HB 2349

On or before July 1, 2027, this bill requires the department of children's services ("department"") to establish an easily accessible, web-based, child care agency registry, through which members of the public may obtain all of the following information:  A list of licensed or approved child care agencies, excluding private family boarding homes and foster homes, that differentiates between licensed and license-exempt providers and is searchable by zip code .  The current status of a child care agency's license or approval .  Information concerning violations by a licensed or approved child care agency .  Information concerning any adverse licensing action taken against a licensed or approved child care agency .  Information concerning licensed or approved child care agency inspections .  Other relevant information. However, this bill prohibits the registry from contain ing the address of a private family boarding home or foster home or information identifying an individual child or foster parent. MONITORING AND INSPECTION REPORTS This bill requires the department to publish online in a timely manner full monitoring and inspection reports, either in plain language or with a plain language summary, and to establish a process for licensed and license-exempt child care agencies to take corrective action to cure violations, where applicable. The reports must include (i) h ealth and safety violations, including fatalities and serious injuries occurring at the child care agency; (ii) i nformation on corrective action requested by the depar tment, where applicable; and (iii) a minimum of three years of results, where available. PUBLIC INFORMATION This bill requires the department to collect and disseminate all of the following information to the general public and providers through an easily accessible website:  Department processes, including t he process for licensing child care agencies; t he process for conducting monitoring and inspections of child care agencies; and p rocesses for reporting, receiving, and reviewing complaints related to health and safety concerns, including licensing violations, at child care agencies .  Policies and procedures related to criminal background checks for child care agencies .  The offenses that prevent individuals or entities from serving as child care agencies .  An annual list of facilities the department contracts with or otherwise utilizes to provide residential child care to children and youth in state custody that are not licensed or approved by the department, including information about which entity does license or approve those facilities, and information about how health and safety concerns can be reported about those facilities .  Directions on how the general public can contact the department and other programs to help them understand the information on the website."