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| SPONSOR: | Lopez | DATE TYPED: | 02/15/01 | HB | |||
| SHORT TITLE: | Optimum Staff Needs for Infant Child-Care | SB | SJM 19 | ||||
| ANALYST: | Chabot | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY01 | FY02 | FY01 | FY02 | ||
| NFI | |||||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
This joint memorial resolves that CYFD appoint and lead a task force of early childhood professionals and representatives of statewide groups of parents for the education of young children, advocates for families and children, child-care associations, family child-care groups, early head-start groups, early childhood higher education and a statewide pediatric association to examine national best-practice standards for infants-to-caregiver ratios and develop a plan to implement a four-to-one ratio standard for infants-to-caregiver in all licensed child-care settings. CYFD will notify the Legislative Council in its May 2001 meeting of the appointees to the task force and make a progress report to the interim Legislative Health and Human Services Committee at its July 2001 meeting. The findings and recommendations will be presented to the interim Health and Human Services Committee and the Legislative Finance Committee at their respective meetings in November 2001.
Significant Issues
CYFD has set a standard ratio of one adult caregiver to every six infants. This ratio is higher than the standard of one adult caregiver to every four infants recommended by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
CYFD will have to determine task force members, and develop a meeting schedule to carry out the tasks in this memorial. CYFD will have to conduct the study using available personnel and resources.
GAC/ar/njw