Bill > SF4581

This bill establishes an exemption process for licensed child care providers to exceed the standard limit on "absent days," which are days a child is scheduled for care but does not attend. Currently, providers are generally limited to reimbursing for 25 absent days per child per year, with a maximum of ten consecutive absent days, though exceptions exist for documented medical conditions or for families with young parents pursuing education. This bill adds a new provision allowing licensed child care providers to apply for an exemption from these absent day limits when an "extraordinary event" causes significantly reduced attendance or closure. An "extraordinary event" is defined as a circumstance beyond the provider's control, such as a natural disaster, mechanical failure, extreme weather, epidemic, or other exceptional situation determined by the commissioner, who will also establish the application process and how to determine the end date of such an event.