Bill Text: PA HB2779 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Imposing a duty on operators and staff persons at certain facilities to contact the parents of children enrolled at the facility under certain circumstances; and providing for administrative fine and for powers and duties of Department of Public Welfare.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-4)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-10-18 - Referred to CHILDREN AND YOUTH [HB2779 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HB2779-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 4482
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2779 Session of2010
INTRODUCED BY LENTZ, BELFANTI, BRADFORD, BRIGGS, DONATUCCI, FRANKEL, GINGRICH, GRUCELA, HORNAMAN, JOHNSON, MAHONEY, MANN, MURT, READSHAW, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH, VULAKOVICH, WATERS, WATSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 18, 2010
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, OCTOBER 18, 2010
AN ACT
Imposing a duty on operators and staff persons at certain
facilities to contact the parents of children enrolled at the
facility under certain circumstances; and providing for
administrative fine and for powers and duties of Department
of Public Welfare.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Child Day
Care Parent First Alert Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Child." A person who is under 16 years of age.
"Child day care." Care in lieu of parental care given for
part of a 24-hour day to children away from their own homes. The
term does not include such care furnished in places of worship
during religious services.
"Child day-care center." The premises in which child day
care is provided at any one time for seven or more children
unrelated to the operator.
"Custodial child-care facility." A child day-care center as
defined under section 1001 of the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31,
No.21), known as the Public Welfare Code, or nursery school
licensed or regulated by the Commonwealth.
"Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
Commonwealth.
"Established arrival time." The time specified in an
original agreement signed by an operator and the parent of a
child that specifies the child's arrival and departure times.
"Facility." A child day-care center, custodial child-care
facility, family child day-care home or group child day-care
home.
"Family child day-care home." A home, other than a child's
own home, operated for profit or not-for-profit, in which child
day care is provided at any one time to between four and six
children unrelated to the operator.
"Group child day-care home." The premises in which child day
care is provided at one time for more than six but fewer than 16
school-age-level children or more than six but fewer than 13
children of another age level who are unrelated to the operator.
The term includes a facility located in a residence or in
another premises.
"Operator." The legal entity or a person designated by a
legal entity to serve as director or primary staff person of a
facility.
"Parent." The biological or adoptive mother or father or the
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guardian of a child.
"Staff person." A person included in the regulatory ratio
who is responsible for child-care activities.
Section 3. Parent first alert.
The operator or staff person employed by a facility shall
attempt to contact the parent of a child who is enrolled at the
facility within 30 minutes of the established arrival time for
the enrolled child if the child does not arrive as expected and
the parent has not notified the operator or staff person. The
operator or staff person shall utilize the home and work
telephone numbers of the enrolling parent as provided for in 55
Pa. Code § 3290.124(b)(3) (relating to emergency contact
information).
Section 4. Administrative fine.
An operator or staff person employed by a facility who fails
to comply with the requirements of section 3 shall be subject to
an administrative fine of $100.
Section 5. Rules and regulations.
The department shall promulgate rules and regulations within
120 days of the effective date of this section to administer
this act.
Section 6. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 120 days.
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