Management Bulletin 21-11

Early Learning and Care Division

Subject: Reopening, Reimbursement, Distance Learning Plans, and Distance Learning Requirements for California State Preschool Program Contractors

Number: 21-11

Date: September 17, 2021

Expires: June 30, 2022

Authority: Fiscal Year (FY) 2021–22 Budget Trailer Bill (Assembly Bill [AB] 131, Section 263).

Attention: Executive Directors and Program Administrators of California State Preschool Programs (CSPP)

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Purpose

The purpose of this Management Bulletin (MB) is to notify and provide guidance to CSPP contractors regarding the requirements for reopening, reimbursement, distance learning plans, and services when children and families are unable to receive in-person services due to written state or local public health orders or guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic specific to early education or childcare.

This MB provides implementation guidance on the following:

1. Programs that are open or reopen
   
   
2. Programs that close due to a local or state public health order or guidance
   
   
3. Programs that close without a local or state public health order or guidance
   
   
4. Reimbursement for providers who serve children through a CSPP contract in a Family Child Care Home Education Network (FCCHEN)
   
   
5. Programs that close due to a non-COVID-19 Emergency Closure
   
   
6. Distance learning plan and distance learning requirements
   
   
7. Prioritization for in-person services
   
   
8. Data reporting requirements, attendance, and expenditure reporting requirements

For the purposes of this MB, a local or state public health order or guidance may include written orders, advisories, or guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic and specific to early education or childcare, issued by a local or state government agency.

Policy

The AB 131, Section 263 specifies that for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021–22, CSPP contractors are to be reimbursed the lesser of 100 percent of the contract Maximum Reimbursable Amount (MRA) or net reimbursable program costs in accordance with the implementation guidance below.

In order to be reimbursed as provided in AB 131, all CSPP contractors, must either:

1. Open to provide in-person early education services for enrolled families in accordance with the contracting agency’s FY 2021–22 approved program calendar, and remain open and offer services through the 2021–22 program year; or
   
   
2. Not provide in-person services by the start date of the contracting agency’s FY 2021–22 approved program calendar, due to local or state public health order or guidance that prevents the program from reopening; or
   
   
3. Open for in-person services in accordance with the contracting agency’s FY 2021–22 approved program calendar, with any future days of closure being due to a local or state public health order or guidance

The CSPP contractors who are closed due to a local or state public health order or guidance, or are unable to provide in-person services to all enrolled children due to capacity limitations required by a local or state public health order or guidance, must submit a distance learning plan to the California Department of Education (CDE), Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD), and provide distance learning services for all children who are unable to receive in-person services. Contractors are required to prioritize children and families for in-person services when capacity is limited due to a local or state public health order or guidance.

Effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN are to reimburse providers who submit an attendance record or invoice without a parent signature, so long as there is documentation of the provider’s attempts to contact the parent to obtain the signature.

Providers who serve children through a CSPP FCCHEN must be reimbursed based on the families’ maximum certified hours of care, including for those families certified for a variable schedule, regardless of attendance.

In addition to the above, CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN are required to reimburse FCCHEN providers for up to 16 non-operational days of closure when the provider closes due to COVID-19-related issues and the provider is not reimbursed as the result of a local or state public health order. Reimbursements to providers must be made as specified in the directives below.

All CSPP contractors who provide full-year services are required to certify that families are eligible for services for no less than 12 months, once they have established eligibility or ongoing eligibility. CSPP contractors are required to recertify families in accordance with, which states that families shall be recertified for services by the contractor no later than 50 calendar days following the last day of the 12-month certification period, which starts with the day the agency's authorized representative signed the last application for services.

Implementation Directives

Programs That Are Open or Are Reopening

The CSPP contractors that are open and providing in-person early education services to enrolled families by the start date of the contracting agency’s approved FY 2021–22 program calendar and remain open throughout the program year will be reimbursed based on the lesser of 100 percent of the contract’s maximum reimbursement amount (MRA) or net reimbursable program costs.

