AB 495 and the Family Preparedness Act

This session provides an essential compliance briefing on Assembly Bill 495, the Family Preparedness Plan Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2026. This legislation introduces strict operational and safety requirements for California public schools and licensed child daycare programs to protect families facing sudden separation due to immigration enforcement or unexpected emergencies. We will break down the law’s core mandates, including the absolute prohibition on collecting student citizenship data, the requirement to log law enforcement requests for immigration access, and the mandatory adoption of updated state model policies.

While the public school provisions do not legally bind private, K-12 religious schools, the daycare mandates explicitly apply to all licensed child care facilities and preschool programs, regardless of religious affiliation. We will discuss critical risk-mitigation strategies for every ministry, including the legal expansion of the Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit for temporary enrollment and medical decisions, and best practices for implementing advanced emergency contact protocols.