1210.4 Child Care Providers

CHILD CARE

1210.4 Child Care Providers

Release Date

11/22/2022

Section Heading

Purpose

To convert existing policy to new writing style only – No concept changes

Policy

CalWORKs participants, who are employed or participate in a County-approved Welfare-to-Work (WtW) activity or in the Cal-Learn Program, rely on child care providers to care for their children, to enable them to participate in their required WtW activities.

The Resource and Referral/Alternative Payment Program (R&R/APP) agencies shall assist families in locating and arranging acceptable child care, when necessary, to ensure continued participation in WtW activities and/or employment with minimal disruption.

Parental Choice

Participants have parental choice in selecting a child care provider that best suits their child care needs. They can choose between licensed and license-exempt child care providers.

The PA 129, Child Care – General Information, documents the participant’s child care need and provides information to applicants/participants about the availability of CalWORKs Stage 1 Child Care (S1CC) services and the different kinds of care as well as guidelines on choosing a child care provider that is most applicable to the participant’s child care needs.

Types of Child Care Providers

Licensed Providers

Include child care centers, large and small family child care homes that are licensed by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD).
Child care centers are licensed facilities, other than family child care homes, where child care is provided to children in a group setting.
Family child care homes, where care is provided in the provider’s own home.
- Large family child care homes may be licensed for a capacity of either 12 or 14 children.
- Small family child care homes may be licensed for a capacity of up to 8 children.

License-Exempt Providers

A relative, friend, or neighbor who provides care in the provider’s home or in the child’s home for children of only one family, in addition to the provider’s own children.
Child care centers with before and/or after school programs/extended day care programs operated on or off school grounds by school employees.

TrustLine Requirements

A license-exempt child care provider who is not the child’s aunt, uncle, or grandparent by blood, marriage, or court decree and is therefore exempt from TrustLine requirements is subject to TrustLine registration requirements and must complete the TrustLine registration process before child care reimbursements may be issued.

When processing a participant’s request for child care with a license-exempt provider who is not exempt from TrustLine registration requirements, the R&R/APP agencies must ensure that the procedures on How to Meet TrustLine Requirements provided in the “Procedures” Section below are followed.

Health and Safety Requirements

To help ensure the health, safety, and welfare of a child(ren) within a child care arrangement, license-exempt child care providers (excluding license-exempt child care centers) must meet Health and Safety requirements.

(See How to Meet Health and Safety Requirements under the “Procedures” Section below.)

Child Care Provider’s License Revocation or Placement on Temporary Suspension Order (TSO) or Probation

CDSS is required to notify R&R/APP agencies of the issuance of a TSO or the revocation or placement on probation of a license for a child care provider within the R&R’s service area. R&R/APP agencies shall take the appropriate actions as stated in the Required Actions When Child Care License is Revoked or Placed on TSO or Probation under the “Procedures” Section below.

Background

N/A

Definitions

Terms and Descriptions

Child Care Center

Located usually in a commercial building where non-medical care and supervision are provided from infant to school-age children in a group setting for periods of less than 24 hours.

Child Care Provider

A licensed or a license-exempt individual/organization who provides child care services to one or more children.

Family Child Care Home

Reflects a home-like environment where non-medical care and supervision are provided in the provider's own home for periods of less than 24 hours.

License-Exempt Provider

An individual or organization who is not required to obtain a child care license, as specified in the California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 12,Section 101158.

Licensed Provider

An individual or organization that has obtained a child care license, as specified in the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 22, Division 12, Section 101156.

Live Scan

An electronic fingerprinting process used for license-exempt child care providers who are required to have a criminal background clearance and be TrustLine-registered.

Trustline Registry

California’s registry of license-exempt child care providers who have passed a criminal background screening and clearance process through a fingerprint check of records from the California Department of Justice’s California Criminal History System; the Child Abuse Central Index of California and FBI Criminal History System.

Requirements

Eligible child care providers must meet the following requirements:

Have a child care license or be exempt from child care licensing requirements;
Be 18 years of age or older;
May not be a member of the family’s Assistance Unit (AU);
Meet or be exempt from Health and Safety requirements; and
Be TrustLine-registered or be exempt from TrustLine Registry before reimbursements for subsidized child care can be made.

