Opinion ID: 449079
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the california regulatory scheme

Text: 8 Recognizing that affordable, quality licensed child care is critical to the well-being of parents and children and that good quality child day care services are an essential service for working parents, the California Legislature enacted statutes governing the licensing of child day care facilities and the health and safety conditions therein. Cal.Health & Safety Code Secs. 1596.72(e), 1596.73(e). See id. Secs. 1596.70-1597.65. Child day care facilities include day care centers and family day care homes. Id. Sec. 1596.750. This case involves only family day care homes. 9 Family day care homes are very different from institutional day care centers. A family day care home is a private residence in which care, protection, and supervision are regularly provided for periods of less than twenty-four hours per day for twelve or fewer children while their parents or guardians are away. Cal.Health & Safety Code Sec. 1596.78. The person who owns and operates the family day care home is called the provider. Id. Sec. 1596.791. Generally, the provider is a mother caring for her own children in her home who also undertakes to care for others' children for compensation. The California Legislature has expressly manifested its intent to preserve a traditional home environment in family day care homes and requires that such homes be situated in normal residential surroundings. Cal.Health & Safety Code Sec. 1597.40(a). 10 Family day care homes must be licensed by the State and are subject to health and safety requirements with respect to their interiors and yards. See Cal.Health & Safety Code Secs. 1596.80, 1597.52, 1597.53, 1597.54; 22 Cal.Admin.Code Sec. 88028. The Department is authorized by statute to establish, administer and monitor a licensing program for family day care homes in accordance with the statutory licensing requirements for such facilities, Cal.Health & Safety Code Sec. 1596.871 (previously Sec. 1597.51), and to adopt such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of the statutes governing child day care facilities. Id. Sec. 1596.81(a). 11 Two separate provisions of California law authorize unannounced inspections. Section 1597.55 of the California Health and Safety Code requires the Department to make warrantless inspections of family day care homes in four different situations: (1) prior to the initial licensing of a provider, (2) for the renewal of a license, (3) on the basis of a complaint and a follow-up visit to assure any violation has been corrected, and (4) for the mandatory annual inspection of ten percent of all licensed family day care homes. Cal.Health & Safety Code Sec. 1597.55(a), (b), (d), (e). Under this statute, unannounced visits may be made at any time. Id. Sec. 1597.55(e). Another statute, section 1596.852, authorizes any officer, employee, or agent of the Department to enter and inspect any place providing personal care, supervision, and services at any time, with or without notice, to secure compliance with, or to prevent a violation of, any applicable statute. Id. Sec. 1596.852. See also id. Sec. 1596.71.