Delaware Senate Bill 278
Session 153
An Act To Amend Title 31 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Child Care Assistance.
Became Law
Signed by Governor on Aug 17, 2026
Bill Intelligence
The amendment to Senate Bill No. 278 involves changing "authorize" to "pre-authorize" for summer enrollment in child care assistance. This clarification emphasizes that pre-authorizations are still contingent on meeting full eligibility requirements when the child attends. The amendment aims to ensure a smoother process for summer enrollment in the child care assistance program.
Bill Intelligence uses AI to analyze bill texts and other data. AI-generated content can contain mistakes, so the content should be reviewed for accuracy. This AI-generated content is not a replacement for reading the bill text.
If you spot anything that needs to be corrected, contact us at support@billsponsor.com or on social media.
Sponsors
25 Sponsors
Sarah McBride
First Action
May 6, 2026
Latest Action
Aug 17, 2026
Origin Chamber
Senate
Type
Bill
Bill Number
278
State
Delaware
Session
153
Sarah McBride
grade
Primary
Motion Text
SM
Senate Roll Call Votes
Other
Yes
Other
Yes
Yes
Yes
Summary
Like Senate Bill No. 278, Senate Substitute No. 1 for SB 278 requires that the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) regulations for Purchase of Care (POC), this State's child care assistance program, provide authorization for a child care provider that a child will attend during the summer at any time after January 1 because current regulations do not provide authorization for summer care early enough for families to enroll children in summer camps before camps are full.
SS 1 for SB 278 differs from SB 278 as follows:
• Does not codify the POC eligibility for children in the custody of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families.
• Revises the requirement that a summer child care provider must be authorized after January 1 so it clearly applies to all children receiving POC assistance.
• Clarifies that an authorization for a summer child care provider must be provided in addition to all provider authorizations for the child’s care during the school year.
Like SB 278, SS 1 for SB 278 does all of the following:
• Adds the name of this State's child care assistance program, "Purchase of Care" or "POC" to Chapter 5 of Title 31.
• Codifies the current policy that parent copayments are determined based on household size and income.
• Requires that parent copayments also be based on whether the child receives assistance for a full or half day of child care.
• Provides that the authorization for a summer child care provider provided in advance of attendance may be for purposes of enrollment only and is subject to meeting eligibility requirements at the time the child attends.
• Makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual.
This Act is effective immediately because under § 10113 of Title 29, amendments that make existing regulations consistent with changes in basic law are exempt from the procedural requirements under the Administrative Procedures Act.
Sort by most recent
08/17/2026
Office of the Governor
Signed by Governor
07/01/2026
Senate
Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT
07/01/2026
Senate
Suspension of Rules in Senate
06/30/2026
House
Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 ABSENT
06/30/2026
House
Amendment HA 1 to SS 1 - Passed In House by Voice Vote
06/23/2026
House
Reported Out of Committee (Appropriations) in House with 4 On Its Merits
06/18/2026
House
Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House
06/18/2026
House
Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 9 On Its Merits
06/16/2026
Senate
Amendment HA 1 to SS 1 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
06/04/2026
House
Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House
05/21/2026
Senate
Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT
05/20/2026
Senate
Reported Out of Committee (Finance) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits
05/18/2026
Senate
Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate
05/06/2026
Senate
was introduced and adopted in lieu of SB 278
Sources
Open States
Record Created
Apr 16, 2026 4:06:35 AM
Record Updated
Aug 19, 2026 7:22:26 PM