Child care centers would have to follow disability rules and give parents a written disclosure
What it does
HB 243 would write disability rules into the minimum standards that Texas child care centers, group day-care homes, and registered family homes must follow. A center could refuse a child with a disability only after meeting with the family and deciding under the Americans with Disabilities Act that the accommodation would be an undue burden, a direct threat to other people, a fundamental change to how the center operates, or costly barrier removal work. The standards would also require centers to include children with special needs in general activities and to give certified early childhood intervention providers access to serve them.
What it means for your community
Parents would receive a written disclosure from their child's center, including a copy of the commission's Early Childhood Intervention Developmental Checklist and the center's own policies on caring for children with disabilities. Centers would need training and new policies to meet the rules, and the Health and Human Services Commission would write the details. The bill sets a start date of September 1, 2027.
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