8208.
As used in this chapter:(a) (1) “Alternative A child is eligible for the part-day California state preschool program if both of the following requirements are met: payments” includes payments that are made by one child care agency to another agency or child care provider for the provision of child care and development services, and payments that are made by an agency to a parent for the parent’s purchase of child care and development services.
(A) The child is one of the following:
(i) (b) A two-year-old child and the California state preschool program has chosen to enroll the two-year-old child in accordance with the guidance developed “Alternative payment program” means a local government agency or nonprofit organization that has contracted with the department pursuant to Section 8207.1. 8220.1 to provide alternative payments and to provide support services to parents and providers.
(c) “Applicant or contracting agency” means a school district, community college district, college or university, county superintendent of schools, county, city, public agency, private nontax-exempt agency, private tax-exempt agency, or other entity that is authorized to establish, maintain, or operate services pursuant to this chapter. Private agencies and parent cooperatives, duly licensed by law, shall receive the same consideration as any other authorized entity with no loss of parental decisionmaking prerogatives as consistent with the provisions of this chapter.
(d) “Assigned reimbursement rate” is that rate established by the contract with the agency and is derived by dividing the total dollar amount of the contract by the minimum child day of average daily enrollment level of service required.
(ii) (e) A three-year-old “Attendance” means the number of children present at a child care and development facility. “Attendance,” for purposes of reimbursement, includes excused absences by children because of illness, quarantine, illness or quarantine of their parent, family emergency, or to spend time with a parent or other relative as required by a court of law or that is clearly in the best interest of the child.
(iii) (f) A four-year-old child. “Capital outlay” means the amount paid for the renovation and repair of child care and development facilities to comply with state and local health and safety standards, and the amount paid for the state purchase of relocatable child care and development facilities for lease to qualifying contracting agencies.
(iv) (g) Enrolled in kindergarten pursuant to Section 48000. “Caregiver” means a person who provides direct care, supervision, and guidance to children in a child care and development facility.
(h) “Child care and development facility” means a residence or building or part thereof in which child care and development services are provided.
(B) (i) The child’s family is one “Child care and development programs” means those programs that offer a full range of services for children from infancy to 13 years of age, for any part of a day, by a public or private agency, in centers and family child care homes. These programs include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(i) A current aid recipient.
(ii) Income eligible.
(iii) Homeless.
(iv) One whose children are recipients of child protective services, or whose children have been identified as being abused, neglected, or exploited, or at risk of being abused, neglected, or exploited.
(v) (I) One that has children with exceptional needs, as defined in Section 8205.
(II) Only the children in the family who are children with exceptional needs may be enrolled under the eligibility criteria of this clause. Any other child in the family without exceptional needs may be enrolled pursuant to any of the criteria established in clauses (i) to (iv), inclusive.
(vi) (1) One who has a member of its household who is certified to receive benefits from Medi-Cal, CalFresh, the California Food Assistance Program, the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the federal Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Head Start, Early Head Start, or any other designated means-tested government program, as determined by the department. Children eligible for services pursuant to this subparagraph shall be prioritized by the income declared on the application for the means-tested government program. General child care and development.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law, a part-day California state preschool program may provide services to children in families whose income is no more than 15 percent above the income eligibility threshold, as described in Section 8213, after all eligible two-, three-, and four-year-old children have been enrolled. No more than 10 percent of children enrolled, calculated throughout the participating program’s entire contract, may be filled by children in families above the income eligibility threshold. Migrant child care and development.
(3) Notwithstanding Section 8213, after all otherwise eligible children have been enrolled as provided in paragraphs (1) and (2), a part-day California state preschool program may provide services to two-, three-, and four-year-old children in families whose income is above the income eligibility threshold if those children are children with exceptional needs. Children receiving services pursuant to this paragraph shall not count towards the 10-percent limit in paragraph (2). Child care provided by the California School Age Families Education Program (Article 7.1 (commencing with Section 54740) of Chapter 9 of Part 29 of Division 4 of Title 2).
(4) Notwithstanding any other law, after all otherwise eligible children have been enrolled as provided in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, a provider operating a part-day state preschool program within the attendance boundary of a public school, as set forth in Section 8217, may enroll two-, three-, and four-year-old children.
