HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12091986 - IO.6 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Contra
DATE; Costa
December 8, 1986 @ . County
SUBJECT; Child Care Issues
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1 . Request that the Children' s Council include in their
January, 1987 mailing to all licensed day care homes and
facilities in Contra Costa County information on the
availability of liability insurance through "Cal Care" ,
emphasizing that there is no fee required to obtain a
premium quotation.
2 . Request that the Children' s Council work with day care
associations in the County to publicize the availability of
liability insurance through "Cal Care" and the importance of
obtaining and keeping in force liability insurance.
3 . Request the United Way of the Bay Area and the Contra Costa
Children' s Council to report to the 1987 Internal Operations
Committee at the Committee' s first meeting in February, 1987
on the extent to which the Children' s Council has been able
to achieve the goals set for itself and remove this item as
a referral to our Committee.
4 . Request the Director of Community Development to meet with
our Committee January 12, 1987 and present at that time a
proposed ordinance providing options for mitigating child
care needs, including criteria for requiring provision for a
facility and/or fees for child care.
5 . Request the Executive Director, Contra Costa Children' s
Council, to forward to the Director of Community
Development, through the County Administrator' s Office, the
recommendations for policies and standards for home builders
developed by the Child Care Task Force so that the Director
of Community Development can take these recommendations into
account in preparing the proposed ordinance.
6 . Authorize the 1986 Internal Operations Committee to meet on
January' 12, 1987 on this and related child care issues in
order to complete work on these referrals on the condition
that final actions of the Committee be reported to the Board
on January 13, 1987 .
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE:
_ RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
X APPROVE OTHER
sIGNATURE�sI' ncv C Fanden Sunne !!. r^c Peak
ACTION OF BOARD •ON December 9, 1936 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED _}� OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT V ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
cc: County Administrator ATTESTED __ necember 9_,_ 19.86__--
Community Development Director
PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
County Counsel SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
Victor Slevin (via Children's Council )
Lydia Cameron, United !day erg G�
BY DEPUTY
M382/7-83
Page 2
BACKGROUND:
Our Committee met December 8, 1986 on several of the child care
issues with which we have been concerned during 1986. First, in
terms of the liability insurance issue we heard a presentation by
Victor Slevin, Special Counsel, American Insurance Association,
on why insurance premiums have gone up so dramatically in the
past few years and what role "Cal Care" has in assisting child
care homes and facilities to obtain liability insurance. Mr.
Slevin noted that for a number of years, particularly when
interest rates were high, insurance companies cut premiums
drastically in order to be competitive and obtain premium income
which could be invested. At that time, premiums generally were
only 10%-500 of what they should have been to cover known risks.
Investment income was so high that it was used to pay losses. As
interest rates began to fall, premiums had to be increased in
order to cover payments for losses which could no longer be
covered by investments. Many high risk situations were dropped
at this time. Also at this time, day care centers began to get
bad publicity because of charges of sexual molestation at a few
centers.
In the 1984-85 Session of the California Legislature, Senator
Seymour introduced legislation to create "Cal Care" . Cal Care
has put together a voluntary association of 21 insurance
companies. When a day care operator contacts a broker about
liability insurance, the broker may contact Cal Care on behalf of
the individual. Cal Care refers applications to one of the
insurance companies with whom they deal. All future decisions
are up to the insurance company. Cal Care has had very few
applications, given the number of licensed homes and facilities
in California. We believe that we should make every effort to
make use of the existing system to obtain liability insurance for
child day care facilities. Mr. Slevin indicated that premiums
for this type of insurance run from $50 to $100 per year per
child.
In terms of recommendation #3 , Ms. Lydia Cameron, representing
the United Way of the Bay Area, indicated that the Children' s
Council has engaged the services of a retired executive to
undertake a study of the internal structure of the Children' s
Council, including internal organization, salary structure and
job classifications. This study should be completed in late
January. The Agency Relations Committee of the United Way will
meet in late March or early April to make recommendations on
funding all United Way agencies in Contra Costa County.
In terms of recommendation #4, Mr. Bragdon indicated his staff
was still working with industry on appropriate criteria for an
ordinance which would require developers of either residential or
commercial property to mitigate the impacts their developments
place on the child care needs of the community. Present planning
is moving toward more emphasis on providing child care facilities
and less on a fee structure. Mr. Bragdon expects the ordinance
to go to the Planning Commission in January. Our Committee would
like to provide some input to the ordinance after having had an
opportunity to review it. We also want the Community Development
Department to have the benefit of the recommendations developed
by the Child Care Task Force--thus the recommendation we have
made as #5.
Our Committee hopes to wrap up work, or most of these child care
issues, by January 12 and report the matter back to the Board on
January 13, 1987 .