1998 Minnesota Statutes

     119B.20 Child care services grant definitions. 

    Subdivision 1.    Definitions.  As used in sections 
 119B.19 to 119B.23, the words defined in this section shall have 
 the meanings given them. 

    Subd. 2.    Child.  "Child" means a person 12 years old 
 or younger, or a person age 13 or 14 who is handicapped, as 
 defined in section 125A.02. 

    Subd. 3.    Child care.  "Child care" means the care of 
 a child by someone other than a parent or legal guardian outside 
 the child's own home for gain or otherwise, on a regular basis, 
 for any part of a 24-hour day. 

    Subd. 4.    Child care services.  "Child care services" 
 means child care provided in family day care homes, group day 
 care homes, nursery schools, day nurseries, child day care 
 centers, head start, and extended day school age child care 
 programs. 

    Subd. 5.    Child care worker.  "Child care worker" 
 means a person who cares for children for compensation, 
 including a licensed provider of child care services, an 
 employee of a provider, a person who has applied for a license 
 as a provider, or a person who meets the standards established 
 by the state board of education. 

    Subd. 6.    Commissioner.  "Commissioner" means the 
 commissioner of children, families, and learning. 

    Subd. 7.    Facility improvement expenses.  "Facility 
 improvement expenses" means funds for building improvements, 
 equipment, appropriate technology and software, toys, and 
 supplies needed to establish, expand, or improve a licensed 
 child care facility or a child care program under the 
 jurisdiction of a local board of education. 

    Subd. 8.    Interim financing.  "Interim financing" 
 means funds to carry out such activities as are necessary for 
 family day care homes, group family day care homes, and child 
 care centers to receive and maintain state licensing, to expand 
 an existing program or to improve program quality, and to 
 provide operating funds for a period of six consecutive months 
 after a family day care home, group family day care home, or 
 child care center becomes licensed or satisfies standards of the 
 state board of education.  Interim financing may not exceed a 
 period of 18 months. 

    Subd. 9.    Technical assistance awards.  "Technical 
 assistance awards" means child care grants to family child care 
 providers for facility improvements that are up to $1,000.  
 Awards include, but are not limited to, improvements to meet 
 licensing requirements, improvements to expand a child care 
 facility or program, appropriate technology and software, toys 
 and equipment, start-up costs, staff training, and development 
 costs. 

    Subd. 10.    Resource and referral program.  "Resource 
 and referral program" means a program that provides information 
 to parents, including referrals and coordination of community 
 child care resources for parents and public or private providers 
 of care.  It also means the agency with the duties specified in 
 sections 119B.18 and 119B.19.  Services may include recruitment 
 of new providers, parent education, training, technical 
 assistance for providers, and referrals to social services. 

    Subd. 11.    Staff training or development expenses.  
 "Staff training or development expenses" include the cost to a 
 child care worker of tuition, transportation, required materials 
 and supplies, and wages for a substitute while the child care 
 worker is engaged in a training program. 

    Subd. 12.    Training program.  "Training program" means 
 child development courses offered by an accredited 
 post-secondary institution or similar training approved by a 
 county board or the department of children, families, and 
 learning.  To qualify as a training program under this section, 
 a course of study must teach specific skills that meet licensing 
 requirements or requirements of the state board of education. 

    HIST: 1989 c 282 art 2 s 154; 1990 c 568 art 4 s 55; 1991 c 
 292 art 5 s 65; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 16 s 13; 1997 c 162 art 4 s 
 44-46; 1998 c 397 art 11 s 3