1997 Minnesota Statutes

     119B.061 At-home infant child care program. 

    Subdivision 1.    Establishment.  Beginning July 1, 
 1998, a family receiving or eligible to receive assistance under 
 the basic sliding fee program is eligible for assistance for a 
 parent to provide short-term child care for the family's infant 
 child.  An eligible family must meet the eligibility factors 
 under section 119B.09, the income criteria under section 
 119B.12, and the requirements of this section.  The commissioner 
 shall establish a pool of up to seven percent of the annual 
 appropriation for the basic sliding fee program to provide 
 assistance under the at-home infant child care program.  At the 
 end of the fiscal year, any unspent funds must be used for 
 assistance under the basic sliding fee program. 

    Subd. 2.    Eligible families.  A family with an infant 
 under the age of one year is eligible for assistance if: 

    (1) the family is not receiving MFIP-S, other cash 
 assistance, or other child care assistance; 

    (2) the family has not previously received the one-year 
 exemption from the work requirement for infant care under the 
 MFIP-S program; 

    (3) the family has not previously received a life-long 
 total of 12 months of assistance under this section; and 

    (4) the family is participating in the basic sliding fee 
 program or, for the first child in a family, provides 
 verification of employment at the time of application and meets 
 the program requirements. 

    Subd. 3.    Eligible parent.  Only one parent, in a 
 two-parent family, is eligible for assistance.  The eligible 
 parent must: 

    (1) be over the age of 18; 

    (2) provide full-time care for the child in the child's 
 home; and 

    (3) provide child care for any other children in the family 
 that are eligible for child care. 

    Subd. 4.    Assistance.  (a) A family is limited to a 
 lifetime total of 12 months of assistance under this section.  
 The maximum rate of assistance must be at 75 percent of the rate 
 established under section 119B.13 for care of infants in 
 licensed family day care in the applicant's county of 
 residence.  Assistance must be calculated to reflect the copay 
 requirement and the family's income level. 

    (b) A participating family must continue to report income 
 and other family changes as specified in the county's plan under 
 section 119B.08, subdivision 3.  The family must treat any 
 assistance received under this section as unearned income. 

    (c) Participation in the at-home infant child care program 
 must be considered participation in the basic sliding fee 
 program for purposes of continuing eligibility under section 
 119B.03, subdivision 3. 

    (d) A family that receives assistance under this section is 
 ineligible for the one-year exemption from work requirements 
 under the MFIP-S program. 

    Subd. 5.    Implementation.  By July 1, 1998, the 
 commissioner shall implement the at-home infant child care 
 program under this section.  The commissioner shall evaluate 
 this program and report the impact to the legislature by January 
 1, 2000.  The evaluation must include data on the number of 
 families participating in the program; the number of families 
 continuing to pursue employment or education while participating 
 in the program; the average income of families prior to, during, 
 and after participation in the program; family size; and single 
 parent and two-parent status. 

    HIST: 1997 c 162 art 4 s 22