(Caution: 1998 Prop. 105 applies)

In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. "Caretaker relative" means a relative who exercises responsibility for the day-to-day physical care, guidance and support of a child who physically resides with the relative and who is by affinity or consanguinity or by court decree a grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling of the whole or half blood, stepbrother, stepsister, aunt, uncle, great-aunt, great-uncle or first cousin.

2. "Cash assistance" has the same meaning prescribed in section 46-101.

3. "Child" means a person who is under thirteen years of age.

4. "Child care" means the compensated service that is provided to a child who is unaccompanied by a parent or guardian during a portion of a twenty-four hour day.

5. "Child care assistance" means any money payments for child care services that are paid by the department and that are paid for the benefit of an eligible family.

6. "Child care home provider" means a person who is at least eighteen years of age, who is not the parent, guardian, caretaker relative or noncertified relative provider of a child needing child care and who is certified by the department to care for four or fewer children for compensation with child care assistance monies.

7. "Child care providers" means child care facilities licensed pursuant to Title 36, Chapter 7.1, article 1, child care group homes certified pursuant to Title 36, Chapter 7.1, article 4, child care home providers, in-home providers, noncertified relative providers and regulated child care on military installations or for federally recognized Indian tribes.

8. "Eligible family" means citizens or legal residents of the United States or individuals who are otherwise lawfully present in the United States and who are parents, legal guardians or caretaker relatives with legal residence in this state and children in their care who meet the eligibility requirements for child care assistance.

9. "Federal poverty level" means the poverty guidelines that are issued by the United States department of health and human services pursuant to section 673(2) of the omnibus budget reconciliation act of 1981 and that are reported annually in the federal register.

10. "In-home provider" means a provider who is certified by the department to care for a child of an eligible family in the child’s own home and is compensated with child care assistance monies.

11. "Noncertified relative provider" means a person who is at least eighteen years of age, who provides child care services to an eligible child, who is by affinity or consanguinity or by court decree the grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling not residing in the same household, aunt, great-aunt, uncle or great-uncle of the eligible child and who meets the department’s requirements to be a noncertified relative provider.

12. "Parent" or "parents" means the natural or adoptive parents of a child.