Appointed Committees

April 5, 2023 Committee on Childcare in Minot Committee on Childcare in Minot – April 5, 2023 AT 4:30 P.M. Members Present: Scott Burlingame, Heather Cymbaluk, Amy Jenkins, Rianne Kuhn, Lisa Olson, Keli Rosselli-Sullivan, Harold Stewart Members Absent: Kevin Cross, Becca Oswill, Terry Schumalz, John Van Dyke Also Present: Mikayla McWilliams (City Clerk) The meeting was called to order by Chairman Scott Burlingame at 4:33 pm. Rianne Kuhn introduced herself to the committee as a parent of two kids. Discussion about the upcoming April 20th meeting needing to find a different space possibly the MACEDC Board room or the Minot Public Library. Keli Rosselli-Sullivan also asked for the legislative discussion to be moved back to May 18, 2023 meeting and the City of Minot Codes be moved up to May 2, 2023. Nicole and Amy presented to the committee on the licensing process for the State of ND. Nicole started the presentation with providing the committee the purpose of the Early Childhood Unit and describing the different areas of the unit that make it up. In the Early Childhood Section there is Licensing, Professional Development, Quality, Best in Class, Family Support and School Engagement, and Early Childhood Operations. For the Early Childhood Licensing Section, the purpose is to assure that children receiving early childhood services ca be provided food, shelter, safety, comfort, supervision and learning experiences commensurate to their age and capabilities, so as to safeguard the health, safety, and development of those children. They are the first point of contact for initial child care licensing and certification. Nicole also pointed out that any person providing early childhood services for more than 5 children or more than 3 children under the age of 24 months, including their own children, must be licensed. It is a class B misdemeanor to not obtain a license if you are caring for more children then previously defined but they are hardly ever prosecuted. The licensing unit assures that the local and state ordinances are being met by the providers, but also assure compliance with the Child Care and Development Fund program. Nicole broke down the different licensing types for Early Childhood. There is a Family License which can have no more than 7 children at one time. A Group License can provide services for 30 or fewer children and is the most popular in the area. A Center License is for more than 30 children and only issued for Commercial zoning areas. A Preschool License is usually paired with a Group or Center License and offers a preschool curriculum and course study for no more than 3 hours per day. Lastly, a School Age License is for 19 or more children aged 5 to 11 years old. During Nicole’s portion of the presentation she discussed the ND Century Codes. She also touched on the Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP Funding) and how it is funding for low income families to receive assistance. She mentioned that area CLC programs through Minot Public Schools are no longer licensed and cannot receive CCAP Funding for their low-income families. Nicole also discussed the requirements and/or qualifications for a Group Supervisor and a Center Director. She discussed the training needed for license holders such as CPR First Aid and Pediatric, SIDS Training, and the Getting Started Program. Prior to receiving certification, the license holder, any employees, and any household adults need to get a background check. Amy Jenkins discussed with the committee the process of certification. She showed the committee the child to staff ratio chart and the how the training hours are documented. She also went through the Licensing Specialist Checklist and hit on topics such as:  Written plan/policies  Staffing requirements  Duties of Group Childcare Supervisors Page 1 of 2   Qualifications of Staff Members  Requirements for Facility  Transportation  Emergency Evacuation Plan  Fire Inspections  Sanitation and Safety Requirements  Space Requirements  Food and Nutrition (Heartland through Bismarck)  Discipline  Specialized Types of Care  Emergency Care  Written Policies on Employment/Background Checks  Childcare Records Part of the presentation showed statistics on counties in ND from the Childcare Aware website. Nicole discussed the challenge of turnover in daycare for employment. The average ND daycare employee wage is $10.50/hour. The licensing website does provide plug and play policies for providers and Childcare Aware has a lot of start up information. The full presentation is attached to the agenda found on www.minotnd.gov. The next meeting will be Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 1:30 pm. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:37 pm. Page 2 of 2