Article 2. Resource And Referral Programs of California Education Code >> Division 1. >> Title 1. >> Part 6. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.

Funds appropriated for the purpose of this chapter may be used for child care resource and referral programs which may be operated by public or private nonprofit entities.

It is the intent of the Legislature that one hundred eighty thousand dollars ($180,000) be appropriated each fiscal year for allocation to child care and development resource and referral agencies operated by local educational agencies for the purpose of the child care resources and referral program set forth in this article.

For purposes of this article, child care resource and referral programs, established to serve a defined geographic area, shall provide the following services:
  (a) Identification of the full range of existing child care services through information provided by all relevant public and private agencies in the areas of service, and the development of a resource file of those services which shall be maintained and updated at least quarterly. These services shall include, but not be limited to, family day care homes, public and private day care programs, full-time and part-time programs, and infant, preschool, and extended care programs. The resource file shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:
  (1) Type of program.
  (2) Hours of service.
  (3) Ages of children served.
  (4) Fees and eligibility for services.
  (5) Significant program information.
  (b) (1) Establishment of a referral process which responds to parental need for information and which is provided with full recognition of the confidentiality rights of parents. Resource and referral programs shall make referrals to licensed child day care facilities. Referrals shall be made to unlicensed care facilities only if there is no requirement that the facility be licensed. The referral process shall afford parents maximum access to all referral information. This access shall include, but is not limited to, telephone referrals to be made available for at least 30 hours per week as part of a full week of operation. Every effort shall be made to reach all parents within the defined geographic area, including, but not limited to, any of the following:
  (A) Toll-free telephone lines.
  (B) Office space convenient to parents and providers.
  (C) Referrals in languages which are spoken in the community. Each child care resource and referral program shall publicize its services through all available media sources, agencies, and other appropriate methods.
  (2) (A) Provision of information to any person who requests a child care referral of his or her right to view the licensing information of a licensed child day care facility required to be maintained at the facility pursuant to Section 1596.859 of the Health and Safety Code and to access any public files pertaining to the facility that are maintained by the State Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division.
  (B) A written or oral advisement in substantially the following form will comply with the requirements of subparagraph (A): "State law requires licensed child day care facilities to make accessible to the public a copy of any licensing report pertaining to the facility that documents a facility visit or a substantiated complaint investigation. In addition, a more complete file regarding a child care licensee may be available at an office of the State Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division. You have the right to access any public information in these files."
  (c) Maintenance of ongoing documentation of requests for service tabulated through the internal referral process. The following documentation of requests for service shall be maintained by all child care resource and referral programs:
  (1) Number of calls and contacts to the child care information and referral program or component.
  (2) Ages of children served.
  (3) Time category of child care request for each child.
  (4) Special time category, such as nights, weekends, and swing shift.
  (5) Reason that the child care is needed. This information shall be maintained in a manner that is easily accessible for dissemination purposes.
  (d) Provision of technical assistance to existing and potential providers of all types of child care services. This assistance shall include, but not be limited to:
  (1) Information on all aspects of initiating new child care services including, but not limited to, licensing, zoning, program and budget development, and assistance in finding this information from other sources.
  (2) Information and resources that help existing child care services providers to maximize their ability to serve the children and parents of their community.
  (3) Dissemination of information on current public issues affecting the local and state delivery of child care services.
  (4) Facilitation of communication between existing child care and child-related services providers in the community served. Services prescribed by this section shall be provided in order to maximize parental choice in the selection of child care to facilitate the maintenance and development of child care services and resources.
  (e) (1) A program operating pursuant to this article shall, within two business days of receiving notice, remove a licensed child day care facility with a revocation or a temporary suspension order, or that is on probation from the program's referral list.
  (2) A program operating pursuant to this article shall, within two business days of receiving notice, notify all entities, operating a program under Article 3 (commencing with Section 8220) and Article 15.5 (commencing with Section 8350) in the program's jurisdiction, of a licensed child day care facility with a revocation or a temporary suspension order, or that is on probation.

(a) In addition to the services described in Section 8212, a child care resource and referral program, established to serve a defined geographic area, may provide short-term respite child care. "Short-term respite care," for purposes of this article, means temporary child care services to do any of the following:
  (1) Provide services to families identified and referred by child protective agencies.
  (2) Relieve the stress caused by child abuse, neglect, or exploitation, or the risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
  (3) Assist parents who, because of serious illness or injury, homelessness, or family crisis, including temporary absence from the home because of illness or injury, would be unable without assistance to provide the normal care and nurture expected of parents.
  (4) Provide temporary relief to parents from the care of children with exceptional needs.
  (b) Pursuant to the delivery of short-term respite child care services, priority shall be given for the provision of services to families identified and referred by child protective agencies, to relieve the stress caused by child abuse, neglect, or exploitation, or the risks thereof, as described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subdivision (a). Priority shall be given to assist parents and to provide temporary relief to parents, as described in paragraphs (3) and (4) of subdivision (a) to the extent that resources are available.

All child care resource and referral services shall be provided in a manner which is responsive to the diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic needs of a defined geographic area of service.

Child care resources and referral shall be provided to all persons requesting services and to all types of child care providers, regardless of income level or other eligibility criteria. In addition to the services prescribed by this section, child care resource and referral may provide a wide variety of parent and provider support and educational services.

(a) There is hereby established a project known as the California Child Care Initiative Project. It is the intent of the Legislature to promote and foster the project in cooperation with private corporations and local governments. The objective of the project is to increase the availability of quality child care programs in the state.
  (b) For purposes of this section, the California Child Care Initiative Project means a project to expand the role and functions of selected resource and referral agencies in activities including needs assessment, recruitment and screening of providers, technical assistance, and staff development and training, in order to aid communities in increasing their capability in the number of child care spaces available and the quality of child care services offered.
  (c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall allocate all state funds appropriated for the California Child Care Initiative Project for the purpose of making grants to those child care resource and referral agencies that have been selected as pilot sites for the project.
  (d) The project shall ensure that each dollar of state funds allocated pursuant to subdivision (c) is matched by two dollars ($2) from other sources, including private corporations, the federal government, or local governments.
  (e) The grants to the sites made available by the project shall be comprised of a combination of state funds and other funds pursuant to subdivision (d).
  (f) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall develop a data base for the project.

When making referrals, every agency operating both a direct service program and a resource and referral program shall provide at least four referrals, at least one of which shall be a provider over which the agency has no fiscal or operational control, as well as information to a family on the family's ability to choose a license exempt provider.