(A) Except as provided in division (C) of this section, all purchases of publicly funded child care shall be made under a contract entered into by a licensed child day-care center, licensed type A family day-care home, licensed type B family day-care home, certified in-home aide, approved child day camp, licensed preschool program, licensed school child program, or border state child care provider and the department of job and family services. All contracts for publicly funded child care shall be contingent upon the availability of state and federal funds. The department shall prescribe a standard form to be used for all contracts for the purchase of publicly funded child care, regardless of the source of public funds used to purchase the child care. To the extent permitted by federal law and notwithstanding any other provision of the Revised Code that regulates state contracts or contracts involving the expenditure of state or federal funds, all contracts for publicly funded child care shall be entered into in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and are exempt from any other provision of the Revised Code that regulates state contracts or contracts involving the expenditure of state or federal funds.
(B) Each contract for publicly funded child care shall specify at least the following:
(1) That the provider of publicly funded child care agrees to be paid for rendering services at the lower of the rate customarily charged by the provider for children enrolled for child care or the reimbursement ceiling or rate of payment established pursuant to section 5104.30 of the Revised Code;
(2) That, if a provider provides child care to an individual potentially eligible for publicly funded child care who is subsequently determined to be eligible, the department agrees to pay for all child care provided between the date the county department of job and family services receives the individual's completed application and the date the individual's eligibility is determined;
(3) Whether the county department of job and family services, the provider, or a child care resource and referral service organization will make eligibility determinations, whether the provider or a child care resource and referral service organization will be required to collect information to be used by the county department to make eligibility determinations, and the time period within which the provider or child care resource and referral service organization is required to complete required eligibility determinations or to transmit to the county department any information collected for the purpose of making eligibility determinations;
(4) That the provider, other than a border state child care provider, shall continue to be licensed, approved, or certified pursuant to this chapter and shall comply with all standards and other requirements in this chapter and in rules adopted pursuant to this chapter for maintaining the provider's license, approval, or certification;
(5) That, in the case of a border state child care provider, the provider shall continue to be licensed, certified, or otherwise approved by the state in which the provider is located and shall comply with all standards and other requirements established by that state for maintaining the provider's license, certificate, or other approval;
(6) Whether the provider will be paid by the state department of job and family services or in some other manner as prescribed by rules adopted under section 5104.42 of the Revised Code;
(7) That the contract is subject to the availability of state and federal funds.
(C) Unless specifically prohibited by federal law or by rules adopted under section 5104.42 of the Revised Code, the county department of job and family services shall give individuals eligible for publicly funded child care the option of obtaining certificates that the individual may use to purchase services from any provider qualified to provide publicly funded child care under section 5104.31 of the Revised Code. Providers of publicly funded child care may present these certificates for payment in accordance with rules that the director of job and family services shall adopt. Only providers may receive payment for certificates. The value of the certificate shall be based on the lower of the rate customarily charged by the provider or the rate of payment established pursuant to section 5104.30 of the Revised Code. The county department may provide the certificates to the individuals or may contract with child care providers or child care resource and referral service organizations that make determinations of eligibility for publicly funded child care pursuant to contracts entered into under section 5104.34 of the Revised Code for the providers or resource and referral service organizations to provide the certificates to individuals whom they determine are eligible for publicly funded child care.
For each six-month period a provider of publicly funded child care provides publicly funded child care to the child of an individual given certificates, the individual shall provide the provider certificates for days the provider would have provided publicly funded child care to the child had the child been present. The maximum number of days providers shall be provided certificates shall not exceed ten days in a six-month period during which publicly funded child care is provided to the child regardless of the number of providers that provide publicly funded child care to the child during that period.
(D)
(1) The department shall establish the Ohio electronic child care system to track attendance and calculate payments for publicly funded child care. The system shall include issuing an electronic child care card to each caretaker parent to swipe through a point of service device issued to an eligible provider, as described in section 5104.31 of the Revised Code.
(2) Each eligible provider that provides publicly funded child care shall participate in the Ohio electronic child care system. A provider participating in the system shall not do any of the following:
(a) Use or have possession of an electronic child care card issued to a caretaker parent;
(b) Falsify attendance records;
(c) Knowingly seek payment for publicly funded child care that was not provided;
(d) Knowingly accept reimbursement for publicly funded child care that was not provided.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §110.20, eff. 1/1/2014.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.128, SB 316, §120.01, eff. 1/1/2014.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.
Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.9, HB 1, §101.01, eff. 10/16/2009.
Effective Date: 06-26-2003; 05-18-2005; 06-30-2005
Section: Previous 5104.21 5104.22 5104.25 5104.29 5104.30 5104.301 5104.31 5104.32 5104.33 5104.34 5104.341 5104.35 5104.36 5104.37 5104.38 NextLast modified: October 10, 2016