Childcare.

Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Social Services, requires the department to administer childcare and development programs that offer a full range of services to eligible children from infancy to 13 years of age, inclusive. Existing law requires childcare providers reimbursed through these programs to submit monthly attendance records for each child under specified circumstances. For purposes of the act, existing law defines "attendance" to mean the number of children present at a childcare and development facility, and includes extended absences due to specified reasons for purposes of reimbursement. This bill would add medical and educational appointments to the list of reasons for extended absences that are included in attendance for purposes of reimbursement. For purposes of reimbursement, the bill would also authorize a contractor to claim attendance for days that the contractor or provider is required to hold a space for a child during the period that a family is assumed to have abandoned care or is engaging in the appeal process based on disenrollment for abandoning care. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, to establish a fee schedule for families who utilize the above-mentioned childcare and development programs and to be assessed in a single monthly flat fee that is based on income, certified family need for full-time or part-time care services, and enrollment. Existing law authorizes that a family may be exempt from being charged family fees for receiving child protective services for up to 12 months. This bill would extend the exemption period to up to 24 months.