AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET
AGENDA DATE: April 18, 2017
DEPARTMENT: Parks and Recreation
DCM: Brian Langley
SUBJECT
Title
Hold a public hearing and consider adoption of an ordinance of the City of Denton, Texas, adopting Standards of Care for Youth/Teen Programs administered by Denton's Parks and Recreation Department pursuant to Texas Human Resources Code Section 42.041 (b) (14); and providing an effective date. The Parks, Recreation and Beautification Board recommends approval (5-0).
Body
BACKGROUND
The Parks and Recreation Department has been directed by Texas Department of Regulatory Services to adopt an ordinance approving the Standards of Care, which are requirements that either meet or exceed the current State Day Care requirements. The Standards of Care are intended to be minimum standards by which the City of Denton Parks and Recreation Department will operate the City's Youth/Teen Programs. The programs operated by the City under the Standards of Care are recreational in nature and are not day care programs.
Senate Bill 212 was approved by the Texas Legislature during the 74th Legislative Session exempting recreation programs from day care licensing as long as a Standards of Care is adopted. In order to be exempt, an elementary-age (ages 5-13) recreation program may be operated by the municipality provided: the governing body of the municipality annually adopts standards of care by ordinance after a public hearing for such programs, that such standards are provided to the parents of each program participant, and that the ordinances shall include, at a minimum, staffing ratios, minimum staff qualifications, minimum facility, health and safety standards, and mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing the adopted local standards; and further provided that parents be informed that the program is not licensed by the state and the program may not be advertised as a child care facility.
The initial Public Hearing was held on October 5, 1999, and the fir...
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