1999 Minnesota Statutes

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

    Subdivision 1.    Establishment.  A family in which a 
 parent provides care for the family's infant child may receive a 
 subsidy in lieu of assistance if the family is eligible for, or 
 is receiving assistance under the basic sliding fee program.  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.  Subject to federal match and 
 maintenance of effort requirements for the child care and 
 development fund, 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 a fiscal year, the 
 commissioner may carry forward any unspent funds under this 
 section to the next fiscal year within the same biennium 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, other cash 
 assistance, or other child care assistance; 

    (2) the family has not previously received all of the 
 one-year exemption from the work requirement for infant care 
 under the MFIP 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 provides verification of participation in an 
 authorized activity at the time of application and meets the 
 program requirements. 

    Subd. 3.    Eligible parent.  A family is eligible for 
 assistance under this section if one parent cares for the 
 family's infant child.  The eligible parent must: 

    (1) be over the age of 18; 

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

    (3) care for any other children in the family who are 
 eligible for child care assistance under this chapter.  

    For the purposes of this section, "parent" means birth 
 parent, adoptive parent, or stepparent. 

    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 is equal to 75 percent of the 
 rate established under section 119B.13 for care of infants in 
 licensed family child care in the applicant's county of 
 residence.  Assistance must be calculated to reflect the parent 
 fee requirement under section 119B.12 for the family's income 
 level and family size. 

    (b) A participating family must 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) Persons who are admitted to the at-home infant care 
 program retain their position in any basic sliding fee program 
 or on any waiting list attained at the time of admittance.  If 
 they are on the waiting list, they must advance as if they had 
 not been admitted to the program.  Persons leaving the at-home 
 infant care program re-enter the basic sliding fee program at 
 the position they would have occupied or the waiting list at the 
 position to which they would have advanced.  Persons who would 
 have attained eligibility for the basic sliding fee program must 
 be given assistance or advance to the top of the waiting list 
 when they leave the at-home infant care program.  Persons 
 admitted to the at-home infant care program who are not on a 
 basic sliding fee waiting list may apply to the basic sliding 
 fee program, and if eligible, be placed on the waiting list. 

    (d) The time that a family receives assistance under this 
 section must be deducted from the one-year exemption from work 
 requirements under the MFIP program. 

    (e) Assistance under this section does not establish an 
 employer-employee relationship between any member of the 
 assisted family and the county or state. 

    Subd. 5.    Implementation.  (a) The commissioner shall 
 implement the at-home infant child care program under this 
 section through counties that administer the basic sliding fee 
 program under section 119B.03.  The commissioner must develop 
 and distribute consumer information on the at-home infant care 
 program to assist parents of infants or expectant parents in 
 making informed child care decisions. 

    (b) 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; 1999 c 205 art 1 s 24