Verification Docs

N/A

Procedures

How to Meet Trustline and Health and Safety Requirements

Trustline Requirements

If the provider is the aunt, uncle, or grandparent of the child by blood, marriage, or court decree, the participant and provider shall complete and return to the APP agency a Declaration of Exemption from TrustLine Registration and Health and Safety Self Certification (CCP 1) form.
APP agency shall inform the participant selecting a license-exempt provider (who is not the aunt, uncle,or grandparent by blood, marriage, or court decree of the child) of the TrustLine registration process.
APP agency shall provide the TrustLine Registry Application (TLR 9163G) form and a list of Live Scan locations to all participants requesting license-exempt child care providers who are subject to TrustLine requirements.
APP agency shall inform participants, selecting a license-exempt provider who is subject to TrustLine registration requirements to have the provider:
- Complete the TLR 9163G form.
- Schedule a fingerprinting appointment with either a Live Scan vendor with whom the R&R/APP agency has arranged a reimbursement agreement performance of Live Scan services or another R&R/APP-approved Department of Justice Live Scan site.
- Take the completed TLR 9163G form to the scheduled fingerprinting appointment.
The participant or the license-exempt provider must submit the completed TrustLine Registry Application to the APP agency within ten business days from the date on the ST1-10A, CalWORKs Stage 1 Participant Checklist.
APP forwards the original, completed TrustLine packet for processing to the local R&R agency.
R&R agency processes the completed TrustLine packet and sends original, completed TrustLine packet to CDSS.
APP agency shall determine the license-exempt provider’s eligibility and take appropriate action to approve or deny the provider, as appropriate, within four business days of written notification from the California Resource and Referral Network of the TrustLine Registry application’s disposition
A license-exempt provider who completed the TrustLine registration requirements and is TrustLine-registered may be eligible to receive a retroactive reimbursement for up to 120 calendar days from the date the provider is TrustLine-registered. No reimbursement is made for child care prior to the 120-day period.
R&R/APP agency shall ensure that the TrustLine registration policies and procedures are followed, all actions related to the TrustLine registration process are annotated in the case notes, and all documents necessary to verify the registration process are filed.

Health and Safety Requirements

R&R/APP agencies shall provide the Health and Safety Self-Certification (CCP 4), and Health and Safety Facility Checklist (CCP 6), to the participant selecting a license-exempt provider who is not the child’s aunt, uncle, or grandparent by blood,marriage, or court decree.
If the provider is the aunt, uncle, or grandparent of the child by blood, marriage, or court decree, the participant and provider shall complete and return the CCP 1 form to the R&R/APP instead of the CCP 4 form.
The participant and his/her license-exempt provider who is not the aunt, uncle, or grandparent by blood,marriage, or court decree of the child shall:
- Complete the CCP 4, Health and Safety Self-Certification, which certifies that the home where child care is provided meets basic health and safety standards, including the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
- Complete the CCP 6, Health and Safety Facility Checklist.
- Return the completed CCP 4 and CCP 6 forms to the R&R/APP agency within ten business days.

Required Actions When Child Care Provider's License is Revoked or Placed on TSO or Probation

Notice of Provider's License Revocation or Placement on TSO

R&R/APP Agency’s Responsibilities

Within two business days of receipt of CDSS’ notification:

Terminate reimbursement to the licensed child care provider.
Send an ST1-06, CalWORKs Stage 1 Child CareProvider Notification – Child Care Approval/Change/Termination/ Denial, to the provider informing him/her that child care reimbursements have been terminated and the reason for the termination.
Send an ST1-14, Notice of Action – Change of Child Care Services, to the participant advising the participant of the need to select another provider.
Remove the licensed child care provider from the R&R/APP’s referral list and notify all other appropriate R&R/APP agencies to remove the provider from their referral lists.
Update the CalSAWS Resource Data Bank (RDB) screen with the change in provider status and add comment if additional clarification is warranted.
Send an ST1-10A, with a new ST1-05, CalWORKs Stage1 Child Care Participant – Provider Services Application, to the participant to determine the prospective provider’s eligibility.
Assist the participant in obtaining a new child care provider, when appropriate, to ensure continued participation in WtW activities and/or employment with minimal disruption.
Inform the participant of alternative child care options, including license-exempt care with centers, relatives, or other license-exempt care providers.
Notify the participant’s Eligibility Worker/GAIN Services Worker of the provider’s license revocation or suspension and potential child care services interruption, which could affect the participant’s compliance with WtW activities.
Assist the participant to have a seamless transition between providers.
Terminate child care services and send an ST1-13, Notice of Action – Termination of Child Care, to the participant, if the participant does not cooperate in completing a child care arrangement. ST1-13 shall indicate the reason for the termination. R&R/APP agency shall update CalSAWS accordingly and document the details and the reason child care is being terminated in the R&R/APP agency’s system’s case notes.

Notice of Placement of Provider’s License on Probation

R&R/APP Agency’s Responsibilities

Within two business days of receipt of CDSS’ notification:
- Notify the participant in writing of his/her child care provider’s license placement on probation.
- Inform the participant in writing of the option to use an alternate child care provider or continue to use the same provider without risk that child care reimbursements to the provider will be terminated. Child care providers placed on probation may continue to receive reimbursements.
Assist the participant in obtaining a new child care provider, when appropriate, to ensure continued participation in WtW activities and/or employment with minimal disruption.
Assist the participant to have a seamless transition between providers.

Forms

Examples

System Screens

References

All County Letter No. 05-10, dated 5/24/05

Obsolete Docs

N/A

Contact

Administrative Staff may contact the Child Care Program Section at (562) 908-6088.

Revision Date

November 22, 2017

DPSS ePolicy

NAVIGATION