Existing law establishes the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children, to be implemented at the discretion of each county, for the purpose of stabilizing foster children with families at the time of placement by providing a time-limited payment or voucher for childcare following the child’s placement, or for a child whose parent is in foster care, and by providing the family with a childcare navigator to assist the family in accessing long-term subsidized childcare.

Existing law, the Child Care and Development Services Act, administered by the State Department of Social Services, establishes a system of childcare and development services for children up to 13 years of age. Existing law establishes childcare resource and referral programs to serve a defined geographic area and provide prescribed services, including, making referrals to licensed child daycare facilities and the provision of childcare navigators to support children in foster care, children previously in foster care upon return to their home of origin, and children of parents involved in the child welfare system, including any child who meets the eligibility criteria for the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children.

This bill would authorize childcare navigators to refer foster children to the county welfare department for eligibility and approval under the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children, and would require participating county welfare departments to determine eligibility of that referred child for the program.