When it is not possible to provide in person-services for all enrolled children and families due to a local or state public health order or guidance limiting group sizes, CSPP contractors must prioritize families for in-person services, and offer distance learning services for those children and families who are unable to receive in-person services, as specified below. If a local or state public health order or guidance limits group size, the contractor will continue to be reimbursed based on the lesser of 100 percent of the contract’s MRA or net reimbursable program costs.

Programs That Close due to a Local or State Public Health Order or Guidance

Effective immediately, CSPP contractors that are required to close any sites and/or classrooms, including those that open and subsequently close any time during FY 2021–22 due to a local or state public health order or guidance, must complete and submit the Notification of Closure Due to a Public Health Order or Guidance template within 30 days of the closure. If the closure happened prior to September 1, 2021, then the Notification of Closure Due to a Public Health Order or Guidance template is due within seven (7) days. The Notification of Closure Due to a Public Health Order or Guidance template can be accessed at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/documents/csppclosurenotificationpublic.pdf. A copy of the local or state public health order or guidance and the completed template must be submitted to the assigned ELCD, regional consultant within 30 calendar days of the closure in order for the contractor to be reimbursed. When the public health order or guidance does not specify a date for reopening, the contractor must include a plan for reopening.

Additionally, CSPP contractors that are required to close any sites and/or classrooms, including those that open and subsequently close any time during FY 2021–22 due to a local or state public health order or guidance, must also submit a distance learning plan, and offer distance learning services for all enrolled children and families that are unable to receive in-person services, as specified below.

The CSPP contractors who are closed according to the above requirements, meet the requirements for submission of a distance learning plan, and offer distance learning services for children and families not receiving in-person services, will be reimbursed for FY 2021–22 based on the lesser of 100 percent of the contract’s MRA or the net reimbursable program costs.

Programs That Close Without a Local or State Public Health Order or Guidance

With the exception of CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN, in order to be reimbursed, contractors must either:

1. Open or reopen to provide in-person services, in accordance with the agency’s approved FY 2021–22 program calendar, or
   
   
2. Be closed due to a local or state public health order or guidance, or
   
   
3. Have an approved non-COVID-19 emergency closure

If a CSPP closure is due to any other reason other than numbers two (2) or three (3) above, the contractor will not be reimbursed for any period of time that the CSPP is not physically open to provide in-person services for enrolled children and families. Similarly, those contractors that open by the start date of the contracting agency’s FY 2021–22 approved program calendar and subsequently close for reasons other than those two (2) criteria will not be reimbursed for any period of time that the program is not physically open to provide in-person services for enrolled children and families.

Contractors who do not meet one (1) of the three (3) criteria above must submit a revised FY 2021–22 program calendar and a program narrative change to their assigned CDE, ELCD, Program Quality Implementation (PQI) Office Regional Consultant to ensure that the correct minimum days of operation (MDO) are reflected in their contract. Reimbursement will be limited to days when the program was in operation for in-person services or closed due to a local or state public health order or guidance or an approved non-COVID-19 emergency. If a program is closed other than due to a local or state public health order or guidance or an approved non-COVID-19 emergency, the contract will be amended to prorate the contract’s MRA to reflect the days of closure.

NOTE: Unlike during FY 2020–21, when a Local Educational Agency (LEA) was authorized in the California Education Code (EC) to disallow the reopening of the CSPP due to a state or local public health order, effective July 1, 2021, CSPPs that are located on an LEA campus will be treated the same as those not on an LEA campus and will not be funded to be operational unless there is a written state or local public health order or guidance that requires the LEA and/or the CSPP program to close.

Reimbursement for Providers Who Serve Children Through a CSPP Family Childcare Home Education Network

The CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN must reimburse providers who are closed, or who are unable to provide in-person services for all enrolled, subsidized children, due to a local or state public health order or guidance.

The CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN are required to collaborate with providers to deliver distance learning services to enrolled families that are unable to access services because the provider is closed due to a local or state public health order or guidance, as specified below.

The CSPP contractors must reimburse FCCHEN providers based on the family’s certified need, regardless of attendance. For families certified for a variable schedule, for FY 2021–22, providers must be reimbursed based on the maximum hours of authorized care.

