237B.1 - CHILDREN'S CENTERS.
237B.1 CHILDREN'S CENTERS.
1. For the purposes of this section, unless the context requires
otherwise, "children's center" means a privately funded facility
designed to serve seven or more children at any one time who are not
under the custody or authority of the department of human services,
juvenile court, or another governmental agency, and that offers one
or more of the following services:
a. Child care.
b. Child care for children with a chronic illness.
c. Respite care.
d. Family support services.
e. Medical equipment.
f. Therapeutic day programming.
g. Educational enrichment.
h. Housing.
2. The department of human services shall consult with the
department of inspections and appeals, department of education, Iowa
department of public health, state fire marshal, and community-based
providers of services to children in establishing certification or
licensing standards for children's centers.
3. In establishing the initial and subsequent standards, the
department of human services shall review other certification and
licensing standards applicable to the centers. The standards
established by the department shall be broad facility standards for
the protection of children's safety. The department shall also apply
criminal and abuse registry background check requirements for the
persons who own, operate, staff, participate in, or otherwise have
contact with the children receiving services from a children's
center. The background check requirements shall be substantially
equivalent to those applied under chapter 237 for a child foster care
facility provider. The department of human services shall not
establish program standards or other requirements under this section
involving program development or oversight of the programs provided
to the children served by children's centers. Section History: Recent Form
99 Acts, ch 189, §1; 99 Acts, ch 192, §33; 2009 Acts, ch 182, §131