# How to Schedule Around Child Actors: California and New York Rules

Source: https://storiara.com/blog/how-to-schedule-around-child-actors
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Spencer Kaufman, Storiara

> Start from the state's limits for the child's age: hours at the workplace, hours of work, school time, rest and recreation, the earliest and latest times of day, and the 12-hour rest between days. Then build the minor's day in blocks, shoot the child's coverage first in each scene, finish adult coverage with a stand-in after the child is released, and keep night scenes inside the legal cutoff.

This is a scheduling guide based on the published state rules, not legal advice. The rules follow where the child works, and they change, so confirm them with the state labor department and your studio teacher before you lock a board.

## The limits that decide the board

A child's scenes can't be scheduled like an adult's, because the state caps three separate clocks: total time at the workplace, time actually working, and time in school. Here are the school-age limits side by side, from California's [Title 8, Section 11760](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11760.html) and New York's [12 NYCRR 186-6.2](https://forms.labor.ny.gov/WP/Part186.pdf) (work outside live theater).

| Age | State | School day: at workplace / work / school / rest and rec | Non-school day: work, rest and rec |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 6 to 9 | CA | 8 hrs / 4 / at least 3 / up to 1 | Work up to 6 hrs, 1 hr rest and rec |
| 6 to 9 | NY | 8 hrs / 4 / at least 3 / up to 1 | Work up to 6 hrs, up to 2 hrs rest and rec |
| 9 to 16 | CA | 9 hrs / 5 / at least 3 / at least 1 | Work up to 7 hrs, 1 hr rest and rec |
| 9 to 16 | NY | 9 hrs / 5 / at least 3 / up to 1 | Work up to 7 hrs, up to 2 hrs rest and rec |
| 16 to 18 | CA | 10 hrs / 6 / at least 3 / 1 | Work up to 8 hrs, 1 hr rest and rec |
| 16 to 18 | NY | 10 hrs / 6 / at least 3 / up to 1 | Work up to 9 hrs, up to 1 hr rest and rec |

For younger children, both states allow 15 days to 6 months at the workplace for 2 hours with no more than 20 minutes of work, 6 months to 2 years for 4 hours with 2 of work, and 2 to 6 years for 6 hours with 3 of work.

Several other rules change how a day is shaped:

| Rule | California | New York |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Earliest and latest work | Not before 5 a.m. or after 10 p.m. before a school day; until 12:30 a.m. before a non-school day ([Labor Code 1308.7](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1308.7)) | No earlier than 5:00 a.m.; no later than 10:00 p.m. before school days; 12:30 a.m. on non-school-day mornings |
| Rest between days | 12 hours from dismissal to next call | 12 hours from dismissal to next required arrival |
| Meal | Not counted in workplace hours; can extend the day by no more than 30 minutes ([Section 11761](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11761.html)) | Counted inside rest and recreation and workplace hours; due within 6 hours of arrival or the last meal |
| Travel | Studio to location counts as work time ([Section 11759](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11759.html)) | Check Part 186 and your agreement |
| Other | Night exteriors past the cutoff need a written request to the Labor Commissioner at least 48 hours ahead | At least 10 minutes of rest for every 4 hours of work; a one-day job can run 2 hours longer if the child doesn't work the next day |

California also caps minors in entertainment at eight hours of work a day and 48 a week under Labor Code 1308.7, and it limits infants under six months to one two-hour period between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. or 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. under [Section 11764](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11764.html).

## Worked example: a 10-year-old on a California school day

PAPER KITES is a fictional feature shooting in Los Angeles. Theo, cast 3, is 10. Day 7 is a Tuesday during the school year, at a practical house. He can be at the workplace 9 hours, work 5, attend school 3, and have 1 hour of rest and recreation. The half-hour meal extends the day to 9 hours 30 minutes.