(b) (4) A part-day California state preschool program contracting agency shall certify eligibility and enroll families into their program within 120 calendar days prior to the first day of the beginning of the new preschool year. Subsequent to enrollment, a child shall be deemed eligible for a part-day California state preschool program for the remainder of the program year and for the following program year, as long as applicable age-eligibility requirements are met, as specified in Sections 8205 and 48000. program.
(5) Resource and referral.
(6) Child care and development services for children with exceptional needs.
(7) Family child care home education network.
(8) Alternative payment.
(9) Schoolage community child care.
(j) “Child care and development services” means those services designed to meet a wide variety of needs of children and their families, while their parents or guardians are working, in training, seeking employment, incapacitated, or in need of respite. These services may include direct care and supervision, instructional activities, resource and referral programs, and alternative payment arrangements.
(k) “Children at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation” means children who are so identified in a written referral from a legal, medical, or social service agency, or emergency shelter.
(l) “Children with exceptional needs” means either of the following:
(c) (1) Commencing July 1, 2022, at least 5 percent of a part-day California state preschool program contracting agency’s funded enrollment shall be reserved for children with exceptional needs, Infants and toddlers under three years of age who have been determined to be eligible for early intervention services pursuant to the California Early Intervention Services Act (Title 14 (commencing with Section 95000) of the Government Code) and its implementing regulations. These children include an infant or toddler with a developmental delay or established risk condition, or who is at high risk of having a substantial developmental disability, as defined in Section 8205. subdivision (a) of Section 95014 of the Government Code. These children shall have active individualized family service plans, shall be receiving early intervention services, and shall be children who require the special attention of adults in a child care setting.
(2) (A) The department shall review data on compliance and provide technical assistance to California state preschool program contracting agencies to assist them in meeting the requirement described in paragraph (1).
(B) Agencies shall be fully funded for the percentage of enrollment specified in paragraph (1), inclusive of the exceptional needs adjustment factor for that enrollment pursuant to Section 8244, to ensure funding is available to enroll children with exceptional needs within the set aside specified in paragraph (1) at any point during the fiscal year. An agency not meeting the requirement to fill the percent of funded enrollment specified in paragraph (1) with children with exceptional needs shall conduct community outreach to special education partners to recruit additional children with exceptional needs into their programs.
(C) (i) Any agency not meeting the applicable requirement described in clause (ii) may be put on a conditional contract as described in Section 8314 unless they have applied and been approved for a waiver pursuant to clause (iii).
(ii) On and after July 1, 2026, any agency not meeting the 5-percent requirement pursuant to paragraph (1).
(iii) The Superintendent shall create an ongoing waiver process for an agency not able to meet the requirement described in paragraph (1).
(3) (2) Children with exceptional needs attending California state preschool programs shall be educated in the least restrictive environment in accordance with Section 1412(a)(5)(A) 3 to 21 years of age, inclusive, who have been determined to be eligible for special education and related services by an individualized education program team according to the special education requirements contained in Part 30 (commencing with Section 56000) of Division 4 of Title 2, and who meet eligibility criteria described in Section 56026 and, Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 56333) of Chapter 4 of Part 30 of Division 4 of Title 2, and Sections 3030 and 3031 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. These children shall have an active individualized education program, shall be receiving early intervention services or appropriate special education and related services, and shall be children who require the special attention of adults in a child care setting. These children include children with intellectual disabilities, hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance (also referred to as emotional disturbance), orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities, who need special education and related services consistent with Section 1401(3)(A) of Title 20 of the United States Code.
(4) (A) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) and Section 33308.5, until regulations are filed with the Secretary of State to implement this subdivision, the department shall implement this subdivision through management bulletins or similar letters of instruction on or before December 31, 2022.
(B) The department shall initiate a rulemaking action to implement this subdivision on or before December 31, 2023.
(d) (m) (1) “Closedown A child is eligible for a full-day California state preschool program if all of the following requirements are met: costs” means reimbursements for all approved activities associated with the closing of operations at the end of each growing season for migrant child development programs only.
(A) The child is one of the following:
(i) A two-year-old child and the California state preschool program has chosen to enroll the two-year-old child in accordance with the guidance developed pursuant to Section 8207.1.
