SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6217

BYSenators Rinehart, Bailey, Bender, Lee, Madsen, Murray, Talmadge, Fleming, Conner, Niemi, Vognild and Moore

Creating the before-and-after school child care program.

Senate Committee on Education

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 17, 1990; January 25, 1990

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6217 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

      Signed by Senators Bailey, Chairman; Lee, Vice Chairman; Anderson, Bender, Fleming, Gaspard, Murray, Rinehart.

Senate Staff:Leslie Goldstein (786-7424)

                  January 29, 1990

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 25, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Researchers on child care issues have found that about one- third of all American children between the ages of six and thirteen are home alone for some time after school.  About 50 percent of the work force is now made up of single parent families and families with two parents working.  One family in six is headed by single, divorced or widowed women.

SUMMARY:

The before-and-after school child care program is created within the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Superintendent provides grants to school districts to assess the need, design a program and cover operational costs.  The program serves children between the ages of five and twelve during the school year.  School districts may contract with public or private nonsectarian organizations to provide services.

Districts are required to provide a 25 percent match, which may include in-kind contributions.

The grants cover the costs of providing care to children living in families with incomes at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.  Other children are eligible if space is available.  Districts may develop different rates based upon the ability to pay.

The State Board of Education adopts rules, including rules about minimum standards for the quality of the programs.  The minimum standards are coordinated with the child care licensing standards of the Department of Social and Health Services and the guidelines of the State Child Care Coordinating Committee.

These before-and-after school child care programs are not regulated by the Department of Social and Health Services.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

Grants are provided to school districts for before-and-after school care for community needs assessments; for start up costs; and for supporting the start-up operational costs of providing care for children living with families in poverty.  The provisions for subsidized care by school districts and the 25 percent match by school districts are deleted. 

The Superintendent of Public Instruction may provide technical assistance to school districts.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Social and Health Services jointly develop minimum standards for school-operated child care for school-age children.  The State Board of Education approves and adopts the standards.  The standards adopted by the State Board of Education are equivalent to those established for other types of child care providers.

School districts may, if possible, repay grant funds to the before-and-after school care revolving fund which is created.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Social and Health Services shall develop and sign an interagency agreement specifying the process for implementing the rules.  The agreement also provides that programs subject to the rules are eligible to receive subsidies for providing care to children eligible for Department of Social and Health Service subsidies.

The rules and agreement must be completed by September 1, 1990.

The Department of Social and Health Services and the Superintendent of Public Instruction report to the Legislature on the process of implementing the rules. 

School districts may contract with other public entities or private nonprofit organizations to provide the services.  The restriction on contracting only with nonsectarian organizations is deleted. 

The appropriation to the Superintendent of Public Instruction is reduced from $9,600,000 to $4,000,000.  $5,600,000 is appropriated to the Department of Social and Health Services to provide subsidies for eligible children attending school based before-and-after school care programs.

Appropriation:    $4,000,000 to the Superintendent of Public Instruction; $5,600,000 to the Department of Social and Health Services

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      available

Senate Committee - Testified: PRO:  Mary Carr, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; Mary Murphy, League of Women Voters; Margie Reeves, Washington Association for the Education of Young Children; Margaret Casey, Washington State Catholic Conference; Julie Nelson, Washington Family Child Care; Lonnie Johns-Brown, Child Care Works for Washington; Bill Cassidy, Tacoma Public Schools