You asked (1) how municipally-run day care center licensing requirements differ from those for other day care programs and (2) about changes made in the 2007 session.

SUMMARY

In general, after school child care and youth camp programs run by municipalities are subject to the same Department of Public Health (DPH) licensing regulations as other providers offering similar programs. But municipally-administered programs that are operated in school buildings are exempt from the regulations (CGS § 19a-77(b)(1)(A)).

Some types of recreational programs for children are also excluded from DPH day care licensure. The legislature changed some of the types of programs that fall within the recreational program exclusion during the 2007 regular and special sessions.

The legislature also exempted from DPH youth camp licensure certain programs for very young children, weekend and school vacation programs for children over age 15, and drop-in programs for school-age children run by nationally chartered boys or girls clubs.

2007 LEGISLATION

Recreational Program License Exemptions

During the 2007 regular session, the legislature changed the types of recreational programs that are exempt from day care license requirements. It added exemptions for:

1. sports-only programs,

2. rehearsals,

3. academic tutoring programs,

4. 4-H programs (this exemption was later eliminated in PA 07-252 ), and

5. programs exclusively for children ages 13 and above.

It ended the exemptions for (1) creative art studios for children that offer parent-child recreational programs, (2) camping, (3) community-youth programs, and (4) church-related activities (a religious institution's educational activities for members' children continue to be exempt). And it modified an exemption for library programs by requiring them to be less than two hours long; prior law contained no time limit.

These changes went into effect October 1, 2007 (PA 07-129, copy enclosed).

Youth Camp License Exemptions

Public Act 07-129 also limits the programs that must be licensed as youth camps (which include resident and day camps) to those that (1) operate only during school vacations or on weekends and (2) serve children ages three through 15. Prior law covered children up to age 18.

The act specifically exempts from licensing requirements (1) programs or parts of programs that serve children under age three or that operate on weekdays and outside of school vacations and (2) drop-in programs for children who are at least six years old that are administered by a nationally chartered boys' and girls' club. Boys' and Girls' Clubs' drop-in programs for three-to-five year olds that operate during school vacations or on weekends apparently must obtain a youth camp license. (PA 07-252 removed the exemption for programs operating on weekdays during the school year. )

These provisions went into effect September 1, 2007.

SP: dw