CT
Connecticut Senate Bill SB00931

Connecticut 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00931 Compare Versions

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7-General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 931
7+General Assembly Raised Bill No. 931
88 January Session, 2019
9+LCO No. 4494
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12+Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
13+
14+
15+Introduced by:
16+(ED)
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1420 AN ACT CONCERNING PAYMENTS TO CHILD CARE PROVIDERS.
1521 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
1622 Assembly convened:
1723
18-Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 8-210 of the general statutes is 1
24+Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 17b-749 of the general statutes is 1
1925 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 2
2026 1, 2019): 3
21-(b) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of 4
22-Early Childhood, may enter into a contract with a municipality, a 5
23-human resource development agency or a nonprofit corporation for 6
24-state financial assistance in developing and operating child care 7
25-centers for children disadvantaged by reasons of economic, social or 8
26-environmental conditions, provided no such financial assistance shall 9
27-be available for the operating costs of any such child care center unless 10
28-it has been licensed by the Commissioner of Early Childhood pursuant 11
29-to section 19a-80. Such financial assistance shall be available for a 12
30-program of a municipality, of a human resource development agency 13
31-or of a nonprofit corporation which may provide for personnel, 14
32-equipment, supplies, activities, program materials and renovation and 15
33-remodeling of the physical facilities of such child care centers. Such 16
34-contract shall provide for state financial assistance, within available 17
35-appropriations, in the form of a state grant-in-aid (1) for a portion of 18
36-the cost of such program, as determined by the Commissioner of Early 19
37-Childhood, if not federally assisted, (2) equal to one-half of the amount 20 Substitute Bill No. 931
27+(c) The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of 4
28+Social Services, shall establish eligibility and program standards 5
29+including, but not limited to: (1) A priority intake and eligibility 6
30+system with preference given to serving (A) recipients of temporary 7
31+family assistance who are employed or engaged in employment 8
32+activities under the Department of Social Services' "Jobs First" 9
33+program, (B) working families whose temporary family assistance was 10
34+discontinued not more than five years prior to the date of application 11
35+for the child care subsidy program, (C) teen parents, (D) low-income 12
36+working families, (E) adoptive families of children who were adopted 13
37+from the Department of Children and Families and who are granted a 14
38+waiver of income standards under subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of 15
39+this section, (F) working families who are at risk of welfare 16 Raised Bill No. 931
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44-by which the net cost of such program, as approved by the 21
45-Commissioner of Early Childhood, exceeds the federal grant-in-aid 22
46-thereof, or (3) in an amount up to the per child cost as described in 23
47-subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of section 10-16q, for each child in 24
48-such program that is three or four years of age and each child that is 25
49-five years of age who is not eligible to enroll in school, pursuant to 26
50-section 10-15c, while maintaining services to children under three 27
51-years of age under this section. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, 28
52-and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount per child pursuant to 29
53-subdivision (3) of this subsection that is over the amount of the per 30
54-child cost that was prescribed pursuant to the contract for the fiscal 31
55-year ending June 30, 2019, shall be used exclusively to increase the 32
56-salaries of early childhood educators employed at the child care center. 33
57-The Commissioner of Early Childhood may authorize child care 34
58-centers receiving financial assistance under this subsection to apply a 35
59-program surplus to the next program year. The Commissioner of Early 36
60-Childhood shall consult with directors of child care centers in 37
61-establishing fees for the operation of such centers. 38
62-Sec. 2. Section 10-16p of the general statutes is amended by adding 39
63-subsection (l) as follows (Effective July 1, 2019): 40
64-(NEW) (l) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and each fiscal 41
65-year thereafter, any school readiness program that (1) is licensed by the 42
66-Office of Early Childhood pursuant to chapter 368a, (2) provides full-43
67-day and year-round child care and education programs for children, 44
68-and (3) receives funds pursuant to this section or section 10-16u, shall 45
69-use any amount of the per child cost as described in subdivision (1) of 46
70-subsection (b) of section 10-16q that is over the amount of eight 47
71-thousand nine hundred twenty-seven dollars, exclusively to increase 48
72-the salaries of those individuals with direct responsibility for teaching 49
73-or caring for children in a classroom at such school readiness program. 50
46+dependency, and (G) any household with a child or children 17
47+participating in the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership federal 18
48+grant program for a period of up to twelve months based on Early 19
49+Head Start eligibility criteria; (2) health and safety standards for child 20
50+care providers not required to be licensed; (3) a reimbursement system 21
51+for child care services which account for differences in the age of the 22
52+child, number of children in the family, the geographic region and type 23
53+of care provided by licensed and unlicensed caregivers, the cost and 24
54+type of services provided by licensed and unlicensed caregivers, 25
55+successful completion of fifteen hours of annual in-service training or 26
56+credentialing of child care directors and administrators, and program 27
57+accreditation; (4) supplemental payment for special needs of the child 28
58+and extended nontraditional hours; (5) an annual rate review process 29
59+for providers which assures that reimbursement rates are (A) 30
60+maintained at levels which permit equal access to a variety of child 31
61+care settings, and (B) at least equal to the seventy-fifth percentile of the 32
62+market cost of child care, as determined by a market study conducted 33
63+by the Office of Early Childhood within the previous two years; (6) a 34