When a provider who serves children through a CSPP FCCHEN network is closed for a reason that is not related to a local or state public health order or guidance, but still related to COVID-19, the CSPP contractor must reimburse providers for up to 16 non-operational days. Providers who serve children through a CSPP FCCHEN are required to indicate on their attendance records and/or invoices any non-operational days for other closures related to COVID-19, up to a total of 16 non-operational days.

Note: The CDE, ELCD recognizes that this directive is retroactive in nature. Some providers may have already had closures related to COVID-19 prior to the signing of AB 131. This may require CSPP contractors to process adjustments that were not previously reimbursed for non-operational days of closure for closures related to COVID-19 that were not claimed by providers since July 1, 2021. Contractors must notify providers of the retroactive directive and provide them with the option of requesting an adjustment to be reimbursed for retroactive closures related to COVID-19 for which the provider was not previously reimbursed. Contractors should prioritize these adjustments as quickly as possible.

Parent Signatures

Effective July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, CSPP contractors providing services through a FCCHEN must reimburse providers who submit an attendance record or invoice without a parent signature when the absence of a parent signature is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is documentation of the provider’s attempts to collect the signature. When the attendance record or invoice is submitted without the parent’s signature, an attestation statement from the provider must be provided with the attendance record or invoice. The attestation, signed under penalty of perjury, must indicate the provider made attempts to contact the parent and that the parent was not available for signature due to COVID-19. The following sample attestation is included for your convenience.

Example: By signing and submitting this attendance record or invoice without the parent’s signature, I attest, under the penalty of perjury, that I have made and documented attempts to contact the parent, and the parent has been either unavailable or unable to sign this attendance record/invoice due to, to the best of my knowledge, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Programs That are Closed Due to Non-COVID-19 Emergency Closures

While AB 131 addresses reimbursement for CSPP contractors that are required to close due to a local or state public health order, there will be instances that some contractors are unable to operate due to other emergencies that are not related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including but not limited to fires, earthquakes, floods, or other circumstances beyond their control. The CSPP contractor must submit a non-COVID-19 Emergency Closure Request, in accordance with MB 21-10: Non-COVID-19 Emergency Closure Requests for Fiscal Year 2021–22. MB 21-10 can be accessed at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb2110.asp.

Distance Learning Plans and Distance Learning Services

The CSPP contractors who are closed, or who are unable to provide in person services for all enrolled children when capacity is limited due to a public health order or guidance, must submit a distance learning plan and offer distance learning services for all enrolled children who are unable to receive in-person services.

Note: CSPP contractors are not required to provide distance learning services for families who choose to shelter in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contractors should encourage families to return to in person services to ensure that their child(ren) are receiving ongoing early education services.

Distance learning plans and services should align with the program quality requirements described in 5 CCR sections 18270.5 through 18281, and shall address the program quality requirements and the contractors plan for the delivery of distance learning services for the items below. The CSPP contractors must complete the distance learning plan template located at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/distancelearningplan21-22.docx, and submit the plan to their assigned regional consultant in the ELCD, PQI office.

The CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN must collaborate with the FCCHEN providers to develop a plan and deliver distance learning services for children and families who are not receiving in-person services.

The CSPP contractors must notify families, teachers and FCCHEN providers, as applicable, of the plan for the delivery of distance learning services.

Distance learning services may be offered through various methods to maintain the developmental progress of currently-enrolled children that are not receiving in-person services. Distance learning services and outreach efforts may include, but are not limited to: (1) home activity packages, (2) lending libraries, (3) phone calls, (4) text messages, (5) emails, (6) online learning platforms and/or (7) video. Contractors preparing activity packets should ensure the delivery of these packets comply with all social distancing requirements.

Parent Involvement and Education

The 5 CCR Section 18275 requires CSPP contractors to include in the program a parent involvement and education component. The distance learning plan must address the implementation of the following provisions:

1. How the contractor will ensure that families are able to fully engage in distance learning services, and how the contractor will solicit information from the family on the available resources and methods they have available and prefer for distance learning services. Contractors must provide distance learning services in the preferred method of the family.
   
   
2. How the contractor will, to the greatest extent possible, conduct distance learning services in the family’s preferred language and how these services will include a combination of teacher interactions and family activities to maintain relationships and supports for families and children with each other and with program staff.
   
