Delaware 153rd General Assembly (2025-2026) Status: Passed Senate Bipartisan · 18 D · 4 R cosponsors

SB 278 — AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE.

Last action — Signed by Governor

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced May 06, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 74% · high confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 25 sponsors

    25 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (18 D · 4 R) — cross-party backing.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 3 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

This bill allows early authorization for summer child care under the Purchase of Care program.

The bill amends regulations for Delaware's child care assistance program, enabling earlier authorization for summer child care. This change aims to help families enroll their children in summer camps before they reach capacity.

What this means for you
  • Families: Families will benefit from earlier access to child care authorization, allowing timely enrollment in summer programs.

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.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

73 added · 14 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendment updates the terminology related to child care assistance in the Delaware Code, specifically changing the terms "authorize" and "authorization" to "pre-authorize" and "pre-authorization." This change clarifies that certain approvals required for summer enrollment are intended to be preliminary approvals and are still dependent on meeting eligibility requirements later. This distinction helps inform individuals receiving assistance about the nature of the authorizations they need to secure.

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Previous
Latest
Rep.
Sen.
Harris HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE AMENDMENT NO.
Paradee & Rep.
1 TO SENATE SUBSTITUTE NO.
Harris Sens.
Brown, Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Hoffner, Huxtable, Lawson, Lockman, Mantzavinos, Pettyjohn, Pinkney, Poore, Richardson, Seigfried, Sokola, Sturgeon, Townsend, Walsh, Wilson;
Reps.
Chukwuocha, Heffernan, K.
Johnson, Lambert, Morrison, Osienski, Romer, Kamela Smith DELAWARE STATE SENATE 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY SENATE SUBSTITUTE NO.
278 AMEND Senate Substitute No.
278 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE.
1 for Senate Bill No.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
278 on line 25 by deleting “authorize” and inserting in lieu thereof “pre-authorize”.
Section 1.
FURTHER Amend Senate Substitute No.
Amend § 502, Title 31 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows and redesignating accordingly:
1 for Senate Bill No.
§ 502.
278 on lines 26 and 31 by deleting “authorized” each time it appears and inserting in lieu thereof “pre-authorized”.
Definitions.
FURTHER Amend Senate Substitute No.
As used in For purposes of this chapter:
1 for Senate Bill No.
(9) “Purchase of Care” or “POC” means child care assistance provided under this chapter.
278 on lines 26, 28, and 32 by deleting “authorization” each time it appears and inserting in lieu thereof “pre-authorization”.
Section 2.
SYNOPSIS This Amendment clarifies that the earlier authorizations necessary for summer enrollment are pre-authorizations and still subject to meeting eligibility requirements for full authorization at the time the child will attend.
Amend § 503, Title 31 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows and redesignating accordingly:
DLS :
§ 503.
Eligibility for assistance;
amount;
method of payment.
(e) Child care assistance.
— Persons seeking employment who are in need of child care services in order to obtain employment, to retain employment, or to obtain training leading to employment are (1)a.
An individual is eligible to apply for child care assistance under the Child Care Subsidy Program.
Such persons Purchase of Care if the individual needs child care services in order to do any of the following:
1.
Obtain employment.
2.
Retain employment.
3.
Obtain training leading to employment.
b.
An individual seeking employment are is eligible to apply for child care assistance under paragraph (e)(1)a.
of this section for a period not to exceed 90 consecutive days over the course of 1 year.
(2) Eligibility for and the amount of assistance granted to persons under Delaware’s Child Care Subsidy Program under POC shall be determined in accordance with the rules and regulations made established by the DLS :
AF Page 1 of 1 Released:
AF Page 1 of 2 Released:
06/16/2026 10:04 AM 5971530151
05/06/2026 03:31 PM Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Social Services (DHSS) and Chapter 3 of this title.
title, and must include all of the following:
a.
Copayments for families receiving POC assistance must be determined based on all of the following:
Show all 72 changed rows (32 more)
Previous
Latest
1.
The family’s household size and income.
2.
If the child is receiving assistance for a full day of child care or a half day of child care.
b.
If a child is eligible for POC assistance, DHSS must authorize a summer child care provider at any time after January 1 if authorization is necessary for enrollment.
If a child care provider is authorized under this paragraph (e)(2)b, all of the following apply:
1.
The authorization provided in advance of attendance may be for purposes of enrollment only and is subject to meeting eligibility requirements for POC at the time the child attends the summer child care provider.
2.
The total number of hours of child care authorized for a child may not exceed 10 hours a day.
3.
This authorization must be provided in addition to all provider authorizations for the child’s care during the school year.
SYNOPSIS 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.
Author:
Senator Paradee DLS :
DIG :
AF Page 2 of 2 Released:
05/06/2026 03:31 PM 5971530143
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)

Action History

  1. Passed By Senate. Votes: 19 YES 2 ABSENT

  2. Suspension of Rules in Senate

  3. Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 ABSENT

  4. Amendment HA 1 to SS 1 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

  5. Reported Out of Committee (Appropriations) in House with 4 On Its Merits

  6. Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House

  7. Reported Out of Committee (Health & Human Development) in House with 9 On Its Merits

  8. Amendment HA 1 to SS 1 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  9. Assigned to Health & Human Development Committee in House