(ii) A three-year-old child.
(iii) A four-year-old child.
(B) The child’s family is one of the following:
(i) A current aid recipient.
(ii) Income eligible.
(iii) Homeless.
(iv) One whose children are recipients of child protective services, or whose children have been identified as being abused, neglected, or exploited, or at risk of being abused, neglected, or exploited.
(v) (I) One that has children with exceptional needs, as defined in Section 8205.
(II) Only the children in the family who are children with exceptional needs may be enrolled under the eligibility criteria of this clause. Any other child in the family without exceptional needs may be enrolled pursuant to any of the criteria established in clauses (i) to (iv), inclusive.
(vi) One who has a member of its household who is certified to receive benefits from Medi-Cal, CalFresh, the California Food Assistance Program, the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the federal Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Head Start, Early Head Start, or any other designated means-tested government program, as determined by the department. Children eligible for services pursuant to this subparagraph shall be prioritized by the income declared on the application for the means-tested government program.
(C) The child’s family needs the childcare services because of either the following:
(i) The child has been identified by a legal, medical, or social services agency, a local educational agency liaison for homeless children and youths designated pursuant to Section 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii) of Title 42 of the United States Code, a Head Start program, or an emergency or transitional shelter as one of the following:
(I) A recipient of protective services.
(II) Being neglected, abused, or exploited, or at risk of neglect, abuse, or exploitation.
(III) Being homeless.
(ii) The child’s parents are one of the following:
(I) Engaged in vocational training leading directly to a recognized trade, paraprofession, or profession.
(II) Engaged in an educational program for English language learners or to attain a high school diploma or general educational development certificate.
(III) Employed or seeking employment.
(IV) Seeking permanent housing for family stability.
(V) Incapacitated.
(2) (A) Commencing July 1, 2022, at least 5 percent of a full-day California state preschool program contracting agency’s funded enrollment shall be reserved for children with exceptional needs, as defined in Section 8205.
(B) (i) The department shall review data on compliance and provide technical assistance to California state preschool program contracting agencies to assist them in meeting the requirement described in subparagraph (A).
(ii) (n) Agencies shall be fully funded for the percentage of enrollment specified in subparagraph (A), inclusive of the exceptional needs adjustment factor for that enrollment pursuant to Section 8244, to ensure funding is available to enroll children with exceptional needs within the set aside specified in subparagraph (A) at any point during the fiscal year. An agency not meeting the requirement to fill the percent of funded enrollment specified in subparagraph (A) with children with exceptional needs shall conduct community outreach to special education partners to recruit additional children with exceptional needs into their programs. “Cost” includes, but is not limited to, expenditures that are related to the operation of child care and development programs. “Cost” may include a reasonable amount for state and local contributions to employee benefits, including approved retirement programs, agency administration, and any other reasonable program operational costs. “Cost” may also include amounts for licensable facilities in the community served by the program, including lease payments or depreciation, downpayments, and payments of principal and interest on loans incurred to acquire, rehabilitate, or construct licensable facilities, but these costs shall not exceed fair market rents existing in the community in which the facility is located. “Reasonable and necessary costs” are costs that, in nature and amount, do not exceed what an ordinary prudent person would incur in the conduct of a competitive business.
(iii) (I) Any agency not meeting the applicable requirement described in subclause (II) may be put on a conditional contract as described in Section 8314 unless they have applied and been approved for a waiver pursuant to subclause (III).
(II) On and after July 1, 2026, any agency not meeting the 5-percent requirement pursuant to subparagraph (A).
(III) The Superintendent shall create an ongoing waiver process for agencies not able to meet the requirement described in subparagraph (A).
(C) (o) Children with exceptional needs attending California state preschool programs shall be educated in the least restrictive environment in accordance with Section 1412(a)(5)(A) “Elementary school,” as contained in former Section 425 of Title 20 of the United States Code. Code (the National Defense Education Act of 1958, Public Law 85-864, as amended), includes early childhood education programs and all child development programs, for the purpose of the cancellation provisions of loans to students in institutions of higher learning.
(p) “Family child care home education network” means an entity organized under law that contracts with the department pursuant to Section 8245 to make payments to licensed family child care home providers and to provide educational and support services to those providers and to children and families eligible for state-subsidized child care and development services. A family child care home education network may also be referred to as a family child care home system.
