Lesson 3
Attendance
Compliance Indicator
The program has policies & procedures that are consistent with statutes & regulations on verification of excused absences & abandonment of care.
Regulations/Reference
CCD Program Instrument: I. Family Files CCD 06
Welfare & Institutions Code: 10213.5, 10251 & 10280
Title 5: 18065, 18066, 18066.5, 18067, 18068
Monitoring Review Evidence
Verification of Excused Absences & Abandonment of Care Policies
Attendance Registry Records
Sign-In/Out Records
Written Materials for Parents
Watch Video Lesson ❯
Sample Forms/Tools ❯
Attendance Forms/Tools
Promoting Attendance
Review Sketch Pad Notes ❯
Attendance
According to the regulations, attendance means the number of children present at a child care & development facility.
In Alternative Payment programs, absences must be recorded for the purpose of determining whether hours are broadly consistent.
Excused Absence Policy
Contractors are required to adopt policies (board approved) for excused absences AND must inform parents of the policies.
According to the regulations, a contractors Excused Absence policy must define &/or describe the circumstances for each of the following areas:
Illness/quarantine of parent
Illness/quarantine of child
Family emergency
Court ordered visitation
Best interest
What this might look like in a program:
Attendance & Absence Policy is developed & approved by agency board AND is shared with parents upon enrollment & at orientation. A sample excused absence policy might include:
Abandonment of Care Policy
Contractors are required to adopt policies for abandonment of care.
A child may NOT be disenrolled due to excessive absences except in circumstances when the family does not follow the reasonable absence policy resulting in the child abandoning care.
According to the regulations, families may not be enrolled in a program if they are not using services. When the family has not been in communication with the provider for 7 consecutive calendar days & has not notified the provider of the reason for not using service, the provider must:
Promptly notify the contractor
The contractor must attempt to contact the parent through a variety of communication methods using the contact information on file
The contractor must inform the parent that failure to communicate with the contractor or provider may result in termination of services
If there is no contact for a total of 30 consecutive calendar days, the contractor must issue a Notice of Action for disenrollment due to abandonment of care
Sample Procedure:
What might this look like in a program:
Jim has been absent for 7 consecutive calendar days & there has been no contact with the parent.
Provider Angela has been documenting her attempts to contact Stanley, Jim’s father, regarding Jim’s absences with no success.
Since Jim has been out with no parent contact for 7 consecutive days, Provider Angela notifies the Contractor which prompts the agency to contact Stanley to follow-up on Jim’s absences.
A formal notice is also issued that includes reference to the absence policy & steps to follow if Stanley fails to respond.
Since Stanley did not respond or contact the agency after 30 consecutive calendar days, the agency issues the Notice of Action for disenrollment due to abandonment of services along with due process instructions.
NOTE: Maintain records of all communication attempts
Gap in Services
Contractors MAY have a policy allowing parents to request a temporary gap of services during which time attendance would not be reported. There is no need for any formal leave for absences that are excused, even if the absences are for an extended period.
Parents are still required to abide by the contractor’s absence policies. Upon return after the temporary gap, the family will receive services based on the certified hours they were receiving before they left.
Parent Education
Contractors must have a system to inform families of the attendance expectations & absence policies.
What this may look like in a program:
Include absence policy within:
Program Orientation
Parent Handbook
Parent Board
Agency Website
Complete Knowledge Check ❯
After reviewing the video lesson & sketch pad notes, it’s time to check for understanding by completing a Knowledge Check. Note that Individual Knowledge Checks will conclude with a Certificate.
