Sec. 1. The division shall perform the following duties:

(1) Administer the licensing and monitoring of child care centers or child care homes in accordance with this article.

(2) Ensure that a national criminal history background check of the following is completed through the state police department under IC 10-13-3-39 before issuing a license:

(A) An applicant for a license.

(B) An employee or volunteer of an applicant who has direct contact with a child who is receiving child care from the applicant.

(C) If an applicant is applying for a license to operate a child care home, the following:

(i) The applicant's spouse.

(ii) The applicant's household members who are at least eighteen (18) years of age or who are less than eighteen (18) years of age but have previously been waived from juvenile court to adult court.

(3) Ensure that a national criminal history background check of the following is completed through the state police department under IC 10-13-3-39 before registering a child care ministry:

(A) An applicant for a child care ministry registration.

(B) An employee or volunteer of an applicant who has direct contact with a child who is receiving child care from the applicant.

(4) Provide for the issuance, denial, suspension, and revocation of licenses.

(5) Cooperate with governing bodies of child care centers and child care homes and their staffs to improve standards of child care.

(6) Prepare at least biannually a directory of licensees with a description of the program capacity and type of children served that will be distributed to the legislature, licensees, and other interested parties as a public document.

(7) Deposit all license application fees collected under section 2 of this chapter in the division of family resources child care fund established by section 3 of this chapter.

(8) Require each child care center or child care home to record proof of a child's date of birth before accepting the child. A child's date of birth may be proven by the child's original birth certificate or other reliable proof of the child's date of birth, including a duly attested transcript of a birth certificate.

(9) Provide an Internet site through which members of the public may obtain the following information:

(A) Information concerning violations of this article by a licensed child care provider, including:

(i) the identity of the child care provider;

(ii) the date of the violation; and

(iii) action taken by the division in response to the violation.

(B) Current status of a child care provider's license.

(C) Other relevant information.

The Internet site may not contain the address of a child care home or information identifying an individual child. However, the site may include the county and ZIP code in which a child care home is located.

(10) Provide or approve training concerning safe sleeping practices for children to:

(A) a provider who operates a child care program in the provider's home as described in IC 12-17.2-3.5-12.5;

(B) a child care home licensed under IC 12-17.2-5;

(C) a child care center licensed under IC 12-17.2-4; and

(D) a child care ministry registered under IC 12-17.2-6;

including practices to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

As added by P.L.1-1993, SEC.141. Amended by P.L.12-1994, SEC.6; P.L.241-2003, SEC.5; P.L.162-2005, SEC.1; P.L.16-2006, SEC.1; P.L.145-2006, SEC.91; P.L.1-2009, SEC.105; P.L.287-2013, SEC.4; P.L.53-2018, SEC.4.