Childcare services: workday.

Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry's childcare services legislation expands access to subsidized care by redefining eligibility criteria under California's Child Care and Development Services Act. The bill modifies the definition of "workday" to include periods when parents require temporary childcare while searching for employment, during pregnancy-related work leave, or while providing family care during paid leave.

The legislation introduces "parental incapacity" as a qualifying circumstance, defined as a temporary or permanent inability to provide child supervision due to physical or mental health conditions, including pregnancy-related conditions. Parents on family or medical leave must now submit a self-attestation under penalty of perjury to maintain eligibility for services. When enrollment applications indicate two parents but contain only one signature, the signing parent must certify the presence or absence of the second parent.

The amendments preserve existing enrollment priorities, with first consideration given to children identified through protective services referrals, followed by income-eligible families ranked by factors including gross monthly income, exceptional needs, and primary language. The Department of Social Services must implement these changes through management bulletins by December 2023 while initiating formal rulemaking procedures by December 2024. While the bill creates new local administrative requirements, it specifies that no state reimbursement to local agencies is required as the changes relate solely to criminal penalty modifications.