BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 265

By: Zaffirini

Human Services

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that, although employees of certain facilities, homes, and agencies that provide child-care services are required to complete certain training in subject areas such as child growth and development, guidance and discipline, age-appropriate curriculum, or teacher-child interaction, current law does not adequately address who is authorized to provide such training. S.B. 265 seeks to ensure that child-care employees and operators receive training from knowledgeable individuals with relevant expertise by establishing requirements for persons providing that training.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 265 amends the Human Resources Code to require the training required by provisions of law establishing minimum training standards for certain facilities, homes, and agencies that provide child-care services to be appropriately targeted and relevant to the age of the children who will receive care from the individual receiving training. The bill requires such training to be provided by a person who meets the following conditions, as applicable:

· is a training provider registered with the Texas Early Care and Education Career Development System's Texas Trainer Registry maintained by the Texas Head Start State Collaboration Office;

· is an instructor at a public or private secondary school or at a public or private institution of higher education who teaches early childhood development or another relevant course, as determined by rules adopted by the commissioner of education and the commissioner of higher education;

· is an employee of a state agency with relevant expertise;

· is a physician, psychologist, licensed professional counselor, social worker, or registered nurse;

· holds a generally recognized credential or possesses documented knowledge relevant to the training the person will provide;

· is a registered family home care provider or director of a day-care center or group day-care home in good standing with the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), if applicable, and who has demonstrated core knowledge in child development and caregiving and is only providing training at the home or center in which the provider or director and the person receiving training are employed; or

· has at least two years of experience working in child development, a child development program, early childhood education, a childhood education program, or a Head Start or Early Head Start program and has been awarded a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or holds at least an associate's degree in child development, early childhood education, or a related field.

S.B. 265 authorizes a registered family home care provider or director of a day-care center or group day-care home in good standing with DFPS to provide training under the bill's provisions only if DFPS has not taken certain disciplinary action relating to a license, listing, or registration or imposed certain administrative penalties, other than an evaluation, against the license, listing, or registration of the person or the home or center for which the person is a provider or director during the two-year period preceding the date on which the person provides the training.

EFFECTIVE DATE

January 1, 2012.