Sen. Johnson appointed to working group on child care facility safety

Sen. Chris Johnson of Somerville will serve on the Legislature’s Working Group to Study Background Checks for Child Care Facilities and Providers.

“The safety of children at any child care facility is paramount,” said Sen. Johnson. “The purpose of this working group is to ensure that the way we implement strengthened background checks on child care workers is efficient and practical, particularly for home-based child care.”

The working group was formed through a legislative order passed earlier this year. Sen. Johnson was appointed to serve on the group by the Senate President.

Members will meet to review the requirements for national criminal history background checks based on fingerprints, which are required by the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. The working group will recommend how the required background checks should be incorporated into state law, and will explore options, including the application of federal grant funds, to defray all or some of the initial and ongoing costs of compliance.

The five-member working group will report suggested legislation to the Legislature next year, based on its recommendations.