An agency or organization of children care providing, protection, and supervision for 13 or more children in a group center, pre-school, or extended day care facility.

"Child care center" or "day care center" means a facility, in other word a private residence, receiving 1 or more preschool or school age children for care for periods of less than 24 hours a day, and where the parents or guardians are not immediately available to the child. Childcare center or day care center includes a facility that provides care for not less than 2 consecutive weeks, regardless of the number of hours of care per day.

• Age level:- The group category appropriate for the child's age.
• Infant:- A child from birth through 12 months of age.
• Young toddler:- A child from 13 through 24 months of age.
• Older toddler:- A child from 25 through 36 months of age.
• Preschool child:- A child from 37 months of age through the date the child enters 1st grade of a public or private school system.
• Young school:-
  • Age child:- A child from the 1st grade through the 3rd grade of a public or private school system.
• Older school:-
  • Age child:- A child from the 4th grade of a public or private school system through 15 years of age.
• Agent of the Department--One of the following:
  • An employe of the Department.
  • An individual contracted specifically to perform the work of a Departmental employe.
  • An individual who audits records to establish Federal or State funding eligibility.
• Casual contact:- The ordinary routine and age-appropriate association of child is parents and facility persons in the course of daily assembly in a facility.
• Effects of differences between home and child care were studied, focusing on expectations and values of caregivers.
• Care for a child by the parent or guardian for part of a 24-hour day. The term includes care of foster children in a court-supervised arrangement. The term does not include care of related children who reside with an individual. The term does not include supervised onsite training in the case of a student who is fulfilling the requirements of a secondary or postsecondary child care training or educational curriculum.
• Children assigned to the care of 1 or 2 staff persons. A group occupies a space or a defined part of a space.