California Department of Social Services – Community Care Licensing

Providers deal with several different departments, agencies, and groups when running their family child care. Licensing is one of the most important because it is responsible for issuing our licenses, conducting regular home inspections, and can also take disciplinary actions like citations or license revocations. You can find vital information bulletins and relevant notices on their site.

Visit CDSS-CCL.

Quarterly Updates

Every quarter (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December) Licensing releases an informational update for child care providers. These bilingual (English, Spanish) bulletins contains safety tips, upcoming changes to regulations, notices about licensing inspections, and more.

Read the latest edition.

Provider Information Notices (Pins)

When the state makes changes to licensing regulations, like the Mandatory Abuse Reporter training requirement, Licensing will issues a notices to inform providers. These notices are also available in Spanish.

Read the latest PINs.

After Community Care Licensing, Resource and Referral Agencies are the most important group providers work with. The California Department of Education issues contracts (funds and agreements) to R& R’s to hire providers who then offer care to children eligible for subsidy. They can also help private pay families find care in their neighborhoods. Unfortunately, we often have to jump through many hoops to find the right person to talk to about payment or contracting issues, greatly impacting our livelihoods. Sometimes there can be arbitrary and unfair treatment at the hands of R&R agencies.

Quality care for little ones means providers wear many hats including making nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day for the children in our care. There are federal/state programs to help the ease the cost of meals/snacks for providers. The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), administered federally by the United States Department of Agriculture, provides reimbursement for eligible meals served. In California, this program is managed by the California Department of Education.

Please keep in mind that there are recording keeping and eligibility requirements. Providers caring for children eligible for subsidy or private pay are both eligible for the program. Providers must sign an agreement with a sponsor to participate in CACFP. The sponsor organizes training, conducts monitoring, and helps with planning menus and filling out reimbursement forms.

Sponsors vary by county. Find a sponsor.

The California Department of Education is responsible for a variety of education regulations, laws, and contracts. For family child care providers, they set the Regional Market Rates (RMR) which providers utilize on their rate sheets for payment. Rate sheets are kept on file with the various agencies you work with to calculate your compensation so it is important your sheets are updated to ensure you are paid in full for every child you care for. Most agencies allow you to update your rate sheet once every fiscal year (July-June).

Rates vary by county. Find your rate.

As an SEIU member, you have exclusive access to liability insurance for your child care business. Waivers and most homeowner’s insurance will not cover you if you are sued for any alleged illness or injury caused to a child while under your care. Liability insurance helps you keep peace of mind when something unexpected happens because we know accidents and property damage are a fact of life for child care providers. Our liability insurance offers coverage through Program Managers, Inc (PMI). Some benefits include:

• Liability Limits: You are eligible to purchase a limit of liability of $1,000,000/$3,000,000 for your child care business.
• Accidental Medical Expense: Coverage up to $10,000 for incurred expenses to cover medical or surgical treatment, services, or supplies if the first expense is incurred within 1 year of the date of a covered accident.
• Business Personal Property: Coverage for your daycare property if damage should occur when your operation experiences fires, earthquakes, etc. Business personal property can be defined as: Building, equipment, fixtures, furniture, merchandise, etc., identified in an insurance policy as owned by the insured and used in your business.
• Lost Wages/Income: You can purchase coverage for your lost wages or income in a covered property loss. You are also able to adjust your limit and choose the amount of coverage that works for you.
• Administrative and Hearing Fees and Costs: New coverage option for up to $5000 for administrative and hearing fees and costs.
• Streamlined Processing and Payment Options: You can now apply for your liability insurance online! You can also submit payment for your coverage online, including an option for monthly payments. There is no additional paperwork required for your monthly payment plan and your payment amount will be available next to your annual premium cost.
• Same-Day Proof of Coverage: Print your insurance certificate the same day you apply from the comfort of your home.

Apply now.

You can also submit your application in writing. Download the paper application.

If you have any questions or need help filing your application, please contact:

Ginny Wimberly
Program Managers, Inc.
ginnyw@programmanagersinc.com

Providers work hard to care for the children in their communities and help their families get to work. But, sometimes we need a little help. If you are encountering issues with a Licensing citation or legal action, we recommend contacting an attorney for support.

Attorneys

John D. Bishop

5000 Birch St., Ste 7000
Newport Beach, CA 92660
P: (949) 557-4888 | F: (949) 557-4899
john@calicenselaw.com

Janice C Mendel

21900 Burbank Blvd. 3rd Floor
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
P: (818) 917 -2215 | F: (818) 337 – 2945
janicecmendel@gmail.com

Public Counsel

A pro bono legal firm offering legal advice and templates for providers caring for children including parent-provider contracts, immunizations, disability compliance, tenant rights, etc. Read more.

Finding ways to strengthen your early care knowledge can be a challenge for family child care providers on a limited budget. Over our 15 years of organizing we’ve advocated for more funds for training and won millions of dollars for provider-specific professional development programs. In addition to our member benefits, there are also additional tools available to providers with Early Care and Education organizations.

Early Care and Education Workforce Registry

Quality Start: Los Angeles and San Bernardino

Running a business, helping young minds learn, cooking, cleaning, and helping families navigate parenthood can be a lot! That’s why over the years we’ve collected and shared information on best practices to assist providers with marketing strategies, tax tips, self-care, and more. Here are some of our favorite tools:

Carina Care-Promote your child care business

If you are able to care for more children, register for Carina, which will connect you to them. Carina is a free self-service website created to help you find clients near you. Carina is currently an invite-only service. Email Carina at childcare@carina.org to request an invite and provide your first name, last name, and state you are a member of SEIU Local 99. For more information visit: www.carina.org/providecare

Marketing

Struggling with low-enrollment? Trying to create a presence on social meda with limited resources? Read more.

Taxes

As business owners, Providers can benefit greatly from learning how to itemize deductions and other strategies. Tom Copeland has worked with providers for over 38 years providing financial guidance and regularly hosts workshops for our members. Read more.