delivery of child care and development services or the furnishing of property, facilities, personnel, supplies, equipment, and administrative services related to the delivery of child care development services. This bill would require the department, on and after the date on which the Superintendent determines that the Financial Information System for California has been implemented within the department, at the request of a contractor, to request the Controller to make payments via direct deposit by electronic funds transfer, as specified. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.