(q) “Health services” include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Referral, whenever possible, to appropriate health care providers able to provide continuity of medical care.
(D) (2) (i) Health Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 screening and health treatment, including a full range of immunization recorded on the appropriate state immunization form to the extent provided by the Medi-Cal Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 11340) 14000) of Part 1 3 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) and Section 33308.5, until regulations are filed with the Secretary of State to implement this paragraph, the department shall implement this paragraph through management bulletins or similar letters of instruction on or before December 31, 2022. 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code) and the Child Health and Disability Prevention Program (Article 6 (commencing with Section 124025) of Chapter 3 of Part 2 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code), but only to the extent that ongoing care cannot be obtained utilizing community resources.
(3) Health education and training for children, parents, staff, and providers.
(4) Followup treatment through referral to appropriate health care agencies or individual health care professionals.
(r) “Higher educational institutions” means the Regents of the University of California, the Trustees of the California State University, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, and the governing bodies of any accredited private nonprofit institution of postsecondary education.
(s) “Intergenerational staff” means persons of various generations.
(t) “Limited-English-speaking-proficient and non-English-speaking-proficient children” means children who are unable to benefit fully from an English-only child care and development program as a result of either of the following:
(1) Having used a language other than English when they first began to speak.
(2) Having a language other than English predominantly or exclusively spoken at home.
(u) “Parent” means a biological parent, stepparent, adoptive parent, foster parent, caretaker relative, or any other adult living with a child who has responsibility for the care and welfare of the child.
(v) “Program director” means a person who, pursuant to Sections 8244 and 8360.1, is qualified to serve as a program director.
(w) “Proprietary child care agency” means an organization or facility providing child care, which is operated for profit.
(ii) (x) The department shall initiate a rulemaking action to implement this paragraph on or before December 31, 2023. “Resource and referral programs” means programs that provide information to parents, including referrals and coordination of community resources for parents and public or private providers of care. Services frequently include, but are not limited to: technical assistance for providers, toy-lending libraries, equipment-lending libraries, toy- and equipment-lending libraries, staff development programs, health and nutrition education, and referrals to social services.
(y) “Severely disabled children” are children with exceptional needs from birth to 21 years of age, inclusive, who require intensive instruction and training in programs serving pupils with the following profound disabilities: autism, blindness, deafness, severe orthopedic impairments, serious emotional disturbances, or severe intellectual disabilities. “Severely disabled children” also include those individuals who would have been eligible for enrollment in a developmental center for handicapped pupils under Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 56800) of Part 30 of Division 4 of Title 2 as it read on January 1, 1980.
(3) (z) Notwithstanding any other law, a full-day California state preschool program may provide services to children in families whose income is no more than 15 percent above the income eligibility threshold, as described in Section 8213, after all eligible two-, three-, and four-year-old “Short-term respite child care” means child care service to assist families whose children have been enrolled pursuant to paragraph (1). No more than 10 percent of children enrolled, as calculated throughout the participating program’s entire contract, may be filled by children in families above the income eligibility threshold. identified through written referral from a legal, medical, or social service agency, or emergency shelter as being neglected, abused, exploited, or homeless, or at risk of being neglected, abused, exploited, or homeless. Child care is provided for less than 24 hours per day in child care centers, treatment centers for abusive parents, family child care homes, or in the child’s own home.
(4) (aa) Notwithstanding (1) paragraph (1), after all families meeting the criteria specified in paragraphs (1) and (3) have been enrolled, a full-day California state preschool program may provide services to two-, three-, and four-year-old children in families who do not meet at least one of the criteria specified in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1). “Site supervisor” means a person who, regardless of his or her title, has operational program responsibility for a child care and development program at a single site. A site supervisor shall hold a permit issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing that authorizes supervision of a child care and development program operating in a single site. The Superintendent may waive the requirements of this subdivision if the Superintendent determines that the existence of compelling need is appropriately documented.
(5) After all otherwise eligible children have been enrolled as provided in paragraphs (1), (3), and (4), a provider operating a full-day California state preschool program within the attendance boundary of a public school as set forth in Section 8217 may enroll any two-, three-, or four-year-old child.
