237A.25 - CONSUMER INFORMATION.
237A.25 CONSUMER INFORMATION.
1. The department shall develop consumer information material to
assist parents in selecting a child care provider. In developing the
material, the department shall consult with department of human
services staff, department of education staff, the state child care
advisory council, the Iowa empowerment board, and child care resource
and referral services. In addition, the department may consult with
other entities at the local, state, and national level.
2. The consumer information material developed by the department
for parents and other consumers of child care services shall include
but is not limited to all of the following:
a. A pamphlet or other printed material containing
consumer-oriented information on locating a quality child care
provider.
b. Information explaining important considerations a consumer
should take into account in selecting a licensed or registered child
care provider.
c. Information explaining how a consumer can identify quality
services, including what questions to ask of providers and what a
consumer might expect or demand to know before selecting a provider.
d. An explanation of the applicable laws and regulations
written in layperson's terms.
e. An explanation of what it means for a provider to be
licensed, registered, or unregistered.
f. An explanation of the information considered in registry
and record background checks.
g. Other information deemed relevant to consumers.
3. The department shall implement and publicize an internet page
or site that provides all of the following:
a. The written information developed pursuant to subsections
1 and 2.
b. Regular informational updates, including when a child care
provider was last subject to a state quality review or inspection
and, based upon a final score or review, the results indicating
whether the provider passed or failed the review or inspection.
c. Capability for a consumer to be able to access information
concerning child care providers, such as informational updates,
identification of provider location, name, and capacity, and
identification of providers participating in the state child care
assistance program and those participating in the child care food
program, by sorting the information or employing other means that
provide the information in a manner that is useful to the consumer.
Information regarding provider location shall identify providers
located in the vicinity of an address selected by a consumer and
provide contact information without listing the specific addresses of
the providers.
d. Other information deemed appropriate by the department.
Section History: Recent Form
2003 Acts, 1st Ex, ch 2, §18, 209
Referred to in § 237A.4A, 237A.30