(a) Participant Eligibility - (i) An eligible participant is:
- (A) An owner(s) and/or staff member working for a minimum of fifteen (15) hours in a child care facility as defined in W.S. § 14-4-101(a)(vi)(D) or (K);
- (B) In good standing with the WY Quality Counts! Educational Development Program; and
- (C) In good standing with the WDTF program.
- (ii) A participant who is enrolled in the WY Quality Counts! Educational Development Program may not be concurrently enrolled in a DWS WDTF training program.
(b) Eligible Training for Continuing Education Grants. To be eligible, the training shall: - (i) Be training that is not normally provided by the child care facility;
- (ii) Upgrade a participant's current skill level;
- (iii) Have a direct relationship to the participant's occupation;
- (iv) Provide a skill upgrade that enables the child care facility to remain competitive in the industry;
- (v) Be completed in a maximum of six (6) weeks; and
- (vi) Enhance the quality of the child care provided by the child care facility in at least one of the following program competencies:
- (A) Health, Nutrition and Safety;
- (B) The Active Learning Environment;
- (C) Child Growth and Development;
- (D) Guidance and Discipline;
- (E) Family Relationships;
- (H) Uniqueness and Cultural Diversity.
(c) Grant Limitations - (i) The child care facility shall not substitute funds normally provided for training or funds obtained from another source with Continuing Education Grant Funds.
- (ii) The grant funding limit per participant shall be one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per state fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).
(d) Allowable Training Costs - (i) The following training costs shall be allowed:
- (A) Direct training costs include, but are not limited to, tuition, registration, class fees and class materials directly related to the training;
- (B) Travel costs include transportation, lodging and meals directly related to the training, based on the standard Meals and Incidental Expenses rate;
- (C) Instructor's fees and travel costs where the instructor is brought in for the training by the child care facility and is not an employee of the child care facility; and
- (D) Fees for continuing education units and certifications that may be obtained during training.
- (ii) The following training costs shall not be allowed:
- (A) Participant wages and fringe benefits;
- (B) The child care facility's administration costs which include, but are not limited to, bookkeeping, reporting and record keeping;
- (C) The child care facility's cost of preparing a Continuing Education Grant application;
- (D) Purchased, rented or leased equipment;
- (E) Instructor's fees and travel costs where the instructor is an employee of the child care facility;
- (F) Assessments, testing and certification exams that are not included in the training; and
- (G) Capital construction of any kind.
(e) Child Care Facility Contribution. The child care facility approved for a Continuing Education Grant shall be required to pay ten percent (10%) of approved allowable training costs. The remaining ninety percent (90%) of approved allowable training costs shall be the total grant award.
(f) Child Care Facility Application. The child care facility shall complete and submit an official DWS grant application at least forty-five (45) days prior and not more than one hundred ten (110) days prior to the beginning of the scheduled training date.
(g) Child Care Facility Contract and Payment - (i) If the grant application is approved and funds are available, DWS shall enter into a contract with the approved child care facility.
- (ii) The grant funds shall be paid directly to the approved child care facility.
(h) Participant Requirements. The participant shall: - (i) Enter into contract with DWS;
- (ii) Satisfactorily complete the training;
- (iii) Complete and submit a DWS-recognized training evaluation form no later than forty-five (45) days after completion of the training; and
- (iv) Agree to the repayment and mandatory employment requirements.
(i) Mandatory Employment Requirements - (i) The participant shall agree to work for the participating child care facility for a mandatory employment period upon completion of the training.
- (ii) When the cost of training for the individual is:
- (A) Five hundred dollars ($500) or less, the mandatory employment period shall be one hundred (100) hours and shall be completed within six (6) months; and
- (B) More than five hundred dollars ($500), the mandatory employment period shall be two hundred fifty (250) hours and shall be completed within nine (9) months.
- (iii) The mandatory employment period shall begin:
- (A) The month immediately after the training has ended, or
- (B) When the child care facility is closed during the summer, the first day the child care facility reopens in the fall.
- (iv) In the event that the child care facility closes, the participant shall obtain employment with another child care facility as defined in Section 3(b) and complete any remaining mandatory employment period hours.
- (v) When the participant is laid off due to lack of work, the participant shall obtain employment with another child care facility as defined in Section 3(b) and complete any remaining mandatory employment period hours.
(j) Child Care Facility Reporting Requirements - (i) The child care facility shall submit an official DWS final report form within forty-five (45) days after completion of the mandatory employment period that provides documentation of the following for each participant:
- (B) Completion of a DWS-recognized training evaluation form; and
- (C) Completion of the mandatory employment period.
- (ii) Failure to submit a final report within forty-five days shall result in the child care facility being placed on the list of child care facilities that are not in good standing with the WY Quality Counts! Educational Development Program.
(k) Participant Repayment Requirements - (i) If the participant fails to satisfactorily complete the training, fulfill the mandatory employment requirement or submit a completed training evaluation, the participant shall submit a Waiver of Repayment as defined in Section 7. , or,:
- (A) In the case were the child care facility has paid the training provider and payment is nonrefundable, repay to DWS all grant funds that were paid on the participant's behalf, together with attorney fees and costs incurred in collection, and
- (B) In the case were the child care facility has not yet paid the training provider or the payment is refundable, be placed on the list of individuals who are not in good standing with the WY Quality Counts! Educational Development Program until the child care facility has repaid the funds.
- (ii) Failure to repay the funds as required shall result in:
- (A) Referral of the case to the Attorney General for appropriate legal action, and
- (B) The participant being placed on the list of individuals who are not in good standing with the WY Quality Counts! Educational Development Program.
(l) Child Care Facility Repayment Requirements - (i) When the grant funds have been paid to the child care facility by DWS and the child care facility has not made payment to the training provider, or the child care facility has made payment to the training provider but the payment is refundable, the child care facility shall submit a Waiver of Repayment as defined in Section 7. , or,:
- (A) Notify DWS, in writing, as soon as possible of a participant's withdrawal or absence from the training event, and
- (B) Repay to DWS the grant funds associated with the participant(s) who did not attend the training event.
- (ii) When the grant funds have been paid to the child care facility by DWS and the child care facility has made a nonrefundable payment to the training provider, the child care facility shall notify DWS in writing, along with verification that the non-refundable payment was made, as soon as possible of a participant's withdrawal or absence from the training event.
- (iii) When the grant funds have been paid to the child care facility by DWS and the child care facility, for any reason, withdraws or cannot participate in the approved training event, or perform the duties of the child care facility as described in the contract with DWS, the child care facility shall:
- (A) Notify DWS, in writing, as soon as possible of the cancellation from the training event, and
- (B) Repay all of the grant funds for the training event to DWS.
- (iv) Failure to repay the funds as required shall result in:
- (A) Referral of the case to the Attorney General for appropriate legal action, and
- (B) The child care facility being placed on the list of child care facilities that are not in good standing with the WY Quality Counts! Educational Development Program.