Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 218 - Department of Human Services › Chapter 70 - Office of Child Care Licensing › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 12 - Rules and Regulations Governing the Early Childhood Care and Education Capital Fund › Section 218-RICR-70-00-12.3 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. For the purposes of these Rules and
				  Regulations, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "CCAP" means the Rhode Island Child Care
				  Assistance Program administered by the Department with program Rules found in
				  Chapter 20 of this Title.
3.
				  "Department" means the Rhode Island Department of Human Services.
4. "Director" means the Director of the Rhode
				  Island Department of Human Services.
5. "Early childhood care and education"
				  refers to programs that are State licensed to provide child care and serve
				  children from birth through age six (6).
6. "Early learning facility" means the
				  physical structure, and/or the dedicated single-purpose space within said
				  structure, in which Early Childhood Care and Education is provided.
7. "Eligible facility" means a building,
				  structure, or site that is, or will be, owned, leased, or otherwise occupied by
				  one (1) or more "Eligible Organizations" and licensed by the Department or a
				  Local Education Agency (LEA); provided that the facility shall serve or have a
				  commitment to serve low-income families; provided further that any leased
				  facilities shall have a lease term that is consistent with the scale of capital
				  investment involved but shall not, under any circumstance, be less than twenty
				  (20) years inclusive of options; and provided further that any
				  municipally-owned buildings shall have a dedicated single-purpose space for
				  licensed Early Childhood Care and Education.
8. "Eligible organization" means a provider
				  of Early Childhood Care and Education, or an entity seeking licensure to
				  provide Early Childhood Care and Education, that is, at the time of initial
				  program application, providing, or has demonstrated a commitment to provide,
				  Early Childhood Care and Education for low-income families with a public
				  subsidy, has a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, and is in good
				  standing with the State of Rhode Island or a real estate developer who is
				  partnered with, or has a demonstrable commitment to partner with, a provider of
				  Early Childhood Care and Education and/or an entity seeking licensure to
				  provide Early Childhood Care and Education for low-income families with a
				  public subsidy.
9. "Eligible
				  project" means the acquisition, design, construction, repair, renovation,
				  rehabilitation, and/or other capital improvement of an Eligible Facility,
				  including, but not necessarily limited to, remediation of deferred maintenance.
10. "Improvement" means any small
				  capital projects intended to address urgent health/safety issues, any small
				  capital project intended to increase the quality of the Early Childhood Care
				  and Education programming offered at the facility in question, and/or any small
				  capital project intended to increase capacity either through net new seats for
				  children or reconfiguration of existing space to serve more children in quality
				  early learning experiences.
11.
				  "Low-income family means those families determined eligible for program
				  participation under CCAP eligibility provisions.
12. "Public subsidy" means the Rhode Island
				  CCAP program, the Federal Head Start program, or any other materially similar
				  child care subsidy program offered by a Federal, State, municipal, or
				  quasi-public entity.
13. "Program"
				  means the Rhode Island Early Childhood Care and Education Capital
				  Fund.
14. "Qualified community
				  partner organization" means a certified community development financial
				  intermediary operating in Rhode Island, specifically supporting the early
				  learning sector, possessing demonstrable fund management capabilities, and
				  having expertise informing early learning facilities best practice through
				  assessment, training, and technical support.
15. "Reimbursable basis" means that Program
				  funds will only be released for project costs that have been incurred and paid
				  prior to requisitioning.
16. "Scope
				  of work" means a set of project costs or cost categories tied to performance
				  deliverables as specified in the respective program grant contract(s) deemed
				  eligible for Program funding by the Department.