Senate BillPassed first houseHealth and Safety
SB 1200: Family daycare homes.
What SB 1200 does, verified August 15, 2026
<p>This bill proposes to modify the definition of an "infant" for the purpose of regulating family daycare homes in California. Currently, an infant is defined as a child under 2 years of age. The proposed bill would instead define an infant as a child under 18 months of age. This change aims to provide a more precise definition for the purpose of licensing and regulation.</p>
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: August 13 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. (2026-08-13)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions17 total · showing 5
| Aug. 13, 2026 | August 13 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. |
| Aug. 05, 2026 | August 5 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file. |
| Jul. 01, 2026 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jun. 01, 2026 | Referred to Com. on HUM. S. |
| May. 22, 2026 | In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 19, 2026 · 483 words
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 1200
| Introduced by Senator Menjivar (Coauthor: Senator Caballero) |
February 19, 2026 |
An act to add Section 1597.31 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to care facilities.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1200, as introduced, Menjivar. Family daycare homes.
Existing law, the California Child Day Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensing and regulation of child daycare facilities, including family daycare homes, by the State Department of Social Services. Existing law authorizes a small family daycare home to provide daycare for more than 6 and up to 8 children, including infants, if certain conditions are met. Existing law also authorizes a large family daycare home to provide daycare for more than 12 children and up to and including 14 children, including infants, if certain conditions are met. Existing regulations define infant for these purposes as a child under 2 years of age.
This bill would instead define infant for these purposes as a child under 18 months of age.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) The Legislature reaffirms the findings and declarations set forth in Section 1597.30 of the Health and Safety Code:
(1) The Legislature has a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of children in family homes that provide daycare.
(2) There is an extreme shortage of regulated family daycare homes in California, and the number has decreased significantly since 2008.
(3) There continues to be a growing need for child daycare facilities due to the increased number of working parents. Parents need childcare so they can work and attend school, and so their children can thrive.
(4) Many parents prefer childcare located in their neighborhoods in family homes.
(5) There should be a variety of childcare settings, including regulated family daycare homes, as suitable choices for parents.
(6) The licensing program to be operated by the state should be cost effective, streamlined, and simple to administer in order to ensure adequate care for children placed in family daycare homes, while not placing undue burdens on the providers.
(7) The state should maintain an efficient program of regulating family daycare homes that ensures the provision of adequate protection, supervision, and guidance to children in their homes.
(8) The state has a responsibility to promote the development and expansion of regulated family daycare homes to care for children in residential settings.
(b) Mixed-age group care found in family daycare homes achieves social, emotional, and developmental advantages for children through continuity of care in a small group setting.
(c) The department is encouraged to regularly examine family childcare home regulations to promote cogency.
SEC. 2.
Section 1597.31 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:1597.31.
For purposes of this chapter, “infant” means a child under 18 months of age.Text of SB 1200 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions