Senate Bill 1374 - Basic Daycare Licensing Summary

• Establishes "basic daycare licenses" issued by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for daycare centers (13+ children), group daycare facilities (7-12 children), and family daycare homes (6 or fewer children)

• Revises child-to-staff ratios with specific requirements by age group: 1 staff per 6 children under 24 months, 1 per 8 children ages 24 months to 3 years, 1 per 10 children ages 3-4 years, 1 per 12 children ages 4-5 years, and 1 per 18 children ages 5+

• Requires criminal history background checks for daycare owners, operators, employees, and individuals 13+ with unsupervised contact with children; allows department to conduct reinspections and charge fees if facility owners repeatedly fail to comply with safety standards

• Permits the department to issue provisional licenses for up to 4 months if applicants cannot meet standards due to temporary conditions, with a maximum of two provisional licenses per 12-month period

• Transfers authority to specify disqualifying offenses from statutory listing to department rulemaking, allowing alignment with section 56-1004A, Idaho Code