1596.792. This chapter, Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 1596.90), and Chapter 3.6 (commencing with Section 1597.30) do not apply to any of the following:
(a) Any health facility, as defined by Section 1250.
(b) Any clinic, as defined by Section 1202.
(c) Any community care facility, as defined by Section 1502.
(d) Any family childcare home providing care for the children of only one family in addition to the operator’s own children.
(e) Any cooperative arrangement between parents for the care of their children when no payment is involved and the arrangement meets all of the following conditions:
(1) In a cooperative arrangement, parents shall combine their efforts so that each parent, or set of parents, rotates as the responsible caregiver with respect to all the children in the cooperative.
(2) Any person caring for children shall be a parent, legal guardian, stepparent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or adult sibling of at least one of the children in the cooperative.
(3) There can be no payment of money or receipt of in-kind income in exchange for the provision of care. This does not prohibit in-kind contributions of snacks, games, toys, blankets for napping, pillows, and other materials parents deem appropriate for their children. It is not the intent of this paragraph to prohibit payment for outside activities, the amount of which may not exceed the actual cost of the activity.
(4) No more than 12 children are receiving care in the same place at the same time.
(f) Any arrangement for the receiving and care of children by a relative.
(g) Any public recreation program. “Public recreation program” means a program operated by the state, city, county, special district, school district, community college district, chartered city, or chartered city and county that meets either of the following criteria:
(1) The program is operated only during hours other than normal school hours for kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, in the public school district where the program is located, or operated only during periods when students in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, are normally not in session in the public school district where the program is located, for either of the following periods:
(A) For under 20 hours per week.
(B) For a total of 14 weeks or less during a 12-month period. This total applies to any 14 weeks within any 12-month period, without regard to whether the weeks are consecutive.
In determining “normal school hours” or periods when students are “normally not in session,” the State Department of Social Services shall, when appropriate, consider the normal school hours or periods when students are normally not in session for students attending a year-round school.
(2) The program is provided to children who are over the age of four years and nine months and not yet enrolled in school and the program is operated during either of the following periods:
(A) For under 16 hours per week.
(B) For a total of 12 weeks or less during a 12-month period. This total applies to any 12 weeks within any 12-month period, without regard to whether the weeks are consecutive.
(3) The program is provided to children under the age of four years and nine months with sessions that run 12 hours per week or less and are 12 weeks or less in duration. A program subject to this paragraph may permit children to be enrolled in consecutive sessions throughout the year. However, the program shall not permit children to be enrolled in a combination of sessions that total more than 12 hours per week for each child.
(h) Extended daycare programs operated by public or private schools.
(i) Any school parenting program or adult education childcare program that satisfies both of the following:
(1) Is operated by a public school district or operated by an individual or organization pursuant to a contract with a public school district.
(2) Is not operated by an organization specified in Section 1596.793.
(j) Any child daycare program that operates only one day per week for no more than four hours on that one day.
(k) Any child daycare program that offers temporary childcare services to parents and that satisfies both of the following:
(1) The services are only provided to parents and guardians who are on the same premises as the site of the child daycare program.
(2) The child daycare program is not operated on the site of a ski facility, shopping mall, department store, or any other similar site identified by the department by regulation.
(l) Any program that provides activities for children of an instructional nature in a classroom-like setting and satisfies both of the following:
(1) Is operated only during periods of the year when students in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, are normally not in session in the public school district where the program is located due to regularly scheduled vacations.
(2) Offers any number of sessions during the period specified in paragraph (1) that when added together do not exceed a total of 30 days when only schoolage children are enrolled in the program or 15 days when children younger than schoolage are enrolled in the program.
(m) A program facility administered by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that (1) houses both women and their children, and (2) is specifically designated for the purpose of providing substance abuse treatment and maintaining and strengthening the family unit pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 3410) of Title 2 of Part 3 of the Penal Code, or Chapter 4.8 (commencing with Section 1174) of Title 7 of Part 2 of that code.
(n) Any crisis nursery, as defined in paragraph (17) of subdivision (a) of Section 1502.
(o) (1) Commencing with the adoption of emergency regulations pursuant to paragraph (3), or no later than July 1, 2019, whichever comes first, a California state preschool program operated by a local educational agency under contract with the State Department of Education and that operates in a school building, as defined by Section 17283 of the Education Code, that meets all of the following conditions:
(A) The program is operated in a local educational agency facility that meets the requirements of the Field Act, as specified in Article 3 (commencing with Section 17280) and Article 6 (commencing with Section 17365) of Chapter 3 of Part 10.5 of Division 1 of Title 1 of, and Article 7 (commencing with Section 81130) of Chapter 1 of Part 49 of Division 7 of Title 3 of, the Education Code.
(B) The local educational agency facility is constructed consistent with California Building Standards Code pursuant to Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations.
(C) The local educational agency facility meets the requirements for kindergarten classrooms in accordance with Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 14000) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.
(D) The program meets all other requirements of California state preschool programs pursuant to Chapter 19 (commencing with Section 17906) of Division 1 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.
(2) A California state preschool program exempt under this subdivision shall be considered licensed under Division 12 (commencing with Section 101151) of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations for purposes of establishing a rating on an early learning quality rating and improvement system matrix pursuant to Section 8203.1 of the Education Code.
(3) (A) No later than October 1, 2017, the Legislative Analyst shall convene a stakeholder process for the purpose of ensuring state preschools operated by local educational agencies are maintaining all existing necessary health and safety requirements.
(B) The stakeholder process shall identify and make recommendations on any health and safety requirements currently required under Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, but not included in Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, the Field Act, Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations, the California Plumbing Code, the Education Code, or this code, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(i) Adequate outdoor shade structures.
(ii) Access to age and developmentally appropriate bathroom and drinking water facilities.
(iii) Appropriate processes for parent notification and resolution of code and regulation violations.
(C) The stakeholder process participants shall include experts on early childhood education health and safety issues from local educational agency and nonlocal educational agency state preschool program providers, and representatives from the State Department of Education, State Department of Social Services, Department of Finance, and legislative staff.
(D) No later than March 15, 2018, the Legislative Analyst shall report to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature, the Department of Finance, and the State Department of Education on recommendations or observations as a result of the stakeholder process. These recommendations or observations shall consider the fiscal impact on the state. No sooner than 30 days after the report is provided, the State Department of Education shall commence a process to adopt emergency regulations pursuant to Section 11346.1 of the Government Code to satisfy the requirements of this paragraph. The adoption of emergency regulations shall be deemed an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare.
(4) For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms have the following meanings:
(A) “California state preschool program” means any classroom that is funded, in whole or in part, by funds received pursuant to Section 8207 of the Education Code.
(B) “Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 116, Sec. 245. (AB 131) Effective July 23, 2021.)