New Laws on CCDF Provider Eligibilty

The time is just around the corner, on July 1, 2015 all providers in Indiana accepting CCDF but not licensed must follow new health and safety laws. Letters have been sent out to providers notifying them of the new standards.

If you are an unlicensed child care program accepting CCDF vouchers you must meet these additional standards effective July 1, 2015 in order to continue to receive CCDF funding.

1. Safe Conditions: You must have and maintain a written policy describing how you maintain safe conditions in your child care facility or home and safety of motor vehicles used to transport children.
   • These written policies and any changes to this policy must;
   • Be submitted to the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (formerly the Bureau of Child Care)
   • Posted in a public location in the facility or home.
   • Provided to the parent or guardian of each child in your care.
2. Daily Activities: you must make available daily activities appropriate to the age, developmental needs, interests, and number of children in your care, including the following:
   • Both active and quiet play. The provider may include the use of safe, age-appropriate toys, games, and equipment for indoor and outdoor play.
   • Daily outdoor play, unless one (1) of the following applies:
   • Severity of the weather poses a safety or health hazard.
   • A health related reason for a child to remain indoors is documented by the child's parent, guardian, or physician.
3. Nutrition: you must make available to each child in your care:
   • Appropriately timed, nutritious meals and snacks in a quantity sufficient to meet the needs of the child.
   • This does not eliminate sack lunches brought from home.
   • Drinking water at all times.
   You may be eligible to receive reimbursement for the cost of meals and snacks through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
4. Group Size and Ratios: As a provider operating a child care program in a facility or home you must follow ratios and group sizes as follows:
   • If you will be caring for no more than sixteen (16) children at a facility/home you must maintain:
   • a ratio of children to caregivers in the same proportions as specified in the child to staff ratio requirements; and
   • the same group sizes as specified in the group size requirements that apply to a child care home under IC 12-17.2-5.
   • If you will be caring for more than sixteen (16) children at a facility/home you must maintain:
     • a ratio of children to caregivers in the same proportions as specified in the child to staff ratio requirements; and
     • the same group sizes as specified in the group size requirements; that apply to a child care center under IC 12-17.2-4.
5. Continuing Education: unless the provider is a parent, stepparent, guardian, custodian, or other relative to each child in the care of the provider, the individual annually must receive:
   • at least twelve (12) hours of continuing education approved by the Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning (OECOSL) and related to the age appropriate educational development, care, and safety of children.
   The hours of continuing education required may include:
   
   • child abuse detection and prevention
   • first aid
   • cardiopulmonary resuscitation
   • safe sleeping practices
   • education received during the year as part of the non-formal CDA process or through higher education such as an Associates or Bachelors degree program.
   • Not more than three (3) months after the individual begins employment or volunteer duties, the individual must receive training approved by OECOSL concerning child abuse detection and prevention. This training is available for free at your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency.
   • You must:
     • maintain at the facility/home where you operate a child care program documentation of all training and completion of continuing education required; and
     • make the documentation available to the OECOSL upon request.