The studio teacher and the 1st AD plan his day in blocks the afternoon before. Ask the teacher how they'll log wardrobe and makeup, and plan as if it counts as work.

| Time | Block | Work so far | School so far | Rest and rec so far |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 8:00A to 8:30A | Arrive, wardrobe and makeup | 0:30 | | |
| 8:30A to 9:30A | School | 0:30 | 1:00 | |
| 9:30A to 11:00A | Set: Sc. 41 | 2:00 | 1:00 | |
| 11:00A to 12:00P | School | 2:00 | 2:00 | |
| 12:00P to 12:30P | Meal (not counted) | 2:00 | 2:00 | |
| 12:30P to 1:00P | Rest and rec | 2:00 | 2:00 | 0:30 |
| 1:00P to 2:30P | Set: Sc. 43 | 3:30 | 2:00 | 0:30 |
| 2:30P to 3:30P | School | 3:30 | 3:00 | 0:30 |
| 3:30P to 4:00P | Rest and rec | 3:30 | 3:00 | 1:00 |
| 4:00P to 5:30P | Set: Sc. 44, Theo's singles | 5:00 | 3:00 | 1:00 |
| 5:30P | Dismissed | | | |

Check the totals: 5 hours of work, 3 of school, 1 of rest and recreation, which is 9 hours, plus the 30-minute meal for 9 hours 30 minutes from 8:00A to 5:30P. His earliest call on Wednesday is 5:30A, twelve hours later, which won't be an issue, but on a late day it can be.

The work column is the one the AD watches. Theo's three set blocks are 90 minutes each. A 90-minute block holds only a few setups, so the director has to shoot Theo's coverage first in every scene and let the adults' coverage wait.

## Board the adult work around the child

Here is Day 7 on the board. The crew call is 7:00A and camera wraps at 7:30P, so the adults keep working two hours after Theo leaves.

| Sc. | Set | D/N | Pgs | Cast | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 41 | INT. MORALES HOUSE - KITCHEN | D | 1 3/8 | 1, 3 | Theo's coverage first, 9:30A block |
| 41 pt. | INT. MORALES HOUSE - KITCHEN | D | | 1 | Mom's single with stand-in for Theo, 11:00A |
| 43 | INT. MORALES HOUSE - LIVING RM | D | 1 1/8 | 1, 2, 3 | Theo's block 1:00P |
| 44 | INT. MORALES HOUSE - THEO'S ROOM | D | 1 | 3 | Theo's block 4:00P |
| 45 | INT. MORALES HOUSE - GARAGE | D | 1 4/8 | 1, 2 | After 5:30P, no minors |
| END OF DAY 7 | | | 5 | | |

Total: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 4 whole pages and 3 + 1 + 4 = 8 eighths, one more page, so 5. The shape is what matters. While Theo is in school, the crew shoots the adults' side of scene 41 with a [stand-in](https://storiara.com/glossary/stand-in), then relights. Scene 45 has no children and sits at the end of the day. On a first draft board it's common to see the child's big emotional scene scheduled at 4:30P after a long day; move it to the morning block.

## The same day in New York

Put Theo on the same Tuesday in New York City and three things change.

The meal is inside the 9 hours. The New York rules count meal periods as part of rest and recreation and part of the time at the workplace. His day ends at 5:00P instead of 5:30P, and the 12:00P meal uses half of his rest and recreation hour.

The teacher requirement has its own trigger. Under 186-5.1, the employer provides a teacher from the third day of missed instruction, or from the first day if the child was guaranteed three or more consecutive days of employment. Instruction averages at least three hours per school day across the week, with at least one hour each school day, and no period under 20 minutes counts as school time. That 20-minute rule matters when you try to squeeze school into a lighting change.

The one-day extension exists. If Theo is booked for a single day, New York allows the daily limits to stretch by up to two hours, but he can't work the next day. California has no equivalent in Section 11760, although it does allow minors 14 and older with school permission to work up to eight hours on up to two consecutive school days.

