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Title 13: Social Service Resources Page 3 Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Employees’ Manual Chapter G: Child Care Assistance Determining Eligibility Revised June 14, 2024 Definitions Definitions Legal reference: Iowa Code Chapter 237A, 441 IAC 170.1(237A) “Child” means either a person 12 years of age or younger, or a person 13 years of age or older but younger than 19 years of age who meets the definition of a “child with special needs.” “Child care” means the care, supervision, and guidance of a child by a person other than the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian for a portion of the day, but less than 24 hours. “Child with protective needs” means a child who is not in foster care and has a case file that identifies child care as a safety or well-being need to prevent or alleviate the effects of child abuse or neglect. “Family experiencing homelessness” means a family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This includes a family who lives in a public or private place not designed for regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport or camping ground, or a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements. “In-home” means care which is provided within the child’s own home. “Parent” means the parent or the person who serves in the capacity of the parent of the child receiving child care assistance services. “Provider” means a licensed child care center, a registered child development home, a relative who provides care in the relative’s own home solely for a related child, a caretaker who provides care for a child in the child’s home, or a nonregistered child care home. Application Legal reference: 441 IAC 170.3(237A,239B) Policy: Families may apply for Child Care Assistance (CCA) by: ▪ Mailing an application to the Department’s Centralized Child Care Assistance Unit; ▪ Completing an electronic application; or ▪ Sending or bringing an application to the local HHS office for the county where the family resides.