64+sliding reimbursement scale for participating families; (7) an 35
65+administrative appeals process; (8) an administrative hearing process 36
66+to adjudicate cases of alleged fraud and abuse and to impose sanctions 37
67+and recover overpayments; (9) an extended period of program and 38
68+payment eligibility when a parent who is receiving a child care 39
69+subsidy experiences a temporary interruption in employment or other 40
70+approved activity; and (10) a waiting list for the child care subsidy 41
71+program that (A) allows the commissioner to exercise discretion in 42
72+prioritizing within and between existing priority groups, including, 43
73+but not limited to, children described in 45 CFR 98.46, as amended 44
74+from time to time, and households with an infant or toddler, and (B) 45
75+reflects the priority and eligibility system set forth in subdivision (1) of 46
76+this subsection, which is reviewed periodically, with the inclusion of 47
77+this information in the annual report required to be issued annually by 48
78+the office to the Governor and the General Assembly in accordance 49
79+with section 17b-733. Such action will include, but not be limited to, 50
80+family income, age of child, region of state and length of time on such 51 Raised Bill No. 931
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87+waiting list. 52
88+Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 8-210 of the general statutes is 53
89+repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 54
90+1, 2019): 55
91+(b) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of 56
92+Early Childhood, may enter into a contract with a municipality, a 57
93+human resource development agency or a nonprofit corporation for 58
94+state financial assistance in developing and operating child care 59
95+centers for children disadvantaged by reasons of economic, social or 60
96+environmental conditions, provided no such financial assistance shall 61
97+be available for the operating costs of any such child care center unless 62
98+it has been licensed by the Commissioner of Early Childhood pursuant 63
99+to section 19a-80. Such financial assistance shall be available for a 64
100+program of a municipality, of a human resource development agency 65
101+or of a nonprofit corporation which may provide for personnel, 66
102+equipment, supplies, activities, program materials and renovation and 67
103+remodeling of the physical facilities of such child care centers. Such 68
104+contract shall provide for state financial assistance, within available 69
105+appropriations, in the form of a state grant-in-aid (1) for a portion of 70
106+the cost of such program, as determined by the Commissioner of Early 71
107+Childhood, if not federally assisted, (2) equal to one-half of the amount 72
108+by which the net cost of such program, as approved by the 73
109+Commissioner of Early Childhood, exceeds the federal grant-in-aid 74
110+thereof, or (3) in an amount [up to] not less than the per child cost as 75
111+described in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of section 10-16q, for each 76
112+child in such program. [that is three or four years of age and each child 77
113+that is five years of age who is not eligible to enroll in school, pursuant 78
114+to section 10-15c, while maintaining services to children under three 79
115+years of age under this section.] For the fiscal year ending June 30, 80
116+2020, and each fiscal year thereafter, any amount of state financial 81
117+assistance received pursuant to a contract entered into under this 82
118+subsection over the amount received for the fiscal year ending June 30, 83
119+2019, shall be used exclusively to increase the salaries of early 84 Raised Bill No. 931
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126+childhood educators employed at the child care center. The 85
127+Commissioner of Early Childhood may authorize child care centers 86
128+receiving financial assistance under this subsection to apply a program 87
129+surplus to the next program year. The Commissioner of Early 88
130+Childhood shall consult with directors of child care centers in 89
131+establishing fees for the operation of such centers. 90
132+Sec. 3. Section 10-16p of the general statutes is amended by adding 91
133+subsection (l) as follows (Effective July 1, 2019): 92
134+(NEW) (l) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and each fiscal 93
135+year thereafter, any school readiness program that (1) is licensed by the 94
136+Office of Early Childhood pursuant to chapter 368a, (2) provides full-95
137+day and year-round child care and education programs for children, 96
138+and (3) receives funds pursuant to this section or section 10-16u, shall 97
139+use all such funds over the amount so received for the fiscal year 98
140+ending June 30, 2019, exclusively to increase the salaries of those 99
141+individuals with direct responsibility for teaching or caring for 100
142+children in a classroom at such school readiness program. 101
143+Sec. 4. Subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of section 10-16q of the 102
144+general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 103
145+thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 104
146+(b) (1) For the fiscal [years] year ending June 30, 2015, [to June 30, 105
147+2019, inclusive] and each fiscal year thereafter, the per child cost of the 106
148+Office of Early Childhood school readiness program offered by a 107
149+school readiness provider shall not exceed [eight] nine thousand nine 108
150+hundred twenty-seven dollars. [For the fiscal year ending June 30, 109
151+2020, and each fiscal year thereafter, the commissioner may establish, 110
152+within available appropriations, new rates for the school readiness 111
153+program, provided such new rates are established to improve program 112
154+quality and access. The commissioner may revise the rates for the 113
155+school readiness program during a fiscal year if the commissioner 114
156+determines that such revised rates are necessary to improve quality of, 115
157+increase access to or fill spaces in school readiness programs.] 116 Raised Bill No. 931
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74164 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
75165 sections:
76- Substitute Bill No. 931
166+
167+Section 1 July 1, 2019 17b-749(c)
168+Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 8-210(b)
169+Sec. 3 July 1, 2019 10-16p
170+Sec. 4 July 1, 2019 10-16q(b)(1)
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83-Section 1 July 1, 2019 8-210(b)
84-Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 10-16p
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86173 ED Joint Favorable C/R APP
87-APP Joint Favorable Subst.
88174