   
3. How the contractor will contact each family a minimum of once per week to keep updated on the child and family, and to provide distance learning services. Services and outreach efforts must be documented in accordance with 5 CCR sections 18273, 18275, and 18276.
   
   
4. How the contractor will communicate with families about their progress and needs with distance learning services, the child’s learning, development, routines, activities, and behavior, as well as the family’s overall well-being.
   
   
5. How the contractor will provide families with resources and referrals to support services, social services, and health services as needed.
   
   
6. How the contractor will re-engage families whom the contractor has been unable to reach for more than a week, and how re-engagement efforts will be documented.
   
   
7. How the contractor will conduct at least two (2) individual conferences with parents during FY 2021–22, in compliance with 5 CCR Section 18275(b)(2). These conferences can be completed virtually if needed.

Contractors should contact the local California Child Care Resource and Referral (R&R) agency and the local Quality Counts California (QCC) consortia to identify additional resources to meet the needs of children, families, and staff. A listing of local R&R agencies can be located on the R&R Network website at https://rrnetwork.org/family-services/find-child-care, and local QCC consortia information can be located on the QCC website at https://qualitycountsca.net.

Education Program

The 5 CCR Section 18273 requires CSPP contractors to provide an education program. The distance learning plan must address the implementation of the following provisions:

1. How the contractor will provide families with distance learning activities that can be incorporated into daily activities and assist with creating a predictable routine in the family’s home.
   
   
2. How the contractor will offer developmentally appropriate activities that align with those activities conducted in the program, and how activities that can be done at home will be included. These activities must align with California Preschool Learning Foundations, and the California Preschool Curriculum Frameworks.
   
   
3. How the contractor will provide, to the extent possible, the accommodations necessary for children with special needs, and how children’s distance learning services will be individualized and focused on activities that would have meaning and interest to the family and the child.
   
   
4. How the contractor will keep records that include the activities planned for distance learning services, and the amount of time each family and child have participated in distance learning services.
   
   
5. How the contractor will provide interactions based on the family’s resources and preferred methods of receiving distance learning services. These interactions should include a combination of teacher interactions and family activities to maintain relationships and supports for families and children with each other and with program staff. Below are examples of maximum appropriate time frames for distance learning activities that are provided through virtual interactions, as applicable:
   • A maximum of 30 minutes per program day for children two to three (2–3) years of age
     
     
   • A maximum of 45 minutes per program day for children three and four (3–4) years of age.

Note: CSPP contractors are not required to offer distance learning services through virtual, on-line interactions. Distance learning services may be offered through various methods to maintain the developmental progress of currently enrolled children that are not receiving in-person services. Distance learning services and outreach efforts may include, but are not limited to, (1) home activity packages, (2) lending libraries, (3) phone calls, (4) text messages, (5) emails, (6) online learning platforms and/or (7) video. Contractors preparing activity packets should ensure the delivery of these packets comply with all social distancing requirements.

Prioritization for Services

Full-Day CSPP

When capacity is limited due to a local or state public health order or guidance (i.e., group size restrictions), CSPP contractors must prioritize families enrolled in full-day CSPP for in-person services in the following priority order:

• Children who are the recipients of Child Protective Services through a county welfare department
  
  
• Children who have been identified as at-risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation by a legally qualified health professional
  
  
• Families who require services because the parent(s) work outside the home, with the lowest income ranking in relation to family size. When two (2) families have the same income ranking, the child with exceptional needs must receive in-person services. If there is no child with exceptional needs, the family that has been receiving services for the longest length of time shall be prioritized for in-person services. Priority must be given to four-year-old children before three-year-old children.
  
  
• Families who are not working outside of the home, including those who meet other eligibility and/or need criteria, (i.e., incapacitation, seeking employment) with the lowest income ranking in relation to family size. When two (2) families have the same income ranking, the child with exceptional needs must receive in-person services. If there is no child with exceptional needs, the family that has been receiving services for the longest length of time shall be prioritized for in-person services. Priority must be given to four-year-old children before three-year old children.
  
