General Laws of Massachusetts - Chapter 15D Department of Early Education and Care - Section 7 Issuance of license or approval to persons or department, agency and institution meeting applicable standards and requirements; provisional license or approval

[ Subsections (a) to (b) effective until September 3, 2013. For text effective September 3, 2013, see below.]

  Section 7. (a) The department shall issue and may renew a license to any person other than a department, agency or institution of the commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof, who meets applicable standards and requirements to establish and maintain or to assist in the establishment and maintenance of a school-aged child care program, a child care center, family child care home, placement agency or large family child care home, family foster care which is not supervised and approved by a placement agency, group care facility or temporary shelter facility.

[ Second paragraph of subsection (a) effective until July 1, 2013 applicable as provided by 2012, 459, Sec. 9 as repealed by 2013, 77, Sec. 8. For text effective July 1, 2013, see below.]

  As part of the department's licensure and background record check process, the department shall conduct fingerprint-based checks of the state and national criminal history databases, under 42 U.S.C. section 16962, before issuing any license. The fingerprint-based checks shall be conducted on any applicant for a family child care, small group and school age, large group and school age, residential and placement license or family child care assistant certificate. The fingerprint-based checks shall be conducted for all applicants for employment, who have the potential for unsupervised contact with children, in any department licensed or funded program and for all household members or persons regularly on the premises, age 15 or older, of applicants for family child care licensure. The fingerprint-based checks shall also be required for all in-home non-relative department funded caregivers and for all applicants to be adoptive or foster parents. Authorized department staff may receive and appropriately disseminate all criminal offender record information and the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, under 42 U.S.C. section 16962, in accordance with the law. When the department obtains the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, it shall treat the information according to sections 167 through 178, inclusive, of chapter 6 and the regulations thereto regarding criminal offender record information.

[ Second paragraph of subsection (a) as amended by 2013, 38, Sec. 29 effective July 1, 2013. See 2013, 38, Sec. 219. For text effective until July 1, 2013, see above.]

  As part of the department's licensure and background record check process, the department shall obtain from the sex offender registry board all available sex offender registry information associated with the address of the program, center or home and conduct fingerprint-based checks of the state and national criminal history databases pursuant to 42 U.S.C. section 16962 before issuing a license. The fingerprint-based checks shall be conducted on any applicant for a family child care, small group and school age, large group and school age, residential and placement license or family child care assistant certificate. The fingerprint-based checks shall be conducted for all applicants for employment, who have the potential for unsupervised contact with children, in any department licensed or funded program and for all household members or persons regularly on the premises, age 15 or older, of applicants for family child care licensure. The fingerprint-based checks shall also be required for all in-home non-relative department funded caregivers and for all applicants to be adoptive or foster parents. Authorized department staff may receive and appropriately disseminate all criminal offender record information and the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, under 42 U.S.C. section 16962, in accordance with the law. When the department obtains the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, it shall treat the information according to sections 167 through 178, inclusive, of chapter 6 and the regulations thereto regarding criminal offender record information.

  (b) The department shall issue approval to a department, agency, or institution of the commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof which it determines meets the applicable standards and requirements to establish and maintain a child care center, family child care home or large family child care home, placement agency, group care facility or temporary shelter facility.

[ Second paragraph of subsection (b) effective until July 1, 2013 applicable as provided by 2012, 459, Sec. 9 as repealed by 2013, 77, Sec. 8. For text effective July 1, 2013, see below.]

  As part of the department's approval process, the department shall conduct fingerprint-based checks of the national crime information databases, under 42 U.S.C. section 16962, before issuing any approval. The fingerprint-based checks shall be conducted for all applicants for employment who have the potential for unsupervised contact with children in any department approved program. Authorized department staff may receive and appropriately disseminate all criminal offender record information and the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, under 42 U.S.C. section 16962, in accordance with the law. When the department obtains the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, it shall treat the information according to sections 167 through 178, inclusive, of chapter 6 and the regulations thereto regarding criminal offender record information.

[ Second paragraph of subsection (b) as amended by 2013, 38, Sec. 30 effective July 1, 2013. See 2013, 38, Sec. 219. For text effective until July 1, 2013, see above.]

  As part of the department's approval process, the department shall obtain from the sex offender registry board all available sex offender registry information associated with the address of the center, home or facility and conduct fingerprint-based checks of the national crime information databases pursuant to 42 U.S.C. section 16962 before issuing any approval. The fingerprint-based checks shall be conducted for all applicants for employment who have the potential for unsupervised contact with children in any department approved program. Authorized department staff may receive and appropriately disseminate all criminal offender record information and the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, under 42 U.S.C. section 16962, in accordance with the law. When the department obtains the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, it shall treat the information according to sections 167 through 178, inclusive, of chapter 6 and the regulations thereto regarding criminal offender record information.

