An Administrator's Guide to California Private School Law

Chapter 21 – Child Care Centers/Preschools

individual working at or associated with a child care center is arrested for a non-exemptible crime, it will advise the preschool to remove that individual from the facility. 2738 LCW Practice Advisor Preschools may still want to require, out of an abundance of caution, that parents and legal guardians who frequently volunteer in a classroom be fingerprinted prior to providing that service. 2. C HILD A BUSE C ENTRAL I NDEX The Attorney General administers the Child Abuse Central Index (“CACI”) to help protect the health and safety of children. The CACI is a database listing information pertaining to investigations of alleged physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental/emotional abuse, and severe neglect of a child. It includes the names of suspects and victims and outcomes of investigations. 2739 Prior to granting a license, the DSS will conduct a CACI review on the applicant and all individuals who must be fingerprinted. DSS has the authority to approve or deny a facility license, or an individual’s employment or presence in the facility, based on the results of the review. 2740 All individuals subject to a criminal record review must complete a CACI check prior to employment or initial presence in the facility. 2741 The preschool must submit an individual’s completed CACI checks (LIC 198A) to the California Department of Justice at the same time that individual’s fingerprints are submitted for criminal background checks. 2742 3. H EALTH A ND T UBERCULOSIS S CREENINGS A ND R EQUIREMENTS All preschool personnel must be in good health and be physically and mentally capable of performing the assigned tasks. 2743 To ensure adherence to this requirement, all personnel and administrators must provide the preschool a health screening report, signed by the physician performing the screening, to verify their good health and ability to perform the duties. 2744 This report must be dated not more than one year from the employment or licensure. 2745 The applicant or other preschool personnel must also verify to the preschool that he or she underwent a risk assessment or test for tuberculosis within 60 days before the individual’s employment. 2746 The good physical health of volunteers shall be verified by a statement signed by the volunteer affirming he or she is in good health, and by providing the results of a risk assessment or test for tuberculosis performed not more than one year prior to the volunteer work. 2747 At least one director or teacher must have at least 15 hours of training in preventive health practices, including training in pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and pediatric first aid. 2748 One of the directors or teachers with this required training must be present at all times in which children are in the child care center or offsite for center activities. 2749 Additionally, at least one director or teacher must have at least one hour of childhood nutrition training as part of the preventive health practices courses. 2750 For licenses issued on and after July 1, 2020, at least one director or teacher must have received training in the prevention of lead exposure. 2751

An Administrator’s Guide to California Private School Law ©2019 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore 633