The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued a Child Care Bulletin (CCB) regarding definitional changes to part-time and full-time care consistent with Senate Bill (SB) 140 and clarifies inconsistencies with other regulations and codes.
Part-time care is defined as care certified for less than 25 hours per week, and full-time care as 25 or more hours per week, effective no later than March 1, 2024. This conflicts with the existing California Code of Regulations (CCR) definitions that define part-time as less than 30 hours and full-time as 30 or more hours per week. The CDSS must adopt new regulations by July 1, 2026, but this CCB guides the implementation of the latest definitions until then.
CCR section 18075 defines multiple time-based definitions but the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) section 10213.5(al)(1)-(2) only defines part-time and full-time weekly. Contractors need to adjust their systems to reflect the updated definitions for hourly, part-time, monthly, and full-time me as outlined in the CCB while the definition of daily remains unchanged.
Hourly care is used when a child’s need for care is fewer than 25 hours per week and fewer than five hours on any day, or when unscheduled needs are fewer than five hours per occurrence.
Daily is used when there is a certified need for child care of six or more hours per day or there is an unscheduled but documented need of six hours or more per occurrence.
Part-time monthly is used when there is a need for child care for fewer than 25 hours per week and that need occurs every week of the month or the need for care averages fewer than 25 hours per week when calculated by dividing the total hours of need in the month by 4.33.
Full-time monthly is used when there is a need for child care greater than 25 hours per week and that need occurs every week of the month or the need for care averaged more than 25 hours per week when calculated by dividing the total hours of need by 4.33.
Previously contractors receiving the standard reimbursement rate could adjust enrollment by time-based factors. They now must align with the new definitions of part-time and full-time care. Contractors must report all children according to these definitions.
The new definitions do not impact family fee determinations at this time. Contractors must adhere to the family fee schedule in CCB 23-22 while continuing to follow the 130-hour threshold for assessments.
Providers do not have to update their rate sheets but contractors must accept updates to rate sheets at any time within 60 days of implementing changes. Without updated rate sheets contractors should compare the provider’s full-time rate to the market rate ceiling and pay the lesser of the two amounts.
The new thresholds for part time and full time care end the need for the Individualized County Child Care Subsidy (Pilot) Program flexibility on service hours.
These changes do not apply to CalWORKs Stage One Child Care and the Emergency Child Care Bridge program. (CCB 24-04, March 8, 2024.)