General Policies

OEC General Policies detail requirements and guidelines for School Readiness, Child Day Care Contracts, Smart Start and State Head Start state-funded early care and education programs.

Key for table below:

  • SR = School Readiness
  • CDC = Child Day Care Contracts
  • SS = Smart Start
  • SHS = State Head Start Supplement
General PolicySR CDCSSSHS
A-01Legislative Requirements for Staff Qualifications in State-Funded Programs  (Spanish)— Describes the required staff education qualifications for all state-funded child care programs.XXXX
A- 02Approval Systems — [Deleted and combined with B-05.]XXXX
A-03Data Submission and Reporting Requirements — Describes the required data and requirements qualifications for state-funded child care programs.
Updated June 2023
XXXX
A-04Commitments to CHEFA Financed Tax-Exempt Loans — Describes which programs are eligible for the tax exempt loan program and how to apply.XXXX
A-05Requirements for conducting research involving OEC funded programs (Spanish)— Describes the work of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the policies for researchers working with OEC programs.
Updated 1/20/2023
XXXX
B-01Fee Schedule (Spanish)— Outlines family fees by family size and income level.XXX
B-02Fee Guidance (Spanish) — Describes and defines terms used in the Fee Schedule (above) and provides contact information for relevant OEC departments and programs.

For more information and resources related to using the new Fee Schedule, visit the OEC Family Fee Information webpage.
XXX
B-03Eligibility, Enrollment, Attendance in State-funded Programs — Describes requirements related to child enrollment and attendance in state-funded spaces/classrooms.
Updated December 2023
XXX
B-04State-funded Space Types, Categories of Care Utilization of Spaces and Reimbursement — Describes the types of care each program provides and eligibility.
Updated December 2023
XXX
B-05Meeting Quality Assurance Requirements— Describes the expectations and necessities for each funded program.
For an overview of this policy, you can view the B-05 Summary Chart.
Updated October 2023
XXX
B-06Spaces for Children with IEP — Describes the policy for children with disabilities and their participation in OEC programs.
Updated July 2023
XX
B-07Reallocation of Unutilized Spaces – Describes the process for determining community need and the reallocation of chronically unutilized spaces.
Updated June 2023
XXX
C-01School Readiness Council Membership, Responsibilities and the Role of the Liaison — An overview of the School Readiness Council’s roles and responsibilities.
Updated December 2023
X
C-02School Readiness Grantee Budget Guidance — Describes the guidelines the School Readiness Council must follow regarding how they use their funds.
Updated July 2023
X
C-03School Readiness Start-up Costs — Briefly describes how the School Readiness Grant is used by new programs.X
C-05Nonsectarian Policy for School Readiness Programs — Describes the policy that School Readiness programs must be open to all children and defines “nonsectarian.”
Updated July 2023
X
C-06School Readiness Non-Residency Option — Describes the options for School Readiness programs who would like to fill remaining spaces by enrolling children from outside their immediate community.
Updated December 2023
X
C-07School Readiness Space Reimbursement Rates — Describes the reimbursement rate for unfilled spaces in School Readiness programs.
Updated November 2023
X
D-01Child Day Care Reporting Requirements and Data Submission — [Deleted and combined with A-03]
Updated June 2023
X
D-02Child Day Care Contract and Subcontractor Responsibilities — Describes general CDC contractor tasks.
Updated June 2023
X
D-03Nutrition Policy and Programs (Spanish)— Describes requirements for CDC programs around the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).X
D-04Reallocation of Unutilized Child Day Care Spaces — [Deleted and replaced with B-07]
Updated June 2023
X
Last updated December 6, 2023