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Statutes > New-jersey > Title-30 > Section-30-5b > 30-5b-25-1

30:5B-25.1.  Findings, declarations 
    1.   The Legislature finds and declares that:

 

   a.  The need for a variety of child care options for families with children between birth and 13 years of age has grown significantly in the past 20 years.  As a result, family day care has become one of the most used forms of child care in the State. 

   b.   In 1987, New Jersey implemented a voluntary registration system through the "Family Day Care Provider Registration Act," P.L.1987, c.27 (C.30:5B-16 et seq.).  The purpose of the act was to provide Statewide health and safety standards to protect children in family day care homes.  Through this voluntary system, providers are able to qualify for the purchase of insurance, enroll in the Child Care Food Program, list their homes with Statewide child care resource and referral agencies, and provide care for children through State-funded programs.  Parents were assured that minimum safety standards were met and the training of providers and the monitoring of homes was taking place. 

   c.   When the 1987 law was amended in 1991 to require criminal history record background checks for all adults in the home of a family day care provider, both registrations and renewals dropped significantly.  This was due to the cost of criminal history record background checks.  Since the family day care registration system is voluntary, providers chose to continue to operate without State supervision.  In 1992, the State established an 18 month moratorium on background checks during which time, an alternative procedure for checking the background of prospective family day care providers could be developed. 

   d.   It is therefore in the best interests of the State to find a system of background checks which balances the rights of family day care providers with the State's duty to protect the safety of its youngest citizens. 

   L.1993,c.350,s.1. 
 
30:5B-25.2  Definitions.
2.As used in sections 1 through 4 of P.L.1993, c.350 (C.30:5B-25.1 through C.30:5B-25.4):

"Child abuse registry" means the child abuse registry of the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of  Children and Families established pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1971, c.437 (C.9:6-8.11). 

"Provider" means a family day care provider as defined by section 3 of P.L.1987, c.27 (C.30:5B-18) and includes, but is not limited to, a family day care provider's assistant and a substitute family day care provider. 

"Family day care sponsoring organization" means an agency or organization which contracts with the Department of Human Services to assist in the registration of family day care providers in a specific geographic area pursuant to P.L.1987, c.27 (C.30:5B-16 et seq.). 

"Household member" means an individual over 14 years of age who resides in a family day care provider's home. 

L.1993, c.350, s.2; amended 2004, c.130, s.107; 2006, c.47, s.168.