Relates to the age of an infant and reimbursement for child care

BILL NUMBER:S7505

Title of bill

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to age of infant and reimbursement

Purpose

To ensure child care providers receive adequate reimbursement.

Summary of provisions

Section one of this bill would require that a child care provider be reimbursed at the infant rate for a child up to two years of age.

Section two of the bill would set an effective date of April 1, 2015.

Justification

Licensing regulations require a certain staff to child ratio depending on the age and number of children receiving care with additional staff being required for any increases in infant care. As a result, the subsidy reimbursement amount for infant care is higher than what would be provided for older children. Subsidy regulations define an infant as a child from 0-18 months, however staffing ratios set forth by the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) considers an infant to be 0-24 months. This creates a 6-month financial shortfall for providers who do not receive the higher reimbursement amount, but are still required to operate under the standards of the licensing requirements such as a higher level of staff to child ratio. Aligning the definition of infant in subsidy regulation and licensing regulations will ensure that providers receive an adequate subsidy to compensate for the level of care that is being provided.

Legislative history

None.

Fiscal implications

Undetermined

Effective date

This act shall take effect April 1, 2015.