(a) The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall establish and operate a child care subsidy program to increase the availability, affordability and quality of child care services for families with a parent or caretaker who (1) is (A) working or attending high school, or (B) subject to the provisions of subsection (d) of this section, is enrolled or participating in (i) a public or independent institution of higher education, (ii) a private career school authorized pursuant to sections 10a-22a to 10a-22o, inclusive, (iii) a job training or employment program administered by a regional workforce development board, (iv) an apprenticeship program administered by the Labor Department’s office of apprenticeship training, (v) an alternate route to certification program approved by the State Board of Education, (vi) an adult education program pursuant to § 10-69 or other high school equivalency program, or (vii) a local Even Start program or other adult education program approved by the Commissioner of Early Childhood; or (2) receives cash assistance under the temporary family assistance program from the Department of Social Services and is participating in an education, training or other job preparation activity approved pursuant to subsection (b) of § 17b-688i or subsection (b) of § 17b-689d. Services available under the child care subsidy program shall include the provision of child care subsidies for children under the age of thirteen or children under the age of nineteen with special needs. The Office of Early Childhood shall open and maintain enrollment for the child care subsidy program and shall administer such program within the existing budgetary resources available. The office shall issue a notice on the office’s Internet web site any time the office closes the program to new applications, changes eligibility requirements, changes program benefits or makes any other change to the program’s status or terms, except the office shall not be required to issue such notice when the office expands program eligibility. Any change in the office’s acceptance of new applications, eligibility requirements, program benefits or any other change to the program’s status or terms for which the office is required to give notice pursuant to this subsection, shall not be effective until thirty days after the office issues such notice.

(b) The commissioner shall establish income standards for applicants and recipients at a level to include a family with gross income up to fifty per cent of the state-wide median income, except the commissioner (1) may increase the income level up to the maximum level allowed under federal law, (2) upon the request of the Commissioner of Children and Families, may waive the income standards for adoptive families so that children adopted on or after October 1, 1999, from the Department of Children and Families are eligible for the child care subsidy program, and (3) on and after March 1, 2003, shall reduce the income eligibility level to up to fifty-five per cent of the state-wide median income for applicants and recipients who qualify based on their loss of eligibility for temporary family assistance. The commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to establish income criteria and durational requirements for such waiver of income standards.

(c) The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish eligibility and program standards including, but not limited to: (1) A priority intake and eligibility system with preference given to serving (A) recipients of temporary family assistance who are employed or engaged in employment activities under the Department of Social Services’ “Jobs First” program, (B) working families whose temporary family assistance was discontinued not more than five years prior to the date of application for the child care subsidy program, (C) teen parents, (D) low-income working families, (E) adoptive families of children who were adopted from the Department of Children and Families and who are granted a waiver of income standards under subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section, (F) working families who are at risk of welfare dependency, (G) parents or caretakers participating in an apprenticeship program administered by the Labor Department’s office of apprenticeship training, (H) parents or caretakers enrolled in an adult education program pursuant to § 10-69 or other high school equivalency program, (I) parents or caretakers participating in a job training or employment program administered by a regional workforce development board, and (J) parents or caretakers enrolled in a public or independent institution of higher education; (2) health and safety standards for child care providers not required to be licensed; (3) a reimbursement system for child care services which account for differences in the age of the child, number of children in the family, the geographic region and type of care provided by licensed and unlicensed caregivers, the cost and type of services provided by licensed and unlicensed caregivers, successful completion of fifteen hours of annual in-service training or credentialing of child care directors and administrators, and program accreditation; (4) supplemental payment for special needs of the child and extended nontraditional hours; (5) an annual rate review process for providers which assures that reimbursement rates are maintained at levels which permit equal access to a variety of child care settings; (6) a sliding reimbursement scale for participating families; (7) an administrative appeals process; (8) an administrative hearing process to adjudicate cases of alleged fraud and abuse and to impose sanctions and recover overpayments; (9) an extended period of program and payment eligibility when a parent who is receiving a child care subsidy experiences a temporary interruption in employment or other approved activity; and (10) a waiting list for the child care subsidy program that (A) allows the commissioner to exercise discretion in prioritizing within and between existing priority groups, including, but not limited to, children described in 45 C.F.R. § 98.46, as amended from time to time, and households with an infant or toddler, and (B) reflects the priority and eligibility system set forth in subdivision (1) of this subsection, which is reviewed periodically, with the inclusion of this information in the annual report required to be issued annually by the office to the Governor and the General Assembly in accordance with § 17b-733. Such action will include, but not be limited to, family income, age of child, region of state and length of time on such waiting list.

(d) Not later than July 1, 2015, an applicant determined to be eligible for program benefits by the Commissioner of Early Childhood shall remain eligible for such benefits for a period prescribed by federal law, except any applicant determined to be eligible for program benefits by the commissioner under subparagraph (B) of subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of this section shall only be eligible for and receive such benefits upon the availability of federal funds received pursuant to Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, P.L. 116-260, as amended from time to time, or the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2, as amended from time to time, and designated by the commissioner for such benefits.

(e) Within available appropriations, a recipient of program benefits who takes unpaid leave from such recipient’s employment due to the birth or impending birth of a child shall be granted not more than six weeks of payment eligibility during the leave if: (1) The recipient intends to return to work at the end of the unpaid leave; (2) the recipient verifies that eligibility is needed to prevent the loss of a slot in a school-based program or licensed child care setting; and (3) the child receiving child care services under the program continues to attend the program during the recipient’s leave.

(f) A provider under the child care subsidy program that qualifies for eligibility and subsequently receives payment for child care services for recipients under this section shall be reimbursed for such services until informed by the office of the recipient’s ineligibility.

(g) All licensed child care providers and those providers exempt from licensing shall provide the office with the following information in order to maintain eligibility for reimbursement: (1) The name, address, appropriate identification, Social Security number and telephone number of the provider and all adults who work for or reside at the location where care is provided; (2) the name and address of the child’s doctor, primary care provider and health insurance company; (3) whether the child is immunized and has had health screens pursuant to the federal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Services Program under 42 USC 1396d; and (4) the number of children cared for by the provider.

(h) On or after July 1, 2014, the commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section.

(i) The commissioner shall submit to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies a copy of the Child Care and Development Fund Plan that the commissioner submits to the Administration for Children and Families pursuant to federal law. The copy of the plan shall be submitted to the committees not later than thirty days after submission of the plan to the Administration for Children and Families.

(j) The commissioner may expend an amount not to exceed two per cent of the amount appropriated for purposes of this section in a manner consistent with the provisions of § 10-509.

(k) Commencing October 1, 2019, and quarterly thereafter, the Commissioner of Early Childhood shall submit a report, in accordance with § 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies about expenditures of state and federal funds and enrollment by priority group in the child care subsidy program.