## Night scenes with children

Both states stop work at 10 p.m. before a school day. If the story needs a child outside at night, look at the calendar before you look at lighting. Dark comes early in late fall. In Cleveland on November 4, 2026, the U.S. Naval Observatory puts the end of civil twilight at 5:47P, which leaves over four hours of darkness before the cutoff. In Los Angeles in mid-June, you'd have far less. The [sunrise sunset planner](https://storiara.com/tools/sunrise-sunset-planner) gives the window for your date and address.

Other options: schedule the night work on a Friday or Saturday when the cutoff is 12:30 a.m., shoot [day for night](https://storiara.com/glossary/day-for-night), tent an interior, or use an adult double for wide shots. In California, a true emergency such as a night exterior that can't be shot any other way can go to the Labor Commissioner as a written request at least 48 hours ahead. Build the schedule so you don't need it.

## Before the board is locked

Every minor needs a valid permit, and the employer needs its own. The [minor work permit](https://storiara.com/glossary/minor-work-permit) entry covers California's Entertainment Work Permit and New York's Child Performer Permit and Certificate of Eligibility. Book the [studio teacher](https://storiara.com/roles/studio-teacher-role) early; California's [Section 11755.2](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11755_2.html) requires one per ten minors, or one per twenty on weekends, holidays, and school vacations for children under 16, so a classroom scene with 14 background kids on a Tuesday needs two. Set up the trust account paperwork described under [Coogan account](https://storiara.com/glossary/coogan-account) with the payroll company before the first day. Union performers bring additional terms from their agreement.

Then run the rest periods. A minor dismissed at 9:45P on a Friday night shoot can't be called before 9:45A Saturday, and the [turnaround calculator](https://storiara.com/tools/turnaround-calculator) handles the whole cast list at once. For the broader view of permits, teachers, and other states, see [working with minors on set](https://storiara.com/blog/working-with-minors-on-set).

Storiara shows each cast member's availability beside the day while you build the stripboard, but it doesn't know a performer's age or apply state hour limits. The block plan above is still a conversation between the 1st AD and the studio teacher.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many hours can a child actor work in California?

It depends on age and whether school is in session. Under Title 8, Section 11760, a 9 to 16-year-old can be at the workplace up to 9 hours on a school day, with no more than 5 hours of work, at least 3 hours of school, and 1 hour of rest and recreation. On non-school days work can go up to 7 hours.

### What time do child actors have to stop working?

In California, Labor Code 1308.7 bars work before 5 a.m. or after 10 p.m. on a day before a school day, and allows work until 12:30 a.m. on an evening before a non-school day. New York's 12 NYCRR 186-6.2 sets the same times for work outside live theater.

### How much rest do minors need between shoot days?

Both California and New York require 12 hours between the child's dismissal and the next day's call.

### Do meal breaks count toward a minor's hours?

In California, hours at the workplace are exclusive of the meal, and the meal can extend the day by no more than half an hour. In New York, meal periods are included in the rest and recreation time and in the hours of presence.

### Does a non-union production have to follow these rules?

Yes. These are state regulations, so they apply whether or not the production is signed to a union agreement. Union contracts can add their own terms on top.

## Sources

- [California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 11760: Working Hours of Minors](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11760.html)
- [California Labor Code Section 1308.7](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=1308.7)
- [California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 11759: Travel Time for Minors](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11759.html)
- [California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 11761: Meal Period for Minors](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11761.html)
- [California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 11764: Work Time for Infants](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11764.html)
- [California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 11755.2: Use of Studio Teachers](https://www.dir.ca.gov/t8/11755_2.html)
- [U.S. Naval Observatory: Complete Sun and Moon Data for One Day](https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/RS_OneDay)
- [New York State DOL: 12 NYCRR Part 186, Child Performer Regulations (PDF)](https://forms.labor.ny.gov/WP/Part186.pdf)
- [New York State DOL: Employers of Child Performers Responsibilities](https://dol.ny.gov/employers-child-performers-responsibilities)