You have a doctor’s appointment. Or your own child needs to be picked up from school. Or something unexpected comes up in the middle of your daycare day. Can a substitute stay with the children while you step out? For California family child care home providers, the answer can be yes—but there are the home daycare substitute rules to follow. And because California recently updated those rules, now is a good time to check your backup-care plan.
Why Are We Talking About This Now?
California’s Assembly Bill 150 added requirements for temporary absences from family child care homes. Assembly Bill 190 amended those requirements, and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) explained what they mean for providers in its September 25, 2026 Provider Information Notice, PIN 26-11-CCP. These are changes to enacted law, not a proposal. (cdss.ca.gov)
Let’s walk through the questions you’re probably asking.
How Long Can I Be Away?
Your temporary absences while your family child care home continues providing care cannot exceed 20% of the total hours your facility provides care in a calendar month.
Notice the time period: a calendar month, not each individual day. If your daycare provides care for 200 hours in a month, 20% would be 40 hours. That example is only to show the math; use your program’s actual care hours when planning. (cdss.ca.gov)
This does not mean you have to use all those hours. It means you need to know how much time you’ve been away when children were in care and make sure you stay within the limit.
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Who Can Care for the Children While I’m Gone?
If your daycare remains open during your absence, you must arrange for a substitute adult to care for and supervise the children. Before that person provides care, CDSS says you must ensure they have:
- The required immunizations for influenza, pertussis, and measles. (cdss.ca.gov)
- A criminal record clearance or exemption;
- The required health and safety training, including pediatric first aid, pediatric CPR, and preventive health practices; and
So your backup plan needs to be more specific than “I’ll call someone if I need help.” The person has to meet the requirements before stepping in.
If you already have someone in mind, pull out their paperwork and check it now. That is much easier than trying to sort through qualifications when you’re dealing with an emergency.
What Do I Have to Tell Parents?
You must give the parent or legal guardian of each child in care written notice before your temporary absence.
If an emergency makes advance notice impractical, you must provide written notice no later than the next business day after the absence. CDSS also says you must maintain documentation showing that you complied with the temporary-absence requirements. (cdss.ca.gov)
I would make this part of your normal process. Have a simple written notice ready so you aren’t starting from scratch every time you have an appointment or need to step away.
And remember: telling parents at enrollment that you might use a substitute is helpful, but it doesn’t replace the written notice required for a temporary absence.
What Records Should I Keep?
CDSS says family child care homes must maintain documentation of compliance for temporary absences. A practical way to stay organized is to keep:
- The date and times of each absence;
- Your calculation of absence hours against the month’s total care hours;
- The name of the substitute who provided care;
- Documentation of the substitute’s required qualifications; and
- A copy of the written notice sent to parents, including when it was sent. (cdss.ca.gov)
That list is a suggested organization system, not a new CDSS form. The point is to be able to show what happened and how you met the requirements if a question comes up later.
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Your Quick Substitute-Care Check
Before you need to leave your daycare with someone else, ask yourself:
- Do I have a substitute who meets the requirements?
- Is their documentation current and easy to find?
- How will I track my temporary absences for the calendar month?
- Do I have a way to send each family written notice?
- Where will I keep the notice and absence records?
A little preparation now can save you a LOT of scrambling later.
If you run a California home daycare, take a few minutes this week to review your substitute plan. And if you’re outside California, check your own state’s licensing rules before using this as a guide for your program.
Read the source: California CDSS Provider Information Notice PIN 26-11-CCP. If you have a question about how the notice applies to your particular home, contact your Child Care Licensing Regional Office. (cdss.ca.gov)
