Section 218-RICR-20-00-13.2 - DefinitionsA. For the purposes of these Rules and Regulations, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 1. "Approved child care provider" means an individual or program that:a. Has met the requirements established by the DHS Services to participate in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP); andb. Entered into a signed and valid agreement with the DHS specifying the terms and conditions for enrolling eligible children and receiving payment for the CCAP allowable child care expenses.2. "Authorized child care services" means the child care a CCAP eligible child is approved to use in a given time period based on the DHS's assessment of the family's need for services. The CCAP authorized child care is categorized as full-time (FT), three-quarter time (3QT), half-time (HT), or quarter-time (QT).3. "Child Care Assistance Program" or "CCAP" means the program administered by the Rhode Island Department of Human Services that provides financial assistance for authorized child care services rendered to eligible children by approved child care providers. The CCAP consolidates the DHS child care subsidy programs for RI Works recipients, income eligible working families (formerly known as the Low Income Child Care Program), families where the parent(s) is participating in an approved education and training program, families where the parent(s) are in enrolled in an Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree program at a Rhode Island public institution of higher education, teens participating in the Teen and Family Development Program (formerly known as Youth Services).4. "Child care center" means a facility operated on a regular basis which receives children, not of common parentage, and provides non-residential care in a location separate from the children's parents during the day.a. R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter § 42-12.5 requires child care centers to obtain a license from the DHS.5. "Child care educator" means an employee at a child care center, family child care home or group family child care home who is directly involved in the care, development and education of children ages six (6) weeks to thirteen (13) years for any portion of the day.6. "Child care staff" means any adult employed by a child care center, family child care home or group family child care home during operating hours.7. "Eligible child" means a dependent child that meets the requirements of the Child Care Assistance for Child Care Educators and Staff Pilot and receives authorized child care services from a CCAP approved child care provider.8. "Employee" means a person on the payroll and/or receiving a paycheck specifically from the child care center, family child care home or group family child care home they are doing work for.9. "Family child care home" means a licensed residence where the resident can provide child care for up to six (6) children, or up to eight (8) children with an approved assistant. a. Family child care home shall not mean a private residence used for an informal cooperative arrangement among neighbors or relatives, or the occasional care of children with or without compensation.b. R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter § 42-12.5 requires family child care home providers to obtain a license from the DHS.10. "Family share" means the amount a family is expected to contribute in copayments to the cost of child care services.11. "Financial unit" means the dependent children, including both applicant and non-applicant child(ren), and the parent(s) and the legal spouse(s) of the parent(s) who live with them in the same household. The financial unit may also include applicant children that the DHS has determined, upon verification, to be a relative of acceptable degree to the parent(s) requesting the CCAP authorized services. The financial unit determines family size for the purposes of determining income.12. "Group family child care home" means a child care program located in the provider's home residence in which child care services may be offered at the same time for up to nine (9), but no more than twelve (12) children unrelated to the child care provider.a. R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter § 42-12.5 requires group family child care home providers to obtain licensure from the DHS.13. "Income" means any money, goods or services available to determine eligibility for the purpose of this pilot, which is limited to paystubs (or other proof of income) for the child care educator or staff and the second parent in a two parent household.14. "One-parent home" means a family in which there is only one (1) parent living in the household with financial responsibility for the eligible child(ren).15. "Parent" means any person in the household who is legally and financially responsible for the routine care of the applicant child(ren) including, but not limited to, providing income, resources or other forms of support.a. A person seeking the CCAP authorized services for a dependent child is considered to be a parent for the CCAP eligibility purposes if so deemed for any other DHS program(s).b. The term parent is used broadly in this Rule to refer to biological, adoptive, or stepparents, as well as legal guardians or caretaker relatives of an acceptable degree as defined in Subchapter 00 Part 2 of this Chapter, the Rhode Island Works Rules and Regulations.16. "Two-parent home" means a family in which the two (2) parents live in the same legal household as, and share financial responsibility for, the applicant's dependent child/children.218 R.I. Code R. 218-RICR-20-00-13.2
Adopted effective 9/26/2023
Amended effective 11/28/2023
Amended effective 8/31/2024