An Administrator's Guide to California Private School Law

Chapter 21 – Child Care Centers/Preschools

 Pre-existing Materials . The School’s contract should determine the ownership and scope of the original materials and any work product that is the result of the agreement. The contract should also discuss the rights related to the original materials and resulting work product. Additionally, the contract should discuss obligations to protect that information that could have an impact on the costs and pricing.

C HAPTER 21 – C HILD C ARE C ENTERS /P RESCHOOLS I NTRODUCTION Preschools and child care centers must adhere to the unique licensing, employee, and facility requirements for child care centers. Preschools and child care centers are highly regulated and are licensed by the Community Care Licensing Division of the California Department of Social Services. This chapter discusses many of the licensing and operating requirements unique to preschools and child care centers. The terms “child care center” and “preschool” are used interchangeably in this chapter. A child care center is any child care facility in which less than 24-hour per day nonmedical care and supervision are provided to children in a group setting. 2602 LCW Practice Advisor All preschools are licensed and regulated under Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. Preschools receiving funding for child care programs from the California Department of Education or its Child Section 1

Development Division are also regulated by Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations. This chapter focuses on privately operated preschools licensed and regulated under Title 22.

Section 2 O BTAINING A L ICENSE T O O PERATE A P RESCHOOL A license issued by the California Department of Social Services (“DSS”) is required to operate a preschool or child care center. 2603 A preschool may not advertise or represent itself as a licensed child care center without first obtaining a current valid license. 2604 The DSS’s Community Care Licensing Division (“CCLD”) handles all child care licensing, oversight, and enforcement issues. Title 22, combined with applicable provisions of the Health and Safety Code, address the various licensing, employee, health, and safety requirements for preschools. To obtain and maintain a child care facility license, preschools must meet the CCLD’s requirements, which include a mandatory orientation. 2605

An Administrator’s Guide to California Private School Law ©2019 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore 620