(e) (2) (1) For With the exception of the age requirements and paragraphs (3) and (4), upon establishing initial eligibility or ongoing eligibility for full-day California state preschool program services under this chapter, a family shall be considered to meet all eligibility and need requirements for those services for not less than 24 months, shall receive those services for not less than 24 months before having their eligibility or need recertified, and shall not be required to report changes to income or other changes for at least 24 months. programs, a site supervisor may qualify under any of the provisions in this subdivision, or may qualify by holding an administrative credential or an administrative services credential. A person who meets the qualifications of a program director under both Sections 8244 and 8360.1 is also qualified under this subdivision.
(ab) “Standard reimbursement rate” means that rate established by the Superintendent pursuant to Section 8265.
(2) (ac) In the event that the eligibility period as described in paragraph (1) ends before the end of a program year, eligibility shall be extended until the end of the program year, as long as applicable age-eligibility requirements are met, as specified in Section 8205. “Startup costs” means those expenses an agency incurs in the process of opening a new or additional facility before the full enrollment of children.
(ad) “California state preschool program” means part-day and full-day educational programs for low-income or otherwise disadvantaged three- and four-year-old children.
(3) (ae) A family that establishes initial eligibility or ongoing eligibility on the basis of income shall report increases in income that exceed the threshold for ongoing income eligibility, as described in Section 8213, and the family’s ongoing eligibility for services shall at that time be recertified. “Support services” means those services that, when combined with child care and development services, help promote the healthy physical, mental, social, and emotional growth of children. Support services include, but are not limited to: protective services, parent training, provider and staff training, transportation, parent and child counseling, child development resource and referral services, and child placement counseling.
(4) (af) A family may, at any time, voluntarily report income or other changes. This information shall be used, as applicable, to reduce the family’s fees, increase the family’s services, or extend the period of the family’s eligibility before recertification. “Teacher” means a person with the appropriate permit issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing who provides program supervision and instruction that includes supervision of a number of aides, volunteers, and groups of children.
(f) (ag) (1) “Underserved Because a family that meets eligibility requirements at its most recent eligibility certification or recertification is considered eligible until the next recertification, as provided in subdivision (d), a payment made by a preschool program for a child during this period shall not be considered an error or an improper payment due to a change in the family’s circumstances during that same period. area” means a county or subcounty area, including, but not limited to, school districts, census tracts, or ZIP Code areas, where the ratio of publicly subsidized child care and development program services to the need for these services is low, as determined by the Superintendent.
(ah) “Workday” means the time that the parent requires temporary care for a child for any of the following reasons:
(1) To undertake training in preparation for a job.
(2) To undertake or retain a job.
(3) To undertake other activities that are essential to maintaining or improving the social and economic function of the family, are beneficial to the community, or are required because of health problems in the family.
(2) (ai) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designated agent may seek to recover payments that are the result of fraud. “Three-year-old children” means children who will have their third birthday on or before the date specified of the fiscal year in which they are enrolled in a California state preschool program, as follows:
(g) (1) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) and Section 33308.5, until regulations are filed with the Secretary of State to implement subdivision (e), the department shall implement subdivision (e) through management bulletins or similar letters of instruction on or before December 31, 2022. November 1 of the 2012–13 fiscal year.
(2) The department shall initiate a rulemaking action to implement subdivision (e) on or before December 31, 2023. October 1 of the 2013–14 fiscal year.
(3) September 1 of the 2014–15 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter.
(h) (aj) The Superintendent shall establish guidelines according to which the director or a duly authorized representative of the California state preschool program will certify children as eligible for state reimbursement purposes. “Four-year-old children” means children who will have their fourth birthday on or before the date specified of the fiscal year in which they are enrolled in a California state preschool program, as follows:
(1) November 1 of the 2012–13 fiscal year.
(2) October 1 of the 2013–14 fiscal year.
(3) September 1 of the 2014–15 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter.
(ak) “Homeless children and youth” has the same meaning as defined in Section 11434a(2) of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 11301 et seq.).
(i) (al) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2027, and, as of January 1, 2028, is repealed. “Local educational agency” means a school district, a county office of education, a community college district, or a school district acting on behalf of one or more schools within the school district.