Colorado Legislative Council Staff

STATE

FISCAL IMPACT

TITLE:            CONCERNING INCENTIVES FOR EXPERIENCED LICENSED FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME PROVIDERS.

Summary of Legislation

            The bill authorizes providers licensed as family child care homes, meeting certain experience and training requirements, to apply for designation as experienced child care providers. The Department of Human Services (DHS) is required to designate a family child care home licensee as an experienced child care provider if the licensee meets experience and training criteria including:

            •   six consecutive years of experience;

            •   appropriate character and suitability;

            •   child development training; and

            •   compliance with governmental regulations.

            A provider applying for designation as an experienced child care provider shall pay a one-time fee of $25 to cover the costs of the application. Licensees who lose designation as an experienced child care provider may reapply after two years and upon payment of another $25. Providers meeting the experienced child care provider designation are allowed to select from any of five incentives that allow such provider to care for more children than other licensees.

State Revenues

            Although it is assumed there will be providers seeking the experienced child care provider designation, that number cannot be quantified at this time. For those choosing the "experienced" designation, the $25 fee shall be credited to the Child Care Licensing Cash Fund. Should 25 to 250 providers seek designation as an experienced child care providers, the revenue to the fund would range between $1,250 and $6,250.

State Expenditures

            Under HB 99-1281, if an applicant meets the criteria of an experienced child care provider, DHS is required to designate that applicant/licensee as such and identify the designation on the provider's license. The State Board of Human Services is required to modify rules for implementation of the experienced child care provider designation. Upon designation of the licensee as an experienced child care provider, the licensee shall be entitled to care for additional children with the flexibility to move between options without further paperwork or agency intervention. The fiscal note assumes that the bill can be implemented within existing resources; its impact on workload in DHS is estimated at marginal.

State Appropriations

            An appropriation clause is not required.

Departments Contacted

            Human Services