Child Care Licensing Program


  1. Program Purpose

    The purpose of the Child Care Licensing Program is to safeguard children from harm in out-of-home child care by:

    1. Establishing and enforcing requirements for the operation of child care facilities.
    2. Increasing the state-wide availability of regulated facilities that meet or exceed standards.
    3. Reducing predictable health and safety risks to children in child care and foster care.
    4. Providing consumer protection for children and families.
    5. Providing public awareness of the need for quality child care and foster care.
    6. Conducting timely and accurate inspections.

  2. Funding
    1. Availability – Awards will be based on a formula that includes the population of children under 15 years of age in the county based on 2010 US Census Bureau projections; number of child care cases as of February, 2012; and child care capacity as of February, 2012. Bonus funds are available based on surveyor qualifications and multi-county service areas. Payment may be held for failure to meet contract requirements.
    2. Maintenance of Effort Requirement – The federal child care funds may not supplant local and state public funds expended in the regulatory program. The local funds expended in the child care licensing program cannot be used as a local match to meet other federal grant requirements.
    3. Priorities – Funds will be used to maintain and improve the regulatory program at the local level. Priority should be given to improving current service delivery including timeliness and quality of service delivery. Funds may be used for additional services needed to improve the regulatory program or to improve communication system between state and local units.

  3. Specific Program Information
    1. Application: Agencies applying for SFY 2013 grant funds will follow the application process outlined in the Grant Application Instructions.
    2. Services: During SFY 2013 services will be performed electronically using e-mail, the licensing database CLARIS, and other technologies including online/automated surveys using tablet computers, portable printers, digital cameras, and mobile devices. Surveyor access to necessary equipment, secure email, and internet service is required. All the regulatory field work is to be conducted at the local county level in accordance with the Child Care Facility Policy and Procedure Manual. This includes the following regulatory services:

      3. (1) Pre-application activity: providing an orientation to prospective child care providers prior to application. Orientation must include information provided by the Child Care Licensing Program, at minimum.

      (2) Inspection activity: conducting surveys and related tasks involving professional decision-making necessary to determine compliance with statutes and regulations.

      (3) Complaint activity: conducting all required activity related to intake and investigation of complaints concerning illegal child care or regulation violations and related tasks involving professional decision-making.

      (4) Community outreach activity:

      (a) Establish the local health agency as the primary contact for applying for child care, reporting concerns of poor child care practices or violations of regulations, and for reporting illegal child care.

      (b) Participate with other agencies and organizations in the coordination of child care services at the local level including the referral of public requests for child care facility availability to Kansas licensed day care resource and referral agencies, and

      (c) Presentation to the public to promote community awareness of the importance of regulation and quality child care.

    3. Program Assurances: By applying for funds, contractors agree to meet the following requirements:

      4. (1) Strengthen compliance through the consistent administration of the child care licensing laws and regulations.

      (a) Provide regulatory activity in accordance with the Child Care Facility Policy and Procedural Manual.

      (b) Participate in child care facility surveyor and grant training provided by KDHE, Child Care Licensing Program. Minimum participation is 3 of the 4 Quarterly Regional Meetings in county´s region and 5 clock-hours of KDHE, CCLR Administrator Approved in-service training that is child care and/or regulatory directed and that relates directly to the work of a child care facility surveyor.

      (c) Complete the Child Care Facility Surveyor Qualifications Form for each surveyor or assistant surveyor currently employed by the local program. Where qualification requirements for surveyor(s) are at or upgraded to the professional level they will be maintained. Where surveyors are qualified at the special technical level, qualification requirements will be maintained or increased. Where surveyor duty assignments have been "grandfathered in" below the special technical level, they may be maintained for the incumbent. New surveyors must be qualified at the professional or special technical level.

      (d) Participate with KDHE staff in assessing consistency and quality of surveying.

      (2) Improve timely and effective service delivery that is customer friendly in the child care regulatory program. Contractors will achieve a 90% or higher timeliness of inspections in SFY 2013. Multi-county contracts are encouraged for counties serving a small number of child care facilities.

      (3) Support the development of a high quality child care system through community partnerships.

    4. Grant Application Budget. The budget is the financial plan required to achieve the overall management of the program. The plan for financing should receive serious consideration so that few changes will occur to budget line items during the administration of the grant.
    5. Expenses: (Budget detail as follows)

      6. (1) Staff Personnel: Staff Salaries and Benefits: List personnel according to a category (e.g., a child care facility surveyor, clerical, administrative). Beneath each category, each position should be listed separately by title and percent of time employed in the child care licensing program. Allocate the salary amounts to be paid from local health agency share and/or State Grant in the appropriate columns. Only regularly assigned personnel who receive salaries or wages should be included in the staff category. List expenses of payroll taxes and employer-paid benefits separately.

      (2) Travel: Include in-state travel necessary to carry out the child care regulatory program. Include Child Care Facility Surveyor training and continuing education travel expenses in this category. Do not include salary expense.

      (3) Supplies: Categorize supplies according to type: i.e., Office Supplies. Do not include a cost (value) for donated items.

      (4) Capital Equipment: Capital Equipment is defined as items costing $500 or more and having a useful life greater than one year. Avoid budgeting for capital equipment using Grant Funds. If capital items purchased with local health agency funds are to be used toward the local match, each item must be listed separately and a justification for the use of the item must be included. If the item is shared with another program, only the percentage of use for the child care regulatory program is allowable.

      (5) Other (Including Indirect Costs): Itemize other direct costs. Indirect costs are acceptable only as part of the local match, but the local health agency must submit an annual indirect cost proposal which meets KDHE requirements. Items included in the indirect cost computation cannot be included as direct cost items. Indirect costs may include rent, utilities, general administration, accounting, etc.

      (6) Budget Total: Carefully check the mathematics before submitting the budget.


  4. Reporting Requirements
    1. Quarterly program reports are required to document progress in meeting program objectives, regulatory activity and program improvement, and to provide statistical information. Payment may be held for failure to submit timely quarterly reports.
    2. Quarterly Certified Affidavit of Expenditures are required to document the use of federal, state and local funds in the child care regulatory program.

  5. Staff Qualifications
    1. In cases where the local agency employs both surveyors and assistant surveyors, job descriptions and minimum requirements for the positions are to be attached to the application. Surveyor duties shall include initial and annual licensing surveys, all complaint investigations, and orientation training. Assistant Surveyor duties may include routine re-licensing inspections for day care homes; routine compliance checks; and assisting the surveyor in their surveyor duties. Assistant surveyor duty assignments will require completion of a post high school professional technical education or training program, with course work in a health related field, public health, child development, behavioral sciences, or home economics and related work experience with children and families.
    2. The bonus for contractors with surveyor(s) meeting the requirements at the professional level will be prorated per percentage FTE. The minimum bonus will be $250 and the maximum will be $1,000.

  6. Program Contact Person
    Rachel Berroth
    Child Care Licensing Program
    (785) 296-1270

 

Form Required:

Program Request with Detailed Budget and Surveyor/Assistant Surveyor Table *forms have been combined.

|

Return