  
• Four-year-old children, without regard to need for services when the CSPP has been approved by the CDE as a Free and Reduced-Price Meal (FRPM) site, in accordance with MB 21-04, and all otherwise eligible children have been enrolled.

Families that are receiving in-person services must not be displaced if another family with a higher priority is requesting in-person services.

Note: Enrolled families are certified for no less than twelve months and must not be disenrolled due to capacity limitations. Any families not receiving in-person services due to a public health order or guidance must be offered distance learning services.

Part-Day CSPP

Because families whose children are enrolled in a part-day CSPP do not have a certified need, part-day CSPP contractors are encouraged to develop models that provide in-person services to as many children as possible when capacity is limited due to a local or state public health order or guidance (i.e., group size restrictions). Contractors may elect to offer enrolled children and families a combination of alternating both in-person and distance learning services in order to provide some level of in-person services to all enrolled children and families. When a part-day CSPP contractor chooses not to utilize such a schedule in order to accommodate all families, or is unable to offer in-person services for all enrolled children and families, the contractor must adhere to the prioritization for services specified in EC Section 8236, as follows:

• Three or four-year-old children who are the recipients of Child Protective Services through a county welfare department
  
  
• Three or four-year-old children who have been identified as at-risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation by a legally qualified health professional
  
  
• Four-year-old children who are not enrolled in transitional kindergarten, with the lowest income ranking in relation to family size
  
  
• Three-year-old children with the lowest income ranking in relation to family size

Families that are receiving in-person services must not be displaced if another family with a higher priority is requesting in-person services.

Note: Once families are certified for part-day CSPP, they are eligible for services for the program year and must not be disenrolled due to capacity limitations. Any families not receiving in-person services due to a local or state public health order or guidance must be offered distance learning services.

Data Reporting Requirements

Attendance, Enrollment, and Expenditure Reporting for CSPP Contractors

For FY 2021–22, CSPP contractors will be reimbursed at the lesser of 100 percent of the contract’s MRA or net reimbursable program costs, without regard to enrollment or attendance, when they meet the policy directives specified above. If the days of closure are not attributable to closure by a local or state public health order or guidance or an approved non-COVID-19 emergency closure, the contractor’s MRA will be pro-rated by the days of operation that the contractor was not open to provide in-services. Contractors must submit a revised FY 2021–22 program calendar and a program narrative change to their assigned CDE, ELCD, PQI Regional Consultant to ensure that the correct minimum days of operation (MDO) are reflected in their contract.

The CDE will use the submitted expenditure data to determine contract earnings and reimbursement. In accordance with 5 CCR Section 18068 and the FY 2021–22 Funding Terms & Conditions (FT&C), all contractors shall be required to submit attendance and fiscal reports to the Child Development and Nutrition Fiscal Services (CDNFS) office in the timeframes set forth, based on their contract status, through the Child Development Provider Accounting Reporting Information System (CPARIS). CSPP contractors, whether providing in-person or distance learning services, are required to report the days of enrollment for all children receiving services in the program, as well as attendance for all children physically attending the program.

The CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN are required to report to the CDE through the CPARIS the use of the 16 non-operational days for closures related to COVID-19 when the primary provider is closed and the associated costs for when the child receives care from an alternate provider. Non-operational days for closures related to COVID-19 should only be reported if the closure is related to COVID-19 but not due to local or state public health order or guidance for which the CSPP contractor receives reimbursement. The data required to be reported by CSPP contractors operating through a FCCHEN include:

• Number of children requiring care from an alternate provider
  
  
• Sum of all the days children received care from an alternate provider
  
  
• Total cost associated with paying alternate providers due to the primary provider’s closure

The CDE will use the submitted data to determine contract earnings and reimbursement.

Reporting Days of Operation and Days of Enrollment for FY 2021–22

Beginning July 1, 2021, with the exception of CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN, as specified above, CSPP contractors that do not reopen without a local or state public health order or guidance, or an approved non-COVID-19 Emergency Closure request, will not be reimbursed for any period of time that the program was not physically open. Therefore, for purposes of reporting between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, CSPP contractors will report the days of operation and days of enrollment for this time period only if the program is either:

• Physically open and providing in-person services for children and families; or
  
  
• Not physically open due to a local or state public health order

Alternatively, if the contractor was closed without a local or state public health order or guidance, or due to an approved non-COVID 19 emergency closure a contract's MRA will be pro-rated and direct service contractors will not report the days of operation or enrollment for those dates of closure. The contractor must submit a revised FY 2021–22 program calendar and a program narrative change to their assigned CDE, ELCD, PQI Regional Consultant to ensure that the correct minimum days of operation (MDO) are reflected in their contract.

