Sec. 13a.14.10.04. Applications

A. The Office shall accept applications only from a:

(1) Registered family child care provider; or

(2) Licensed child care owner, operator, or director.

B. To apply for accreditation support for national accreditation, the applicant shall submit to the Office a complete application, which includes:

(1) An application form, supplied by the Office, which has been completed and signed by the applicant;

(2) A copy of the completed application form for accreditation by an approved accreditation organization;

(3) A copy of the application requirements and fees for the accrediting organization; and

(4) A statement of the accreditation plan, application fees requested, and timeline to complete the accreditation process.

C. To apply for reimbursement of a program improvement cost, the applicant shall submit to the Office a complete application, which includes:

(1) An application form, supplied by the Office, which has been completed and signed by the applicant;

(2) A statement of the accreditation plan and timeline; and

(3) Receipts or copies of receipts for the instructional materials purchased.

D. Subject to funding availability, the Office shall, within 30 days of the receipt of the application, approve an applicant to receive an award if the:

(1) Application is complete;

(2) Amount requested does not exceed the:

(a) Application fee; or

(b) Program improvement cost; and

(3) Applicant is eligible to receive an award.

E. Upon determination by the Office that a facility is eligible to receive support, an award letter shall be issued stating the amount of the award.

F. If the applicant is found ineligible for an award, the Office shall:

(1) Provide written notification to the applicant of the determination of ineligibility; and

(2) Return to the applicant all application materials submitted.

G. Assignment of Awards.

(1) Funding for accreditation support is provided to the Office on an annual basis.

(2) For award purposes, the Office shall divide the annual allocation for accreditation support into 12 equal monthly funding allocations.

(3) During each month, the Office shall make awards until:

(a) An award has been made to each eligible applicant; or

(b) The monthly funding allocation is exhausted.

(4) At the end of a month, any unused funding allocation for that month shall be:

(a) Added to the funding allocation for the next month; and

(b) Available for award purposes during the next month.