House File 342 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 342 BY PETTENGILL (COMPANION TO SF 201 BY KAPUCIAN) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the number of children in child care homes. 1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 2 TLSB 2109YH (2) 85 ad/nh

H.F. 342 Section 1. Section 237A.1, subsection 6, Code 2013, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 6. “Child care home” means a person or program providing 3 child care to five or fewer children at any one time , or ten or 4 fewer children pursuant to section 237A.3, subsection 1A, that 5 is not registered to provide child care under this chapter , as 6 authorized under section 237A.3 . 7 Sec. 2. Section 237A.3, Code 2013, is amended by adding the 8 following new subsection: 9 NEW SUBSECTION . 1A. a. Notwithstanding subsection 1, 10 a person or program operating a child care home in a small 11 community may provide child care for between six and eight 12 children for up to three hours per day if a parent of each child 13 being provided care in the child care home signs a written 14 waiver allowing the additional number of children in the child 15 care home. A person or program operating a child care home in a 16 small community may provide child care for nine or ten children 17 for up to three hours per day if the child care home provides an 18 additional employee for the three hours in which the child care 19 home is providing care for nine or ten children and a parent of 20 each child being provided care in the child care home signs a 21 written waiver allowing the additional number of children in 22 the child care home. 23 b. For purposes of this subsection, “small community” means 24 a city of less than ten thousand persons or a county of less 25 than ten thousand persons as determined by the most recent 26 census certified by the secretary of state pursuant to section 27 9F.3. 28 c. The department shall adopt rules to determine the 29 necessary content in a waiver required pursuant to this 30 subsection. 31 EXPLANATION 32 This bill increases the number of children allowed in child 33 care homes under certain circumstances. Currently, a child 34 care home that is not registered may provide child care to five 35 -1- LSB 2109YH (2) 85 ad/nh 1/ 2

H.F. 342 children or fewer. The bill provides that a child care home in 1 a small community may provide child care for between six and 2 eight children for up to three hours a day as long as a parent 3 of each child signs a waiver. The bill also allows a child care 4 home in a small community to provide child care for nine or 10 5 children for up to three hours a day if each parent signs a 6 waiver and the child care home provides an additional employee 7 during periods when the child care home provides care for nine 8 or 10 children. The bill defines “small community” as either 9 a city of less than 10,000 persons or a county of less than 10 10,000 persons. 11 -2- LSB 2109YH (2) 85 ad/nh 2/ 2