Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024
Section 78-22-3 - Definitions3.1. Accreditation. -- The process by which a credentialing authority endorses or approves the childcare methods and programs of a child care agency. The Department does not approve or endorse a credentialing authority's standards or methods of evaluation.3.2. Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist (ACDS) Credential. -- A registered apprenticeship program that is based on a professional partnership between child care providers and their employers. It is a teaching program where apprentices "learn by doing." A blending of classroom work and on-the-job training provides professional growth for providers. It also enhances the quality of care that their employers offer to the community.3.3. Approved professional development. -- A comprehensive, sustained, and intensive approach to improving effectiveness in a specific area of study delivered by or sponsored by an approved trainer or training conference as defined by the Secretary.3.4. Assessment Process. -- The process by which a reliable evaluator conducts an on-site observation of activities in a classroom resulting in the assignment of a score utilizing the appropriate Environment Rating Scale or other tool(s) selected by the Secretary.3.5. Certificate of Registration. -- Voluntary registration of a program that is exempt from childcare licensing issued by the Department of Health and Human Resources.3.6. Child Care Center. -- A facility maintained by the state or any county or municipality thereof, or any agency or facility operated by an individual, firm, corporation, association or organization, public or private, for the care of thirteen (13) or more children for child care services in any setting, if the facility is open for more than 30 days per year per child.3.7. Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCR&R). -- A local nonprofit organization involved in supporting child care services. In West Virginia, at a minimum, the resource and referral agencies manage the subsidy program, link parents with child care options, provide consumer information, offer technical assistance and training to providers, and inform parents of other resources in their community.3.8. Conference. -- A meeting of individuals or representatives of various bodies for the purpose of discussing or acting on topics of childcare interest.3.9. Core Knowledge Area. -- The set of observable skills and knowledge that represent common standards of satisfactory practice in the early childhood field in the state of West Virginia. 3.10. Council on Accreditation (COA). -- An independent, not-for-profit child and family service accrediting organization founded in 1977 by the Child Welfare League of America and Family Service America. COA currently accredits 38 different services areas and over 60 types of programs, including childcare.3.11. Evaluation Criteria. -- Child care settings that voluntarily apply for a higher star rating shall be evaluated to determine if the setting meets the additional quality standards established for each type of care at each of three additional levels of quality.3.12. Environmental Rating Scales. -- A series of childcare program assessment instruments (scales). A measurement tool used by an assessor during an on-site observation of a childcare classroom to evaluate and provide a score to a childcare program.3.13. Family Child Care Facility. -- Any facility which is used to provide nonresidential child care services for compensation for seven to twelve children, including children who are living in the household, who are under six years of age. No more than four of the total number of children may be under twenty-four months of age. A facility may be in a provider's residence or a separate building.3.14. Family Child Care Home. -- A facility which is used to provide nonresidential child care services for compensation in a provider's residence. The provider may care for four to six children, at one time including children who are living in the household, who are under six years of age. No more than two of the total number of children may be under twenty-four months of age.3.15. License. -- The grant of official permission to a facility to engage in an activity which would otherwise be prohibited.3.16. National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). -- A nonprofit organization of early childhood professionals and others who are dedicated to improving the quality of early childhood education. More than 100,000 members strong, the association comprises a network of more than 400 affiliated local, state, and regional organizations, which share the belief that children's high-quality experiences at home and in child care, schools, and after-school programs lay the foundation for school readiness, academic success, and adult achievement.3.17. National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). -- An organization that sponsors the only nationally recognized accreditation system, designed specifically for family child care providers. This system was designed by hundreds of providers, parents, and early care and education experts in an effort to create a quality indicator for family child care programs across the country.3.18. Out-Of-School-Time Program. -- A child care service which offers activities to children before and after school, on school holidays, when school is closed due to emergencies, and on school calendar days set aside for teacher activities.3.19. Substitute Staff. -- An individual who is present at the center to maintain the staff: child ratio when a qualified staff member is absent.3.20. Third Party Evaluator. -- A formal evaluation conducted by a party with no vested interest in the outcome of the research.3.21. Tiered Reimbursement. -- A system of increased payment rates for children in the subsidy program for child care programs that demonstrate they provide higher quality care.3.22. Wage Incentives. -- Financial incentives to be provided to programs and staff within the programs.3.23. West Virginia State Training and Registry System (WV STARS). -- A statewide program that tracks education and training information for the early care and education workforce in West Virginia.