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 & Smart Start for Recovery
- SHS = State Head Start Supplement
| General Policy | SR | CDC | SS | SHS | |
| A-01 | Effective Through June 30, 2025 Legislative Requirements for Staff Qualifications in State-Funded Programs (Spanish)— Describes the required staff education qualifications for all state-funded child care programs. Effective Beginning July 1, 2025 Legislative Requirements for Staff Qualifications in State-Funded Programs effective 7/1/25 (Spanish) Documents updated March 2025 | X | X | X | X |
| A- 02 | Approval Systems — [Deleted and combined with B-05.] | X | X | X | X |
| A-03 | Data Submission and Reporting Requirements — Describes the required data and requirements qualifications for state-funded child care programs. Updated August 2024 | X | X | X | X |
| A-04 | Commitments to CHEFA Financed Tax-Exempt Loans — Describes which programs are eligible for the tax exempt loan program and how to apply. | X | X | X | X |
| A-05 | Requirements 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 | X | X | X | X |
| B-01 | Fee Schedule (Spanish)— Outlines family fees by family size and income level. | X | X | X | |
| B-02 | Fee 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. | X | X | X | |
| B-03 | Eligibility, Enrollment, Attendance in State-funded Programs — Describes requirements related to child enrollment and attendance in state-funded spaces/classrooms. Updated June 2024 | X | X | X | |
| B-04 | State-funded Space Types, Categories of Care Utilization of Spaces, Reimbursement and Overpayment — Describes the types of care each program provides and eligibility. Updated June 2024 | X | X | X | |
| B-05 | Meeting 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. | X | X | X | |
| B-06 | Spaces for Children with IEP — Describes the policy for children with disabilities and their participation in OEC programs. | X | X | ||
| B-07 | Reallocation of Unutilized Spaces – Describes the process for determining community need and the reallocation of chronically unutilized spaces. | X | X | X | |
| C-01 | School Readiness Council Membership, Responsibilities and the Role of the Liaison — An overview of the School Readiness Council’s roles and responsibilities. | X | |||
| C-02 | School Readiness Grantee Budget Guidance — Describes the guidelines the School Readiness Council must follow regarding how they use their funds. | X | |||
| C-03 | School Readiness Start-up Costs — Briefly describes how the School Readiness Grant is used by new programs. | X | |||
| C-05 | Nonsectarian Policy for School Readiness Programs — Describes the policy that School Readiness programs must be open to all children and defines “nonsectarian.” | X | |||
| C-06 | School 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. | X | |||
| C-07 | School Readiness Space Reimbursement Rates — Describes the reimbursement rate for unfilled spaces in School Readiness programs. | X | |||
| D-01 | Child Day Care Reporting Requirements and Data Submission — [Deleted and combined with A-03] | X | |||
| D-02 | Child Day Care Contract and Subcontractor Responsibilities — Describes general CDC contractor tasks. | X | |||
| D-03 | Nutrition Policy and Programs (Spanish)— Describes requirements for CDC programs around the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). | X | |||
| D-04 | Reallocation of Unutilized Child Day Care Spaces — [Deleted and replaced with B-07] | X |
Last updated March 24, 2025