Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 108, Sec. 2. (SB 151) Effective September 17, 2025.
(a)Childcare providers authorized to provide services pursuant to this chapter shall submit to the alternative payment program a monthly attendance record or invoice for each child who received services that, at a minimum, documents the dates and actual times care was provided each day, including the time the child entered and the time the child left care each day. The information shall be documented on a daily basis.
(b)(1) The monthly attendance record or invoice shall, at a minimum, be signed by the parent or guardian of the child receiving services and the childcare provider once per month to attest that the child’s attendance is accurately reflected. The verification of attendance shall be made by signature at the end of each month
of care and under penalty of perjury by both the parent or guardian of the child receiving services and the childcare provider.
(2)(A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) and pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 10277, a childcare provider may submit a monthly attendance record or invoice without a parent’s signature when the parent has not communicated with the provider for a minimum of seven consecutive days, the provider has notified the contractor of the parent’s lack of communication in accordance with Section 18066.5 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, and the contractor has documented the provider’s unsuccessful attempts to collect a signature.
(B)If the provisions of this paragraph are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Section 10426, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling
without further legislative action, except that if such provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature.
(c)The monthly attendance record or invoice shall be maintained by the childcare provider in the unaltered original format in which it was created, which may be in paper form or electronic format.
(d)(1) The alternative payment program shall accept the monthly attendance record or invoice as documentation of the hours of care provided if the attendance record or invoice includes adequate information documented on a daily basis, including, at a minimum, the dates and actual times care was provided each day, including the time the child entered and the time the child left care each day.
(2)Except as described in paragraph (3), the alternative payment program shall reimburse childcare providers based upon the following criteria:
(A)The hours of service provided that are broadly consistent with certified hours of need.
(B)For families with variable schedules, the actual days and hours of attendance, up to the maximum certified hours.
(C)For license-exempt providers that provide part-time services, the actual days and hours of attendance, up to the maximum certified hours.
(3)Effective July 1, 2025, and to July 1, 2028, inclusive, reimbursement of state-subsidized childcare and development providers, including licensed daycare centers, as defined in Section 1596.76 of the Health and Safety Code, licensed family daycare homes, as defined in Section 1596.78 of the Health and Safety Code, and license-exempt providers, that serve children through alternative payment programs, including migrant alternative payment programs pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 10225), family childcare home education networks pursuant to Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 10250), or the CalWORKs Stage 1, Stage 2, or Stage 3 programs pursuant to Chapter 21 (commencing with Section 10370), or the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children pursuant to Section 11461.6, shall be based on families’ certified need, as follows:
(A)Providers shall be reimbursed based on the maximum authorized hours of care, regardless of attendance.
(B)For families certified for a variable schedule, providers shall be reimbursed based on the maximum authorized hours of care.
(C)For license-exempt providers that provide part-time services, providers shall be reimbursed based on the maximum authorized hours of care.
(e)For purposes of reimbursement to providers through an alternative payment program, contractors shall not be required to track absences.
(f)For purposes of this section, a monthly attendance record or invoice is defined as documentation that includes, at a minimum, the name of the child receiving services, the dates
and actual times care was provided each day, including the time the child entered and the time the child left care each day, that is signed under penalty of perjury by both the parent or guardian and the childcare provider, attesting that the information provided is accurate.
(g)For the 2025–26 fiscal year, the sum of eighty-eight million five hundred fifty thousand dollars ($88,550,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Social Services for the purpose of reimbursement based on families’ certified need as set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (d). These funds shall be available for encumbrance until June 30, 2026.
(h)If subdivision (d) is in conflict with a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Section 10426, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if the provisions
of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature.
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