An Administrator's Guide to California Private School Law

Chapter 21 – Child Care Centers/Preschools

A. A GE O F P RESCHOOL C HILDREN Child care centers may enroll children who are “preschool-age.” “Preschool-age children” are children who are not enrolled in either an infant care center (for children under two years of age) or a kindergarten or higher grade level program. 2606 The age of the child, therefore, is not the predetermining factor as to whether the child may attend preschool. Preschools may enroll any child not attending an infant care center and not yet enrolled in a kindergarten program. B. O RIENTATION Prior to filing an application for a child care center license, an applicant must attend a mandatory orientation provided by the CCLD. 2607 An “applicant” includes any adult, corporation, or public agency that has applied for a child care license. 2608 If the applicant is a corporation, all persons signing the application must be authorized to do so by a board resolution. 2609 Prior to applying for a child care center license, a preschool must determine who will serve as its authorized representative during the orientation and application process. This could be the head of the preschool, the school’s chief executive officer if the preschool will be part of an existing school, or another authorized representative. 2610 The applicant is referred to as a “licensee” who will have the authority and responsibility to operate the preschool after obtaining a license from CCLD. 2611 The orientation consists of two mandatory sessions. The first explains how to complete the license application process, and the second covers the scope of the child care center operations regulated by the DSS. 2612 Orientations may be attended in person or online. 2613 If attending orientation in person, applicants must print and bring to the orientation the Child Care Center Regulation Highlights and all forms contained in the License Application and Instructions for Child Care Centers (LIC 281A). These documents are available on the CCLD website. 2614 C. A PPLICATIONS A ND S UPPORTIVE D OCUMENTS After attending the orientation, the applicant must complete, sign, and submit all application forms and supportive documents to the CCLD along with all applicable fees. 2615 The Application Booklet for Child Care Centers is referred to as LIC 281A and contains links to all forms that must be submitted to complete the application. The LIC 281A Application Booklet can be found at http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/entres/forms/English/lic281a.pdf. If the applicant is a corporation, the application must be signed by the chief executive officer or the authorized representative. 2616 The LIC 281A Application Booklet must be resubmitted by an already licensed preschool if that preschool undergoes any major organizational changes. These changes include the preschool’s separation from a parent company, merger with another company, addition of a toddler component, or change of licensee. 2617 A preschool need not complete an entirely new LIC 281A Application Booklet if it is only proposing a change in the preschool’s capacity. Preschools seeking to change their capacity need only file an Application for a Child Care Center License (LIC 200A), a fire clearance, if necessary, and an update of existing application documents affected by the change in capacity. 2618

An Administrator’s Guide to California Private School Law ©2019 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore 621