A little-known provision in California's SB 190 gives family daycare operators a three-year break from a costly compliance mandate—but only if you understand the rules.
Most California family daycare home owners don't realize that a provision buried in SB 190 (Early Care and Education) has temporarily changed one of their core compliance obligations. The change is significant enough to affect hiring, training budgets, and operational planning—yet it's easy to miss.
Until October 1, 2027, California has reduced health-and-safety training requirements for family daycare homes. Under the prior rule, every staff member and every substitute adult working in a family daycare home had to complete and maintain health-and-safety certification.
The new rule, effective immediately under SB 190 (SEC. 15, amending Health and Safety Code § 1596.866, subdivision (a)(1)), requires only the licensee who actually provides care at the family daycare home to complete this training. For daycare centers, the requirement drops to one director or teacher per center.
In practical terms: if you run a family daycare home, you must be trained and certified in pediatric health and safety. Your substitute caregivers do not—at least not until the mandate resets on October 1, 2027.
This provision applies directly to family daycare home licensees. It does not affect large daycare centers in the same way; centers still must ensure at least one director or teacher meets the requirement, but the burden is lighter than the all-staff mandate that was previously in place.
If you operate a family daycare home and rely on substitute caregivers—whether occasionally or regularly—this change reduces your immediate training and certification costs. You are no longer required to enroll substitutes in health-and-safety coursework or maintain their certifications during this window.
This relief is temporary. The provision is operative now through September 30, 2027. On October 1, 2027, the full prior mandate returns automatically. At that point, all staff and all substitute adults at family daycare homes will again be required to complete health-and-safety training.
Owners should plan accordingly. If you've deferred substitute training during this three-year window, budget for compliance costs to resume in fall 2027. Conversely, if you've already trained substitutes, you're ahead of the curve when the requirement returns.
The immediate benefit is straightforward: lower training and certification costs for your operation. You can redirect those resources to wages, facility improvements, or other operational needs. It may also make it easier to recruit substitutes, since the barrier to entry is lower.
The trade-off is that substitutes will not have formal health-and-safety certification during this period. You remain responsible for ensuring safe practices in your home; this rule simply removes the certification mandate for non-licensee caregivers.
If you're planning staffing changes, hiring, or budget forecasts for the next three years, factor in the October 2027 deadline. What looks like a cost savings today will reverse in about three years.
For a detailed breakdown of SB 190's provisions and how they apply to your specific operation, consult your licensing agency or a child care compliance resource.