Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that transfers emergency COVID-19 relief funds for childcare.

Highlights:

• Defines “at-risk children” as children identified as any of the following:

• Those receiving child protective services.

• Those at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

• Those who are eligible through the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children

• Those experiencing homelessness

• Domestic violence survivors.

• Appropriates $62,500,000 to support alternative payment programs, including migrant alternative payment programs, to reimburse providers through June 30, 2021, or until this funding is exhausted, whichever is sooner. Funds are distributed as follows (Sec. 1.A):

• For families certified for a variable schedule, providers shall be reimbursed based on the maximum authorized hours of care; and

• For license-exempt providers that provide part-time services, providers shall be reimbursed based on the maximum authorized hours of care.

• Appropriates $50,000,000 to existing state-subsidized child care providers to support additional access to early learning and care for essential workers, at-risk children, and children with disabilities or special health care needs whose individualized education programs or individualized family service plans include early learning and care services (Sec. 1.B).

• Establishes a state-subsidized child care provider, as described in this paragraph, is eligible for up to 14 paid nonoperational days, in addition to the current nonoperational days allowable between September 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021, when the provider is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic emergency (Sec. 1.C.i).

• Specifies the funds allocated will be used to provide childcare services for 90 days in addition to the days specified in Executive Order No. N–66–20 (Sec. 1-2.A).

• Appropriates $80,000,000 to be allocated by the State Department of Education to reimburse contractors. Funding shall be prioritized in the following order:

• To support costs associated with increased childcare service hours for ongoing enrollments due to school closures; and

• To extend services for families enrolled in emergency childcare.

• Appropriates $244,000,000 to be allocated to provide a flat-rate one-time stipend amount of $525 per child enrolled in subsidized child care or a state preschool program (Sec. 3-1).

• Appropriates $244,000,000, up to $16,000,000 to the State Department of Social Services to provide a flat-rate one-time stipend amount of $525 per child enrolled in the California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Stage 1 program (Sec. 3-1.B).

Full Bill Text