Senate File 305 - Introduced
SENATE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
(SUCCESSOR TO SF 192)
Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act requiring the department of human services to develop and
2 implement a voluntary child care quality rating system.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 1325SV 81
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 237A.30, Code 2005, is amended by
1 2 striking the section and inserting in lieu thereof the
1 3 following:
1 4 237A.30 CHILD CARE QUALITY RATING SYSTEM.
1 5 1. The department shall work with the community
1 6 empowerment office of the department of management established
1 7 in section 28.3 and the state child care advisory council in
1 8 designing and implementing a quality rating system for each
1 9 provider type of child care facility.
1 10 2. The quality rating system shall be voluntary and
1 11 composed of multiple ratings based upon the rating criteria
1 12 adopted for the system. The initial system shall provide for
1 13 five levels; however, the department may periodically revise
1 14 the system to change the number of levels and make other
1 15 changes to improve the system. The department shall identify
1 16 the period for which a rating is awarded and the means by
1 17 which a rating may be withdrawn or modified.
1 18 3. The criteria utilized for the rating system may include
1 19 but are not limited to any of the following: facility type;
1 20 provider staff experience, education, training, and
1 21 credentials; facility director education and training; an
1 22 environmental rating score or other direct assessment
1 23 environmental methodology; national accreditation; facility
1 24 history of compliance with law and rules; child=to=staff
1 25 ratio; curriculum, including the extent to which the
1 26 curriculum focuses on the stages of child development and on
1 27 child outcomes; business practices; staff retention rates;
1 28 evaluation of staff members and program practices; staff
1 29 compensation and benefit practices; provider and staff
1 30 membership in professional early childhood organizations; and
1 31 parental involvement with the facility.
1 32 4. The department may directly administer or contract for
1 33 the administration of the quality rating system. A facility's
1 34 quality rating may be included on the internet page and in the
1 35 consumer information provided by the department pursuant to
2 1 section 237A.25 and shall be identified in the child care
2 2 provider referrals made by child care resource and referral
2 3 service grantees under section 237A.26.
2 4 5. For reimbursement paid under the state child care
2 5 assistance program established in section 237A.13, the
2 6 department may implement a reimbursement rate methodology
2 7 applicable to child care facilities participating in the
2 8 rating system in which the reimbursement rate varies based
2 9 upon the rating of a facility. A reimbursement rate
2 10 methodology applicable to child care facilities shall not
2 11 cause a child care facility to receive a lower reimbursement
2 12 rate than was paid under the prior methodology. In addition,
2 13 as part of the quality rating system, the department may pay
2 14 an achievement bonus to providers that are awarded a quality
2 15 rating.
2 16 Sec. 2. PHASED IMPLEMENTATION.
2 17 1. Effective July 1, 2005, the department of human
2 18 services shall no longer accept applications for the gold seal
2 19 quality designation for child care providers under section
2 20 237A.30, Code 2005. However, if a child care provider has
2 21 been awarded the designation prior to July 1, 2005, the
2 22 designation may continue to be utilized for that provider
2 23 until the designated period of nationally recognized
2 24 accreditation for which the gold seal designation was awarded
2 25 has ended.
2 26 2. The department of human services shall commence
2 27 implementation of the child care quality rating system under
2 28 section 237A.30, as amended by this Act, by awarding ratings
2 29 beginning on or after January 1, 2006. The department may
2 30 modify implementation of the rating system and the rating
2 31 system itself as necessary to conform to the funding made
2 32 available for the rating system for the fiscal year beginning
2 33 July 1, 2005.
2 34 EXPLANATION
2 35 This bill requires the department of human services to
3 1 develop and implement a voluntary child care quality rating
3 2 system.
3 3 Code section 237A.30, providing for recognition of high=
3 4 quality child care providers with a gold seal quality child
3 5 care provider designation, is stricken and replaced with a new
3 6 child care quality rating system for child care facilities.
3 7 Code chapter 237A defines the term "child care facility" to
3 8 mean a child care center, preschool, or registered child
3 9 development home. The new rating system is required to be
3 10 voluntary and to include multiple ratings. The initial system
3 11 is required to have five rating levels for each provider type
3 12 but the system may be revised by the department to improve it.
3 13 The department is required to develop the rating system by
3 14 working with the community empowerment office of the
3 15 department of management and the state child care advisory
3 16 council. The bill lists various criteria that the department
3 17 may use in developing the multiple ratings to be used in the
3 18 quality rating system.
3 19 The department is authorized to implement a reimbursement
3 20 rate methodology for the state child care assistance program
3 21 for the child care facilities participating in the rating
3 22 system in which the rate varies based upon a facility's
3 23 rating. However, the methodology shall not provide for a
3 24 facility to receive a lower rate than was paid under the prior
3 25 methodology.
3 26 The bill requires the department to stop accepting
3 27 applications for the gold seal quality child care provider
3 28 designation effective July 1, 2005. However, the designation
3 29 may continue to be used until the designated period of
3 30 nationally recognized accreditation has ended.
3 31 The department is required to commence implementation of
3 32 the quality rating system by awarding ratings beginning on or
3 33 after January 1, 2006. The department is authorized to modify
3 34 the implementation of the rating system and the rating system
3 35 itself as necessary to conform to the funding available for
4 1 the rating system for fiscal year 2005=2006.
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