Reporting Days of Attendance and Excused Absences for FY 2021–22

The CSPP contractors will only report the days of attendance for children who receive in-person services and will not report days of attendance for any children participating in distance learning activities. Excused absences will only be reported as a day of attendance for children who were expected to physically attend the program on any given day, but the child did not attend. The CSPP contractor’s excused absence policies should continue to be followed for children receiving in-person services. CSPP contractors are reminded that excused absences include family emergency, which must be delineated by the contractor, and illness or quarantine of the child or parent, which includes a positive COVID-19 case in the family.

Reminder: CSPP contractors are required to have written policies for excused absences. CSPP contractors are required to delineate circumstances that constitute family emergencies. The CDE, ELCD recommends that CSPP contractors update their excused absence due to family emergency policies to include excused absences for families who choose to shelter in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Note: The above reporting requirements do not apply to the 801A report. Should there be any changes to reporting requirements for the 801A, contractors will be provided further guidance.

Background and Authority

On July 23, 2021, the Governor signed the FY 2021–22 Budget Trailer Bill for Child Development Programs, AB 131, Section 263 which specifies that CSPP contractors are to be reimbursed the lesser of 100 percent of the contract’s MRA or net reimbursable program costs when the CSPP is either open and operating in accordance with their approved program calendar and remains open and offering services throughout the program year, or when the CSPP is closed by a local or state public health order or guidance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. AB 131, Section 263 requires CSPP contractors that are closed due to a local or state public health order or guidance, and are paid to be operational, to submit a distance learning plan to the CDE, and offer distance learning services for enrolled children and families that are unable to receive in-person services.

The AB 131, Section 263 authorizes CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN to reimburse providers based on the maximum authorized hours of care, regardless of attendance, including for families that are certified for a variable schedule. Additionally, CSPP contractors must reimburse providers who submit an attendance record or invoice without a parent signature when the absence of a parent signature is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is documentation of the provider’s attempts to collect the signature.

Finally, AB 131 authorizes and allocates funding for CSPP contractors who provide services through a FCCHEN to reimburse providers for up to 16 non-operational days for closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but not due to a local state public health order or guidance that requires the provider to close, between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.

The EC Section 8249 states that agencies that are unable to operate due to circumstances beyond the control of the operating agency, including but not limited to: incomplete renovations, fires, floods, or earthquakes; shall not be penalized for incurred program expenses, nor in subsequent annual budget allocations.

Resources

If you have programmatic questions regarding the information in this MB, please contact your assigned ELCD Program Quality Implementation (PQI) office Regional Consultant. The CDE, ELCD Consultant Regional Assignments directory can be accessed at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/assignments.asp.

If you have fiscal questions about the information in this MB, please contact your assigned Child Development Nutrition and Fiscal Services analyst. The fiscal analyst directory can be accessed at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/faad.asp.

The CDE, ELCD has developed a COVID-19 pandemic guidance and resource web page that includes answers to frequently asked questions, all MBs issued to implement pertinent legislation, and other relevant resources at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/elcdcovid19.asp.

To be informed of updated information, please sign up for ELCD’s email distribution list at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/progspeclist.asp.

For information from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD), including guidance on social and physical distancing, ratios and group sizes, and healthy practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit their website at https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/community-care-licensing.

For the California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) COVID-19 Guidance for Childcare Providers and Programs, visit the CDPH web page at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Child-Care-Guidance.aspx

For information about federal and state guidance and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html, the California Department of Public Health’s website at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx, and the California COVID-19 Response website at https://covid19.ca.gov/.

The directives in this Management Bulletin are mandatory pursuant to subdivision (f)(2) of AB 131, Section 263.

Stephen Propheter, Director
Early Learning and Care Division