Section 8212.

For purposes of this article, child care resource and referral programs, established to serve a defined geographic area, shall provide the following services:

(a) Identification of the full range of existing child care services through information provided by all relevant public and private agencies in the areas of service, and the development of a resource file of those services which shall be maintained and updated at least quarterly. These services shall include, but not be limited to, family day care homes, public and private day care programs, full-time and part-time programs, and infant, preschool, and extended care programs.

The resource file shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:

(1) Type of program.

(2) Hours of service.

(3) Ages of children served.

(4) Fees and eligibility for services.

(5) Significant program information.

(b) (1) Establishment of a referral process which responds to parental need for information and which is provided with full recognition of the confidentiality rights of parents. Resource and referral programs shall make referrals to licensed child day care facilities. Referrals shall be made to unlicensed care facilities only if there is no requirement that the facility be licensed. The referral process shall afford parents maximum access to all referral information. This access shall include, but is not limited to, telephone referrals to be made available for at least 30 hours per week as part of a full week of operation. Every effort shall be made to reach all parents within the defined geographic area, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

(A) Toll-free telephone lines.

(B) Office space convenient to parents and providers.

(C) Referrals in languages which are spoken in the community.

Each child care resource and referral program shall publicize its services through all available media sources, agencies, and other appropriate methods.

(2) (A) Provision of information to any person who requests a child care referral of his or her right to view the licensing information of a licensed child day care facility required to be maintained at the facility pursuant to Section 1596.859 of the Health and Safety Code and to access any public files pertaining to the facility that are maintained by the State Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division.

(B) A written or oral advisement in substantially the following form will comply with the requirements of subparagraph (A):

"State law requires licensed child day care facilities to make accessible to the public a copy of any licensing report pertaining to the facility that documents a facility visit or a substantiated complaint investigation. In addition, a more complete file regarding a child care licensee may be available at an office of the State Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division. You have the right to access any public information in these files."

(c) Maintenance of ongoing documentation of requests for service tabulated through the internal referral process. The following documentation of requests for service shall be maintained by all child care resource and referral programs:

(1) Number of calls and contacts to the child care information and referral program or component.

(2) Ages of children served.

(3) Time category of child care request for each child.

(4) Special time category, such as nights, weekends, and swing shift.

(5) Reason that the child care is needed.

This information shall be maintained in a manner that is easily accessible for dissemination purposes.

(d) Provision of technical assistance to existing and potential providers of all types of child care services. This assistance shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Information on all aspects of initiating new child care services including, but not limited to, licensing, zoning, program and budget development, and assistance in finding this information from other sources.

(2) Information and resources that help existing child care services providers to maximize their ability to serve the children and parents of their community.

(3) Dissemination of information on current public issues affecting the local and state delivery of child care services.

(4) Facilitation of communication between existing child care and child-related services providers in the community served.

Services prescribed by this section shall be provided in order to maximize parental choice in the selection of child care to facilitate the maintenance and development of child care services and resources.

(e) (1) A program operating pursuant to this article shall, within two business days of receiving notice, remove a licensed child day care facility with a revocation or a temporary suspension order, or that is on probation from the program's referral list.

(2) A program operating pursuant to this article shall, within two business days of receiving notice, notify all entities, operating a program under Article 3 (commencing with Section 8220) and Article 15.5 (commencing with Section 8350) in the program's jurisdiction, of a licensed child day care facility with a revocation or a temporary suspension order, or that is on probation.

(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 677, Sec. 5. Effective October 7, 2005.)