  10. Passed By Senate. Votes: 20 YES 1 ABSENT

  11. Reported Out of Committee (Finance) in Senate with 1 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits

  12. Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate

  13. was introduced and adopted in lieu of SB 278

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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25 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 37 not signed on

Sponsors (25)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (37)

37 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 37 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

SM

Passed 19 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 15000
Republican 4002
Total 19002
% of votes cast 90%0%0%10%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
Daniel Cruce Democratic Yea
Darius J. Brown Democratic Yea
David P. Sokola Democratic Yea
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Yea
Kyra L. Hoffner Democratic Yea
Laura V. Sturgeon Democratic Yea
Marie Pinkney Democratic Yea
Nicole Poore Democratic Yea
Ray Seigfried Democratic Yea
Russell Huxtable Democratic Yea
S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic Yea
Spiros Mantzavinos Democratic Yea
Stephanie L. Hansen Democratic Yea
Trey Paradee Democratic Yea
Brian Pettyjohn Republican Yea
Bryant L. Richardson Republican Not Voting
Dave G. Lawson Republican Not Voting
David L. Wilson Republican Yea
Eric Buckson Republican Yea
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Yea

Official roll call →

SM

Passed 40 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 26001
Republican 14000
Total 40001
% of votes cast 98%0%0%2%
How each member voted (41)
Member Party Vote
Alonna Berry Democratic Yea
Claire Snyder-Hall Democratic Yea
Cyndie Romer Democratic Yea
DeShanna U Neal Democratic Yea
Debra Heffernan Democratic Yea
Edward S. Osienski Democratic Yea
Eric Morrison Democratic Yea
Frank Burns Democratic Yea
Franklin D. Cooke Democratic Yea
Josue O Ortega Democratic Yea
Kamela T Smith Democratic Yea
Kendra Johnson Democratic Yea
Kerri Evelyn Harris Democratic Yea
Kimberly Williams Democratic Yea
Krista Griffith Democratic Yea
Larry Lambert Democratic Yea
Madinah Wilson-Anton Democratic Yea
Mara Gorman Democratic Yea
Melanie Ross Levin Democratic Yea
Melissa Minor-Brown Democratic Yea
Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha Democratic Yea
Sean M. Lynn Democratic Yea
Sherae'a Moore Democratic Not Voting
Sophie Phillips Democratic Yea
Stephanie T. Bolden Democratic Yea
William Bush Democratic Yea
William J. Carson Democratic Yea
Bryan W. Shupe Republican Yea
Charles S Postles Jr. Republican Yea
Daniel B. Short Republican Yea
Jeff Hilovsky Republican Yea
Jeffrey N. Spiegelman Republican Yea
Jesse R. Vanderwende Republican Yea
Kevin S Hensley Republican Yea
Lyndon D. Yearick Republican Yea
Michael F. Smith Republican Yea
Richard G. Collins Republican Yea
Ronald E. Gray Republican Yea
Shannon Morris Republican Yea
Timothy D. Dukes Republican Yea
Valerie Jones Giltner Republican Yea

Official roll call →

SM

Passed 20 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 15000
Republican 5001
Total 20001
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (21)
Member Party Vote
Bryan Townsend Democratic Yea
Daniel Cruce Democratic Yea
Darius J. Brown Democratic Yea
David P. Sokola Democratic Yea
John "Jack" Walsh Democratic Yea
Kyra L. Hoffner Democratic Yea
Laura V. Sturgeon Democratic Yea
Marie Pinkney Democratic Yea
Nicole Poore Democratic Yea
Ray Seigfried Democratic Yea
Russell Huxtable Democratic Yea
S. Elizabeth Lockman Democratic Yea
Spiros Mantzavinos Democratic Yea
Stephanie L. Hansen Democratic Yea
Trey Paradee Democratic Yea
Brian Pettyjohn Republican Yea
Bryant L. Richardson Republican Yea
Dave G. Lawson Republican Yea
David L. Wilson Republican Yea
Eric Buckson Republican Yea
Gerald W. Hocker Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Subjects

labor education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 278 do?
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.
Who sponsors SB 278?
SB 278 is sponsored by Stell Parker Selby, Cyndie Romer (Democratic), Edward S. Osienski (Democratic), Eric Morrison (Democratic), David L. Wilson (Republican), John "Jack" Walsh (Democratic), Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), David P. Sokola (Democratic), Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Bryant L. Richardson (Republican), Nicole Poore (Democratic), Marie Pinkney (Democratic), Brian Pettyjohn (Republican), Spiros Mantzavinos (Democratic), Josue O Ortega (Democratic), Dave G. Lawson (Republican), Russell Huxtable (Democratic), Claire Snyder-Hall (Democratic), Melanie Ross Levin, Franklin D. Cooke (Democratic), Darius J. Brown (Democratic), Kerri Evelyn Harris (Democratic), Trey Paradee (Democratic), and Sarah McBride.
What is the current status of SB 278?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced May 06, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 278?
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