[ Subsections (a) to (b) as amended by 2013, 77, Sec. 2 effective September 3, 2013 applicable as provided by 2013, 77, Sec. 10. For text effective until September 3, 2013, see above.]

  (a) The department shall issue and may renew a license to any person other than a department, agency or institution of the commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof, who meets applicable standards and requirements to establish and maintain or to assist in the establishment and maintenance of a school-aged child care program, a child care center, a family child care home, a placement agency, a large family child care home or family foster care which is not supervised and approved by a placement agency, group care facility or temporary shelter facility.

  (i) As part of the department's licensing and background record check process, the department, prior to issuing any license, shall: (1) obtain from the sex offender registry board all available sex offender registry information associated with the address of the program, center, facility or home; and (2) conduct fingerprint-based checks of the state and national criminal history databases, as authorized by Public Law 92-544. The fingerprint-based checks shall be conducted on any applicant for a family child care assistant certificate or any applicant seeking a license for: family child care; small group and school age child care; large group and school age child care; a residential program; or a placement agency. The fingerprint-based checks shall also be required for any household member, age 15 or older, or any person, age 15 or older, regularly on the premises of applicants for family child care licensure and for all in-home nonrelative department funded caregivers. Authorized department staff may receive all criminal offender record information and the results of checks of state and national criminal history databases pursuant to Public Law 92-544. When the department obtains the results of checks of state and national criminal history databases, it shall treat the information according to sections 167 to 178, inclusive, of chapter 6 and the regulations thereunder regarding criminal offender record information.

  (ii) As part of the department's licensing and background record check process, the department shall conduct fingerprint-based checks of the state and national criminal history databases, as authorized by Public Law 92-544, to determine the suitability of all applicants for employment, interns and volunteers who have the potential for unsupervised contact with children in any department-licensed or funded program. The fingerprint-based checks shall also be required to determine the suitability of any individual who provides transportation services on behalf of any department-licensed or funded program. Authorized department staff may receive all criminal offender record information and the results of checks of state and national criminal history databases pursuant to Public Law 92-544. When the department obtains the results of checks of state and national criminal history databases, it shall treat the information according to sections 167 to 178, inclusive, of chapter 6 and the regulations thereunder regarding criminal offender record information.

  (iii) As part of the department's licensing and background record check process, the department shall conduct fingerprint-based checks of the state and national criminal history databases, as authorized by 42 U.S.C. section 16962, for all applicants to be adoptive or foster parents and their household members age 15 or older. Authorized department staff may receive all criminal offender record information and the results of checks of state and national criminal history databases, pursuant to 42 U.S.C. section 16962. When the department obtains the results of checks of state and national criminal history databases, it shall treat the information according to sections 167 to 178, inclusive, of chapter 6 and the regulations thereunder regarding criminal offender record information.

  (b) The department shall issue approval to a department, agency, or institution of the commonwealth or any political subdivision thereof which it determines meets the applicable standards and requirements to establish and maintain a child care center, family child care home or large family child care home, placement agency, group care facility or temporary shelter facility.

  As part of the department's approval process, the department, prior to issuing any approval, shall: (1) obtain from the sex offender registry board all available sex offender registry information associated with the address of the center, home or facility; and (2) conduct fingerprint-based checks of the state and national criminal history databases, pursuant to Public Law 92-544, that are required under this subsection. The fingerprint-based checks of the state and national criminal history databases shall be conducted, pursuant to Public Law 92-544, to determine the suitability of all applicants for employment, interns and volunteers who have the potential for unsupervised contact with children in any department-approved program. The fingerprint-based checks shall also be required to determine the suitability of any individual who provides transportation services on behalf of any department-approved program. Authorized department staff may receive all criminal offender record information and the results of checks of state and national criminal history information databases pursuant to Public Law 92-544. When the department obtains the results of checks of state and national criminal information databases, it shall treat the information according to sections 167 to 178, inclusive, of chapter 6 and the regulations thereunder regarding criminal offender record information.

  (c) The department may issue a provisional license for or may provisionally approve a school-aged child care program, a child care center, family child care home or large family child care home, family foster care which is not supervised and approved by a placement agency, placement agency, group care facility or temporary shelter facility, which has not previously operated, or is operating, but is temporarily unable to meet applicable standards and requirements. A provisional license or approval shall be issued for a period not to exceed 6 months, and in no case shall a person operate under a provisional license, provisional approval, or renewal thereof for more than 12 consecutive months.

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Last modified: September 11, 2015