Montana § 52-2-704 - Duties Of Department

§ 52-2-704. Duties Of Department

Duties of department. (1) The department is responsible for planning, implementing, and coordinating programs under the Montana Child Care Act. (2) The department shall: (a) assess child-care needs and resources within the state; (b) develop a state child-care plan; (c) coordinate child-care programs administered by all state agencies; (d) issue licenses to persons to receive children into a day-care center on a regular basis; (e) prescribe the conditions and publish minimum standards upon which licenses and registration certificates are issued; (f) adopt rules for day-care facilities consistent with the purposes of this part; (g) adopt rules for day-care centers that provide day care on an irregular basis, which includes exceptions regarding requirements for immunization records and staffing ratios; and (h) issue registration certificates to a person or persons to receive children into a family day-care home or group day-care home on a regular basis. (3) The department may: (a) enter into interagency agreements to administer and coordinate child-care programs; (b) accept any federal funds made available for the improvement or promotion of child-care services within the state; (c) administer any state and federal funds that may be appropriated for the purposes of the part; and (d) issue a license to a person to receive children into a day-care center on an irregular basis if the person chooses to apply for licensure.