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Riverside County Family Child Care Association>
CHILD CARE QUARTERLY UPDATES - APRIL
July 2, 2007
COMMUNITY CARE LICENSING DIVISION
UPDATE
April 2007
To the Child Care Community
We hope you are all enjoying the beautiful and warm spring
weather. We are in the fifteenth year of our efforts to
keep the child care community informed about licensing
programs and services. The Updates continue to be an
important method for sharing information. We appreciate
your support in sharing these Updates with those in your
organization, and others interested in child care issues.
The Updates are now available online and can be viewed or
obtained at:
http://www.ccld.ca.gov/CommunityC_1726.htm.
NEW CHILD CARE ADVOCATE
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Holly Daasnes
as the Child Care Advocate for the southern part of the
State. Holly has been with Community Care Licensing
Division (CCLD) since 1981. She brings a wealth of
experience working in child care programs as well as
children and adult residential programs. She has also been
a County Liaison working with the contract counties that
perform the Family Child Care Home (FCCH) and Foster Family
Home licensing function and most recently was a Licensing
Program Analyst (LPA) with the Adult Program in the
Carlsbad Office. We are delighted to have her join the
Policy and Advocacy Unit. Holly will be stationed in the
Carlsbad Office and may be reached at (760) 929-3274.
CHILD CARE ORIENTATION FEES
Effective March 1, 2007, individuals interested in
attending FCCH orientations are required to pay the
orientation fee in advance. The individual will receive a
receipt which entitles them to attend any FCCH orientation
in the state. This is the result of a new electronic
receipt database that is now being utilized statewide. The
receipt database will provide the State Child Care
Licensing Program with additional capabilities and a more
effective means for tracking fees information. For
orientation schedules, please visit our website at
www.ccld.ca.gov.
CHILD CARE LICENSING FEES—CHANGE OF LOCATION
When you are planning to move to a new location, and you
receive your annual bill and plan to move shortly, you must
still pay the annual fee for your current address.
Here are some tips for ensuring a quicker process for
getting your new license when your FCCH moves to a new
location. Prior to moving, notify your local Child Care
Regional or County Office and submit an application on the
LIC 279 (Application For a FCCH.) Check the box that
indicates “Location Change” under #1 on the LIC 279, and
complete the rest of the form. Along with the application,
submit the LIC 610A (Emergency Disaster Plan For FCCHs) and
the LIC 999A (Facility Sketch.) You must also submit a
relocation fee of 50% of the application fee - $30 for a
capacity of up to eight, and $57.50 for a capacity of up to
14. If you plan to increase your capacity from 8 to 14, you
must pay a total of $55 ($30 for change of location and $25
for increase in capacity) and must also obtain a fire
clearance. Once you change your location, you no longer
have a license and cannot operate until your new license is
issued. Your LPA will contact you to schedule an
appointment for your pre-licensing visit. Once this is done
and any deficiencies are corrected, you will receive your
new license. We would like to remind you that if you are a
State-licensed FCCH and have been issued a PIN number on
your annual fee notice, you are eligible to make online fee
payments with your Visa, Master Card, or debit card.
CAPACITY LIMITATIONS
Although the majority of child care providers operate
within the limits of the law and provide quality child
care, there has been an increase recently in the incidence
of overcapacity situations. This is a reminder that the
capacity specified on your license is the maximum number of
children for which you are allowed to provide care. This
maximum is established for health and safety reasons and
for Large FCCHs includes a fire clearance from the local
fire authority. Operating over that maximum is considered
a serious violation of licensing regulations.
COMPUTER ACCESS
For some time now, licensed child care providers have been
expected to download, from the CCLD’s website
(www.ccld.ca.gov), regulations, forms and other information
needed to stay updated on licensing requirements. More and
more information is available on this website and it is
updated regularly. Providers are encouraged to check
the website frequently. Providers without computer access
are at a real disadvantage. To obtain needed licensing
information, they must travel to the local library or other
local entity to download the needed documents. Having a
computer and internet capability enables
you to retrieve information in the convenience of your own
facility and you can get it when you need it. Also, having
access to the internet means having access to a wealth of
information related to the world of child care. We
encourage you to talk with your tax representative and
discuss the potential tax advantages of purchasing a
computer as a business expense.
DETECTING SIGNS OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES--
FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in
collaboration with a coalition of national partners, is
launching a new phase of the “Learn the Signs. Act Early.”
public awareness campaign. This childhood development
campaign is designed to help increase awareness about the
importance of tracking a child’s social and emotional
development, including the potential early warning signs of
autism and other developmental disabilities. CDC will
provide free materials to help child care providers and
preschool teachers educate parents about child development
and autism. Child Care providers and preschool teachers
spend a considerable amount of time watching children
interact in peer groups and can be the first to observe
early warning signs of a developmental delay such as
autism. Learning and development is a major concern of
parents and it is imperative that parents know what the
developmental milestones are and when they should be
occurring. No parent wants to find that his or her child
has a delay, but if they can identify any delay early, they
can seek appropriate help right away, which is always
in their child’s best interest. The “Learn the Signs. Act
Early.” campaign has developed a free resource kit of
materials on child development and autism for day care
providers and teachers to share with parents of children in
their care. The kit, available in both English and Spanish,
includes a CD-ROM containing fact sheets on age-specific
developmental milestones and on developmental disabilities
such as autism, a growth chart that allows parents to track
specific developmental milestones along with the height and
weight of the child, and educational posters. The CDC
campaign also encourages parents to ask their child’s
doctor or health care professional about any developmental
concerns they might have. Parents can also call
1-800-CDC-INFO or visit www.cdc.gov/actearly for additional
information and ordering information.
PLAN TIME FOR READING
Mama was right!
By
Gloria J. Merk II, MA
Child Care Program Administrator
Reading is magical. Watching a child’s expression at the
sound of a book read aloud, seeing them learn a color or
word, hearing a new sound, expressing a feeling, knowing
they are developing before your eyes, is truly magical.
As child care providers and children’s advocates we are in
a unique position to encourage age and developmentally
appropriate reading with our children. Child care
providers can plan time for reading. We can encourage
parents to read with their children, send a favorite book
to share with the other children in care, and volunteer to
be a “reading buddy” at child care program. The Children’s
Book Council
http://www.cbcbooks.org/readinglists/choosing.html is a
great source of information for child care providers and
parents. Check out all the lists of books that might be
right for your children. Another example of lists of books
is Baby Center (http://babycenter.com/general) which is a
commercial website that lists starter libraries for each
age group. Venture into Cultures, Second Edition, A
Resource Book of Multicultural Materials & Programs by Olga
R. Kuharets, Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange
Round Table (EMIERT) is an example of a book that provides
culturally appropriate reading materials for children,
parents and providers. It is most important for providers
and parents to be involved in the selection and sharing of
reading material. In the months ahead I encourage you to
start or expand your program library to encourage the joy
of reading, facilitate child development and to share the
magic. Mama was right, reading is magical.
LICENSED CHILD CARE STATISTICS
Enclosed are the most recent statistics on licensed child
care facilities and capacities. Further breakouts by
category and location are available.
SUMMARY
If you have questions about items included in this Update,
or suggestions for future topics, please contact Gloria
Merk, Program Administrator, Child Care Program Office,
at (916) 229-4500. You may also visit our internet website
at www.ccld.ca.gov to obtain copies of licensing Updates,
office locations, provider letters, regulations, forms, the
Licensing Evaluator Manual, or to learn more about
licensing programs and services. Sincerely,(original signed
by Jo Frederick)
JO FREDERICK
Deputy Director
Community Care Licensing Division
Enclosures
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