HOUSE BILL ANALYSIS

                 HB 1454

Title:  An act relating to training for child care providers.

Brief Description:  Requiring training for persons working with children at licensed child care facilities.

Sponsors:  Representatives Clements, Cooke, Ballasiotes, Dickerson, Tokuda, Wolfe, D. Sommers, Linville, Kessler, Scott, Blalock, Gombosky and Costa.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES

Meeting Date:  February 13, 1997.

Bill Analysis Prepared by:  Doug Ruth (786-7134). 

Background:  The Department of Social and Health Services is required to license child day care centers and home day cares.  As part of its licensing authority, the department requires that operators and staff of day care centers and home day cares possess certain qualifications.  The educational and training qualifications required are as follows:

Day Care Centers

Director:  Two or more years of successful experience working with children, AIDS training, and

for centers serving 25 or more children, 45 credits in early childhood education;

  for centers serving 13-24 children, 25 or more credits in early childhood education;

for centers serving 1-12 children, 10 or more credits in early childhood education.

Lead Staff Person:  High school diploma or GED and AIDS training.

Staff:  AIDS training.

One employee with CPR and first aid training must be present on the premises and all times.

Home Day Cares

Director or Licensee:  CPR, first aid, and AIDS training.  One to two years of experience (depending on number of children in care), and up to one class in early childhood education (depending on number of children in care).

Staff:    AIDS, CPR and first aid training.

School Age Day Cares

Director:  30 or more college credits in early childhood education (or equivalent), two or more years of successful experience working with school-age children, and AIDS training.

Site Coordinator:  30 or more college credits in early childhood education (or equivalent), two years experience work with school-age children, or equivalent experience and AIDS training.

Staff:  High school diploma or GED.  Have school-age child development knowledge and experience and AIDS training.

One employee with CPR and first aid training must be present on the premises and all times.

The Child Care Coordinating Committee was established by the Legislature in 1988 to provide coordination and communication among state agencies responsible for child care and early childhood education services.  The committee meets monthly and is required to submit yearly reports to the Legislature.

Summary of Bill:  Licensees and employees of child care facilities must complete training in age-appropriate first aid, CPR, AIDS, and blood borne pathogens.

Effective January 1, 1999, licensees and employees of child care facilities must receive twenty hours of department approved instruction in early childhood and school-age care training, or complete two college credits in the same subject area.  The instruction must be based on core competencies developed by the Child Care Coordinating Committee.  Department approved training or education completed within five years of a person=s licensure or employment, but no earlier than January 1, 1994, shall satisfy the requirement. 

Between January 1, 1999, and January 1, 2004, new child care licensees and employees may satisfy the training requirement within six months of employment or licensure.   Licensees or employees who are licensed or employed on January 1, 1999, have one year to satisfy the requirement.  After January 1, 2004, licensees and employees must fulfill the training requirement prior to licensure and employment.

Licensees and employees of child care facilities must also complete a yearly 10 hour training course in early childhood and school-age education, or complete one college credit of instruction in the same areas.  For child care directors, five hours of this training or college instruction must be in the area of  program management and operation.

The department shall design and administer programs for approving and registering training programs, for tracking the completion of approved training by employees and licensees of child care facilities, and for providing scholarships, grants, loans and subsidies to pay for the training of low income employees and licensees.

The membership of the Child Care Coordinating Committee is modified to include   representatives from the Higher Education Coordinating Board and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.  The committee is required to review and recommend, to the Legislature, child care models for financing quality child care.

Appropriation:  $1,875,000.

Fiscal Note:  None requested.

Effective Date:  Sections 5, 6, 7 and 8 take effect ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.  Sections 3 and 4 take effect January 1, 1999.