The Office for Children is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of children in Massachusetts by establishing and enforcing health and safety standards governing the care and well being of children in settings other than their homes. The Office provides training for child care staff and, through the Children's Trust Fund, coordinates educational programs for teachers and children regarding child abuse prevention. The Office also provides information and referrals to parents seeking child care.

Over 190,000 children receive care at facilities licensed by the Office for Children. Program staff license and monitor approximately 16,000 child care facilities, including family child care homes, group child care centers, Head Start programs, school age child care, and substitute child care.

Objectives

In Fiscal Year 1998, the Office for Children will pursue the following objectives:

• implement the Large Family Day Care law by licensing providers to care for up to ten children in family child care homes;
• use advanced computer technology, such as remote access devices, to increase efficiency in licensing;
• facilitate greater access for parents to child care provider histories by developing an automated, on-line provider profile system;
• improve the process for conducting criminal history background checks on prospective providers by using computer scanning devices to enter needed information; and
• review its adoption and substitute care regulations to ensure appropriate and reasonable standards in these areas.

Budget Recommendations

The Fiscal Year 1998 recommendation is $7.53 million. This amount includes an increase of $475,846 for eight licensers needed to inspect the newly legislated large family child care homes and an additional five licensers to ensure that child care facilities are licensed on a timely basis. This amount also includes an increase of $175,000 for parenting education and family resource centers administered by the Children's Trust Fund.

Budgetary Direct Appropriations

OFFICE FOR CHILDREN ADMINISTRATION
4130-0001	For the central and regional administration of the office for children, including the development and implementation of training and technical assistance programs to improve the quality of services delivered to children by licensed facilities and providers, and the development and distribution of informational materials to parents and other caretakers; provided, that the office shall administer the child care resource and referral system	353,933

CHILDREN'S TRUST FUND ADMINISTRATION
4130-0002	For the administration of the Children's Trust Fund	1,014,658

FIELD OPERATIONS AND LICENSING
4130-0005	For field operations and licensing	6,161,240

Federal Grant Spending

PROJECT CHILD CARE 2000
4130-2000	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Project Child Care 2000	121,811

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION ACTIVITIES
4130-9002	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Child Abuse Prevention Activities	721,594

Trust and Other Spending

4130-0009

CHILDREN'S TRUST FUND

55,377