PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 202 PRINTER'S NO. 773
No. 183 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY EVANS, E. Z. TAYLOR, STUBAN, KUKOVICH, DeWEESE,
KASUNIC, JOSEPHS, WOGAN, RYBAK, PERZEL, CAWLEY, LETTERMAN,
JAROLIN, WILLIAMS, THOMAS, DALEY, RITTER, HERMAN, ANGSTADT,
McHALE, HAYDEN, MAIALE, JACKSON, D. R. WRIGHT, COWELL, FOX,
TRELLO, MORRIS, NAHILL, RAYMOND, HAGARTY, CAPPABIANCA, CARN,
TIGUE, BLAUM, BORTNER, GIGLIOTTI, PRESTON, MELIO, HOWLETT,
PISTELLA, LaGROTTA, STISH, LEVDANSKY, MARKOSEK, HALUSKA,
HARPER, OLIVER, ROEBUCK, TRICH, BELARDI, LINTON, RUDY,
DOMBROWSKI, GLADECK AND KOSINSKI, JANUARY 31, 1989
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON YOUTH AND AGING, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MARCH 13, 1989
AN ACT
1 Providing for demonstration programs in child-care CHILD CARE <--
2 resource and referral services; and conferring powers and
3 duties on the Department of Public Welfare.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Child-Care <--
8 CHILD CARE Resource and Referral Act. <--
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Child-care CHILD CARE resource and referral agency." A <--
14 public or private nonprofit entity that performs functions
1 related to child-care CHILD CARE resource and referral services. <--
2 The term includes an association and a corporation.
3 "Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
4 Commonwealth.
5 Section 3. Demonstration programs.
6 (a) Establishment.--The department shall establish four
7 demonstration programs in this Commonwealth to evaluate the
8 development, maintenance and expansion of quality child care
9 through regionalized resource and referral child-care CHILD CARE <--
10 services. In addition, these demonstration programs shall assess
11 the role of a resource and referral agency in furthering the
12 department's goal to improve access to child care, quality of
13 child care, monitoring of child care and planning for child-care <--
14 CHILD CARE services. To achieve cost efficiency, the department <--
15 shall identify and utilize, whenever possible, existing resource
16 and referral agencies operating in this Commonwealth.
17 (b) Duration.--The programs established under subsection (a)
18 shall operate for at least two years. They may be continued if
19 funding is available.
20 Section 4. Eligibility.
21 A child-care CHILD CARE resource and referral agency is <--
22 eligible to provide a demonstration program under section 3 if
23 it can demonstrate, through past performance or current service,
24 ability to effectively perform the functions under section 5 and
25 if it can provide evidence that it has served low-income
26 families.
27 Section 5. Function.
28 A child-care CHILD CARE resource and referral agency must <--
29 provide, at a minimum, the following services:
30 (1) Identification of all legally operating child-care <--
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1 CHILD CARE services in a defined geographical area. <--
2 (2) Maintenance of a regularly updated resource file of
3 services and vacancies.
4 (3) Public education about the availability, cost,
5 standards and types of child-care CHILD CARE programs in a <--
6 defined geographical area.
7 (4) Assistance to parents in evaluating child-care CHILD <--
8 CARE needs and appropriateness of types of care.
9 (5) Referrals to child-care CHILD CARE services near the <--
10 home, work area, or facility where the parent is attending
11 school or receiving job training.
12 (6) Providing caregivers with training workshops,
13 assistance in filling vacancies, advocacy for attaining
14 professional status, opportunities for sharing information
15 and experiences and access to ongoing educational
16 certification programs.
17 (7) Provision of start-up information for potential
18 child-care CHILD CARE providers to stimulate the supply of <--
19 child-care CHILD CARE resources. <--
20 (8) Ability to respond to requests from businesses for
21 information or services designed to meet the child-care CHILD <--
22 CARE needs of their employees.
23 (9) Documentation and tabulation of data pertaining to
24 parent requests, consumer complaints and employer-sponsored
25 child-care CHILD CARE services that will assist in community <--
26 and State planning and identification of needs.
27 (10) Procedures for handling complaints related to child
28 day-care programs and referral of day-care programs under
29 investigation by the department.
30 (11) Establishment of fees, where necessary, to defray
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1 the cost of services.
2 (12) Establishment of procedures that ensure the
3 confidentiality of children and parents who utilize the
4 agency's services.
5 Section 6. Report to General Assembly.
6 An WITHIN 18 MONTHS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS ACT, THE <--
7 DEPARTMENT SHALL SUBMIT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AN interim
8 report that describes the four demonstration programs selected
9 by the department and the criteria that will be used for a final
10 evaluation of each program. shall be submitted to the General <--
11 Assembly within 18 months of the effective date of this act. A
12 final report shall be submitted to the General Assembly within
13 30 months after the effective date of this act. The report shall
14 include, along with recommendations, the department's findings
15 relating to numbers of parents and children served; extent of
16 assistance given to caregivers, parents and employees; cost of
17 resource and referral services; the availability of private,
18 corporate and government funding for the development and
19 maintenance of resource and referral agencies; and the program's
20 impact on quality and availability of child care in a
21 geographically defined area.
22 Section 7. Effective date.
23 This act shall take effect immediately.
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