A bill introduced Friday would set new licensing and care standards for drop-in day care centers at facilities like malls, stores and gyms.
State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, said such centers are currently not even required to be licensed or meet basic standards of operation.
SB766 would require facilities to establish health and safety standards and protocol and inform parents and staff of the protocols; ensure the presence at all times of at least one person on staff with pediatric first aid and CPR training; require all staff members over the age of 18 to have background checks and require that at least one staff member be over the age of 18; and require facilities to maintain a ratio of no more than 10 children ages 6 and below to each care provider, and 15 children 7 and above to each care provider.
The bill was inspired in part by a recent legal battle between a fitness center and a family after a boy in the care of the gym’s child care center was injured, according to Yee.
“Parents deserve some peace of mind when their children are in the hands of these ancillary child care providers,” Yee said. “SB766 will establish some basic standards and help ensure kids are safe.”
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