Child care: alternative payment programs and contractors: electronic records: digital signatures.

The Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Education, provides that children from infancy 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. Existing law authorizes 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. This bill would authorize contractors and alternative payment programs and providers to maintain any records electronically, as provided, regardless of whether the original documents were created in electronic format. The bill would authorize alternative payment programs and providers to use a digital signature, as provided, and would require that the use of a digital signature have the same force and effect as the use of a manual signature if specified requirements are met. The bill would require the above provisions relating to the electronic maintenance of records or digital signatures to be in compliance with state and federal standards, as determined by the department. The bill would additionally require any conversion from a paper record to an electronic format, as well as the storage of the electronic record, to comply with specified standards.