We are calling the attention of all early childhood advocates, teachers, students, and families to a very important issue that affects the well being of all California children who are or will be in a childcare setting. Currently, only a meager 30% of all early childcare settings are being visited annually. This leaves 70% of childcare facilities in question as to whether they are in compliance with the standards set by Community Care Licensing (CCL). This means we are ensuring the health and safety of only 30% of our children in child care facilities. How can we justify leaving 70% of our children behind In order to ensure the health, safety, well-being of our children it is important to support CCL\'s goal to increase the 2008-09 budget in order to have analysts visit childcare settings on an annual basis. Unfortunately, California has one of the lowest frequencies of childcare facility inspections nationally. In order to ensure the standards, as pre-determined by Community Care Licensing, are being consistently met for the sake of our children, it is imperative to have an appropriate amount of analysts in the field to visit every childcare program annually. Community Care Licensing has the potential to empower all Early Childhood program participants in the Licensing process and lead directly to better care and better outcomes for children, families, and society. Community Care Licensing is a tool that reduces risks and protects the health, safety, and welfare of our children. We are asking, as advocates for our children, for their future and ours, to help keep our children safe by assuring our programs are in compliance through annual Licensing visits to every Early Childhood program, accessible only through a $27.4 million budget increase for CCL to enable an increase in staffing, thus allowing lower caseloads of 1:100 and the maintenance of health and safety requirements for the benefit of our 1,175,694 children in childcare facilities in California. This petition will be mailed and emailed to our state senators, council members, and representatives by December 12, 2007. If you support Community Care Licensing\'s recommendation to move toward annual visits to every childcare facility, please add your name below.

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