SENATE BILL REPORT

SSB 6475

BYSenate Committee on Children & Family Services (originally sponsored by Senators Anderson, Craswell, Wojahn, Bailey and West)

Pertaining to day care providers.

Senate Committee on Children & Family Services

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 31, 1990; February 1, 1990

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6475 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Smith, Chairman; Craswell, Vice Chairman; Bailey, Stratton, Vognild.

Senate Staff:Carol Pedigo (786-7417)

                  February 14, 1990

AS PASSED SENATE, FEBRUARY 12, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Child care centers are licensed by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).  To operate without a license is currently punishable as a misdemeanor.

Certain groups such as relatives, or persons who have a mutually cooperative arrangement for child care with friends and neighbors, but not on a regular basis, are exempt from licensing. 

The DSHS Family Independence Program (FIP) studied the issues surrounding child care.  One of their recommendations was that persons providing child care for the children of only one family should not be required to have a day care center license.  Since it is unclear how the current exemption for persons who care for children, but not on a regular basis, is to be applied, proponents believe new language is necessary to assure that innocent people will not be prosecuted for providing care without a license.

Licensing of child care facilities provides for inspections to determine the appropriateness of the physical facility and provides criminal background checks on the staff.  There have been reported cases of persons claiming to be licensed when in fact they were not, a practice which could be dangerously misleading for parents looking for appropriate care for their children.

SUMMARY:

Included among statutory exceptions from mandatory day care licenses are providers who care for the children of only one family, who do not advertise and who do not receive subsidies from a federal, state or local agency.

It is a misdemeanor to hold oneself out as a licensed child care provider if the person or agency does not have a current day care center license.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      available

Senate Committee - Testified: CON:  Pat Thibaudeau, WA Women United; Lonnie Johns-Brown, Child Care Works for WA; Margie Reeves, WA Association for the Education of Young Children