2005 California Education Code Sections 8210-8216 Article 2. Resource and Referral Programs

8210.  Funds appropriated for the purpose of this chapter may be
used for child care resource and referral programs which may be
operated by public or private nonprofit entities.
8211.  It is the intent of the Legislature that one hundred eighty
thousand dollars ($180,000) be appropriated each fiscal year for
allocation to child care and development resource and referral
agencies operated by local educational agencies for the purpose of
the child care resources and referral program set forth in this
article.
8212.  For purposes of this article, child care resource and
referral programs, established to serve a defined geographic area,
shall provide the following services:
   (a) Identification of the full range of existing child care
services through information provided by all relevant public and
private agencies in the areas of service, and the development of a
resource file of those services which shall be maintained and updated
at least quarterly. These services shall include, but not be limited
to, family day care homes, public and private day care programs,
full-time and part-time programs, and infant, preschool, and extended
care programs.
   The resource file shall include, but not be limited to, the
following information:
   (1) Type of program.
   (2) Hours of service.
   (3) Ages of children served.
   (4) Fees and eligibility for services.
   (5) Significant program information.
   (b) (1) Establishment of a referral process which responds to
parental need for information and which is provided with full
recognition of the confidentiality rights of parents. Resource and
referral programs shall make referrals to licensed child day care
facilities. Referrals shall be made to unlicensed care facilities
only if there is no requirement that the facility be licensed. The
referral process shall afford parents maximum access to all referral
information. This access shall include, but is not limited to,
telephone referrals to be made available for at least 30 hours per
week as part of a full week of operation. Every effort shall be made
to reach all parents within the defined geographic area, including,
but not limited to, any of the following:
   (A) Toll-free telephone lines.
   (B) Office space convenient to parents and providers.
   (C) Referrals in languages which are spoken in the community.
   Each child care resource and referral program shall publicize its
services through all available media sources, agencies, and other
appropriate methods.
   (2) (A) Provision of information to any person who requests a
child care referral of his or her right to view the licensing
information of a licensed child day care facility required to be
maintained at the facility pursuant to Section 1596.859 of the Health
and Safety Code and to access any public files pertaining to the
facility that are maintained by the State Department of Social
Services Community Care Licensing Division.
   (B) A written or oral advisement in substantially the following
form will comply with the requirements of subparagraph (A):
   "State law requires licensed child day care facilities to make
accessible to the public a copy of any licensing report pertaining to
the facility that documents a facility visit or a substantiated
complaint investigation. In addition, a more complete file regarding
a child care licensee may be available at an office of the State
Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division. You
have the right to access any public information in these files."
   (c) Maintenance of ongoing documentation of requests for service
tabulated through the internal referral process.  The following
documentation of requests for service shall be maintained by all
child care resource and referral programs:
   (1) Number of calls and contacts to the child care information and
referral program or component.
   (2) Ages of children served.
   (3) Time category of child care request for each child.
   (4) Special time category, such as nights, weekends, and swing
shift.
   (5) Reason that the child care is needed.
   This information shall be maintained in a manner that is easily
accessible for dissemination purposes.
   (d) Provision of technical assistance to existing and potential
providers of all types of child care services.  This assistance shall
include, but not be limited to:
   (1) Information on all aspects of initiating new child care
services including, but not limited to, licensing, zoning, program
and budget development, and assistance in finding this information
from other sources.
   (2) Information and resources that help existing child care
services providers to maximize their ability to serve the children
and parents of their community.
   (3) Dissemination of information on current public issues
affecting the local and state delivery of child care services.
   (4) Facilitation of communication between existing child care and
child-related services providers in the community served.
   Services prescribed by this section shall be provided in order to
maximize parental choice in the selection of child care to facilitate
the maintenance and development of child care services and
resources.
   (e) (1) A program operating pursuant to this article shall, within
two business days of receiving notice, remove a licensed child day
care facility with a revocation or a temporary suspension order, or
that is on probation from the program's referral list.
   (2) A program operating pursuant to this article shall, within two
business days of receiving notice, notify all entities, operating a
program under Article 3 (commencing with Section 8220) and Article
15.5 (commencing with Section 8350) in the program's jurisdiction, of
a licensed child day care facility with a revocation or a temporary
suspension order, or that is on probation.
8212.3.  (a) In addition to the services described in Section 8212,
a child care resource and referral program, established to serve a
defined geographic area, may provide short-term respite child care.
"Short-term respite care," for purposes of this article, means
temporary child care services to do any of the following:
   (1) Provide services to families identified and referred by child
protective agencies.
   (2) Relieve the stress caused by child abuse, neglect, or
exploitation, or the risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
   (3) Assist parents who, because of serious illness or injury,
homelessness, or family crisis, including temporary absence from the
home because of illness or injury, would be unable without assistance
to provide the normal care and nurture expected of parents.
   (4) Provide temporary relief to parents from the care of children
with exceptional needs.
   (b) Pursuant to the delivery of short-term respite child care
services, priority shall be given for the provision of services to
families identified and referred by child protective agencies, to
relieve the stress caused by child abuse, neglect, or exploitation,
or the risks thereof, as described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of
subdivision (a).  Priority shall be given to assist parents and to
provide temporary relief to parents, as described in paragraphs (3)
and (4) of subdivision (a) to the extent that resources are
available.
8213.  All child care resource and referral services shall be
provided in a manner which is responsive to the diverse cultural,
linguistic, and economic needs of a defined geographic area of
service.
8214.  Child care resources and referral shall be provided to all
persons requesting services and to all types of child care providers,
regardless of income level or other eligibility criteria.  In
addition to the services prescribed by this section, child care
resource and referral may provide a wide variety of parent and
provider support and educational services.
8215.  (a) There is hereby established a project known as the
California Child Care Initiative Project.  It is the intent of the
Legislature to promote and foster the project in cooperation with
private corporations and local governments.  The objective of the
project is to increase the availability of quality child care
programs in the state.
   (b) For purposes of this section, the California Child Care
Initiative Project means a project to expand the role and functions
of selected resource and referral agencies in activities including
needs assessment, recruitment and screening of providers, technical
assistance, and staff development and training, in order to aid
communities in increasing their capability in the number of child
care spaces available and the quality of child care services offered.
   (c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall allocate all
state funds appropriated for the California Child Care Initiative
Project for the purpose of making grants to those child care resource
and referral agencies that have been selected as pilot sites for the
project.
   (d) The project shall ensure that each dollar of state funds
allocated pursuant to subdivision (c) is matched by two dollars ($2)
from other sources, including private corporations, the federal
government, or local governments.
   (e) The grants to the sites made available by the project shall be
comprised of a combination of state funds and other funds pursuant
to subdivision (d).
   (f) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall develop a data
base for the project.
8216.  When making referrals, every agency operating both a direct
service program and a resource and referral program shall provide at
least four referrals, at least one of which shall be a provider over
which the agency has no fiscal or operational control, as well as
information to a family on the family's ability to choose a license
exempt provider.