2023 New Hampshire Revised Statutes › Title XII - Public Safety and Welfare › Chapter 170-E - Child Day Care, Residential Care, and Child-Placing Agencies › Section 170-E:2 - Definitions.

170-E:2 Definitions. –
In this chapter:
I. "Applicant" means a person, institution or agency who intends to receive for child day care one or more children unrelated to the operator and who indicates that intent to the department by filling out the forms prescribed by rule adopted by the commissioner pursuant to RSA 541-A.
II. "Child" means any person under 18 years of age.
III. "Child day care" means the care and supervision of a child away from the child's home and apart from the child's parents.
IV. "Child day care agency" means any person, corporation, partnership, voluntary association or other organization, either established for profit or otherwise, which regularly receives for child day care one or more children, unrelated to the operator or staff of the agency. The total number of hours in which a child may remain in child day care shall not exceed 13 hours per day, except in emergencies. The types of child day care agencies are defined as follows:
[Paragraph IV(a) effective until June 30, 2024; see also paragraph IV(a) set out below.]
(a) "Family day care home" means an occupied residence in which child day care is provided for less than 24 hours per day, except in emergencies, for up to 6 children from one or more unrelated families. The 6 children shall include any foster children residing in the home and all children who are related to the caregiver except children who are 10 years of age or older. In addition to the 6 children, up to 3 children attending a full day school program may also be cared for up to 5 hours per day on school days and all day during school holidays.
[Paragraph IV(a) effective June 30, 2024; see also paragraph IV(a) set out above.]
(a) "Family day care home" means an occupied residence in which child day care is provided for less than 24 hours per day, except in emergencies, for up to 6 children from one or more unrelated families. The 6 children shall include any foster children residing in the home and all children who are related to the caregiver except children who are 10 years of age or older. In addition to the 6 children, up to 3 children attending a full day school program may also be cared for up to 5 hours per day on school days and all day during school holidays, provided that the after school and holiday increase in capacity is permitted by the state fire code and in compliance with any local ordinance.
[Paragraph IV(b) effective until June 30, 2024; see also paragraph IV(b) set out below.]
(b) "Family group day care home" means an occupied residence in which child day care is provided for less than 24 hours per day, except in emergencies, for 7 to 12 children from one or more unrelated families. The 12 children shall include all children related to the caregiver and any foster children residing in the home, except children who are 10 years of age or older. In addition to the 12 children, up to 5 children attending a full day school program may also be cared for up to 5 hours per day on school days and all day during school holidays.
[Paragraph IV(b) effective June 30, 2024; see also paragraph VI(b) set out above.]
(b) "Family group day care home" means an occupied residence in which child day care is provided for less than 24 hours per day, except in emergencies, for 7 to 12 children from one or more unrelated families. The 12 children shall include all children related to the caregiver and any foster children residing in the home, except children who are 10 years of age or older. In addition to the 12 children, up to 5 children attending a full day school program may also be cared for up to 5 hours per day on school days and all day during school holidays, provided that the after school and holiday increase in capacity is permitted by the state fire code and in compliance with any local ordinance.
(c) "Group child day care center" means a child day care agency in which child day care is provided for preschool children and up to 5 school-age children, whether or not the service is known as day nursery, nursery school, kindergarten, cooperative, child development center, day care center, center for the developmentally disabled, progressive school, Montessori school, or by any other name.
(d) "Infant and toddler program" means a child day care agency in which child day care is provided for any part of a day, for 5 or more children under the age of 3 years.
(e) "Night care agency" means a center or family home in which child day care is provided during the evening and night hours. A child day care agency may be licensed for day care, night care, or both.
(f) "Preschool program" means a child day care agency providing care and a structured program for children 3 years of age and older who are not attending a full day school program. The total amount of hours a child may be enrolled in a preschool program shall not exceed 5 hours per day.
(g) "School-age program" means a child day care agency providing child day care before or after, or before and after, regular school hours, and all day any time school is not in session, for 6 or more children enrolled in school, who are 4 years and 8 months of age or older, and which is not licensed under RSA 170-E:56. The number of children shall include all children present during the period of the program, including those children related to the caregiver.
(h) "Dual licensure" means the issuance of 2 licenses by the department of health and human services to operate both a child day care agency and a family foster care agency, as provided by RSA 170-E:8, II.
[Paragraph IV(i) effective June 30, 2024.]
(i) "Small group child day care center" means a child day-care agency in which child day care is provided for not more than 12 preschool children, whether or not the service is known as day nursery, nursery school, kindergarten, cooperative, child development center, day-care center, center for the developmentally disabled, progressive school, Montessori school, or by any other name.
V. "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the department of health and human services.
VI. "Corrective action plan" means a written proposal setting forth the procedures by which a child day care agency will come into compliance with the standards set by rules adopted by the commissioner under RSA 541-A, and subject to the approval of the department. The proposal shall include the time needed to assure compliance and the steps proposed by the agency to reach compliance.
VII. "Department" means the department of health and human services.
VIII. "Guardian" means the guardian of the person of a minor, as defined in RSA 463.
IX. "License" means an authorization granted by the commissioner to provide one or more types of child day care.
X. "Monitoring visit" means a visit made to the child day care agency by department personnel for the purpose of assessing compliance with the standards set by rule adopted by the commissioner pursuant to RSA 541-A.
XI. "Permit" means the initial authorization to operate issued to an operator of a child day care agency, which shall not be renewable except for good cause shown.
XI-a. "Recreational program" means any before and/or after school, vacation, or summer program for children 4 years and 8 months of age or older offered by a school or religious group, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Girls, Incorporated, the YMCA, or the YWCA, provided that the program:
(a) Does not operate in a private home;
(b) Notifies parents or guardians that the program is not subject to licensure under RSA 170-E:4;
(c) Has policies and procedures to address the filing of grievances by parents and guardians; and
(d) Is a member in good standing and in compliance with the national organization's minimum standards and procedures.
XII. "Regularly" or "on a regular basis" means supervision and care up to and including 7 days a week, whether paid or unpaid, for the following as defined in RSA 170-E:2, IV: (a) family day care home, (b) family group day care home, (c) group child day care center, (d) day care nursery, (e) night care agency, (f) preschool program, and (g) school-age program.
XIII. "Related" means any of the following relationships by blood, marriage, or adoption: parent, grandparent, brother, sister, stepparent, stepgrandparent, stepbrother, stepsister, uncle, aunt, niece and nephew, first cousin, or second cousin.
Source.
1990, 257:8. 2005, 156:1, eff. Aug. 20, 2005. 2019, 346:132, eff. Jan. 1, 2020. 2021, 122:48, eff. July 9, 2021. 2023, 167:1, eff. July 28, 2023; 209:1, eff. Oct. 3, 2023; 218:2, 3, eff. June 30, 2024.