S-1306.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5322

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl‑Welles, Long, Hargrove, Costa, Gardner and Oke)

READ FIRST TIME 02/16/01.

Providing child day-care licensing information to the public through a toll-free number.

    AN ACT Relating to providing child day-care licensing information to the public through a toll-free number; and adding new sections to chapter 74.15 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 74.15 RCW to read as follows:

    The legislature finds that consumers of child day-care centers and family day-care providers have a legitimate interest in receiving timely information about the providers of day-care services to enable them to make meaningful choices regarding facilities and the people who provide care for their children.

    The legislature further finds that parents whose children are consumers of day-care services are often unaware of the quality of the facility or home they have chosen.  This lack of knowledge is due, in part, to the inability of parents to obtain such information.  The legislature intends to use the state's improved ability to collect and manage information about day-care service providers by requiring that all relevant licensing and enforcement action information be available to parents and other appropriate persons as provided in section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 74.15 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) The department shall establish and maintain a toll-free telephone number, and an electronic on-line system for communication of information regarding child day-care centers and family day-care providers.  This number shall be available during standard business hours and during nonbusiness hours callers shall be able to leave messages.  The number shall be published in reasonably available printed and electronic media.  The number shall be easily identifiable as a number for communication of information as set forth in this section.

    (2) All licensed child day-care centers and family day-care providers shall post in a place and manner clearly visible to patrons and visitors the department's toll-free telephone number.  Parents or guardians must be given the department's toll-free telephone number by employees or operators of the child day-care centers and family day-care providers.

    (3) For the purposes of this section, "communication of information" means callers may:  (a) Determine whether a day care is licensed; (b) determine whether a day care is in good standing regarding licensing requirements; (c) determine the general nature of enforcement against the providers; (d) obtain information on how to report suspected or observed noncompliance with licensing requirements; (e) obtain information on how to report alleged abuse or neglect in a day care; (f) obtain information on how to report health, safety, and welfare concerns in a day care; (g) receive follow-up assistance, including information on the office of the family and children's ombudsman; and (h) receive referral information on other agencies or entities that may be of further assistance to the caller.

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