42 U.S. Code § 9858j - Reports, hotline, and Web site

(a) Report by Secretary

Not later than July 31, 2016, and biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report that contains a summary and analysis of the data and information provided to the Secretary in the State reports submitted under section 9858i of this title. Such report shall include an assessment, and where appropriate, recommendations for the Congress concerning efforts that should be undertaken to improve the access of the public to quality and affordable child care in the United States. Such report shall contain a determination around whether each State that uses amounts provided under this subchapter has complied with the priority for services described in sections 9858c(c)(2)(Q) and 9858c(c)(3)(B) of this title.

(b) National toll-free hotline and Web site

(1) In general

The Secretary shall operate, directly or through the use of grants or contracts, a national toll-free hotline and Web site, to—

(A) develop and disseminate publicly available child care consumer education information for parents and help parents access safe and quality child care services in their community, with a range of price options, that best suits [1] their family’s needs; and

(B) to allow persons to report (anonymously if desired) suspected child abuse or neglect, or violations of health and safety requirements, by an eligible child care provider that receives assistance under this subchapter or a member of the provider’s staff.

(2) Requirements

The Secretary shall ensure that the hotline and Web site meet the following requirements:

(A) Referral to local child care providers

The Web site shall be hosted by “childcare.gov”. The Web site shall enable a child care consumer to enter a zip code and obtain a referral to local child care providers described in subparagraph (B) within a specified search radius.

(B) Information

The Web site shall provide to consumers, directly or through linkages to State databases, at a minimum—

(i) a localized list of all eligible child care providers, differentiating between licensed and license-exempt providers;

(ii) any provider-specific information from a Quality Rating and Improvement System or information about other quality indicators, to the extent the information is publicly available and to the extent practicable;

(iii) any other provider-specific information about compliance with licensing, and health and safety requirements to the extent the information is publicly available and to the extent practicable;

(iv) referrals to local resource and referral organizations from which consumers can find more information about child care providers; and

(v) State information about child care subsidy programs and other financial supports available to families.

(C) Nationwide capacity

The Web site and hotline shall have the capacity to help families in every State and community in the Nation.

(D) Information at all hours

The Web site shall provide, to parents and families, access to information about child care services 24 hours a day.

(E) Services in different languages

The Web site and hotline shall ensure the widest possible access to services for families who speak languages other than English.

(F) High-quality consumer education and referral

The Web site and hotline shall ensure that families have access to easy-to-understand child care consumer education and referral services.

(3) Prohibition

Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to allow the Secretary to compel States to provide additional data and information that is currently (as of November 19, 2014) not publicly available, or is not required by this subchapter, unless such additional data are related to the purposes and scope of this subchapter, and are subject to a notice and comment period of no less than 90 days.

(Pub. L. 97–35, title VI, § 658L, as added Pub. L. 101–508, title V, § 5082(2), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1388–244; amended Pub. L. 102–401, § 3(a), Oct. 7, 1992, 106 Stat. 1959; Pub. L. 102–586, § 8(c)(1), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5036; Pub. L. 104–193, title VI, § 612, Aug. 22, 1996, 110 Stat. 2285; Pub. L. 105–33, title V, § 5602(3), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 646; Pub. L. 113–186, § 8(d), Nov. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 1997.)

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[1]  So in original. Probably should be “suit”.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2014—Pub. L. 113–186 substituted “Reports, hotline, and Web site” for “Report by Secretary” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading, substituted “2016” for “1998” and “to the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate” for “to the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate”, inserted at end of subsec. (a) “Such report shall contain a determination around whether each State that uses amounts provided under this subchapter has complied with the priority for services described in sections 9858c(c)(2)(Q) and 9858c(c)(3)(B) of this title.”, and added subsec. (b).

1997—Pub. L. 105–33 substituted “1998” for “1997”.

1996—Pub. L. 104–193 substituted “July 31, 1997, and biennially thereafter” for “July 31, 1993, and annually thereafter” and “Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities” for “Committee on Education and Labor”.

1992—Pub. L. 102–401 and Pub. L. 102–586 made identical technical corrections to directory language of Pub. L. 101–508, § 5082(2), which added this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 1997 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 105–33 effective as if included in the enactment of title VI of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104–193, see section 5603 of Pub. L. 105–33, set out as a note under section 618 of this title.

Effective Date of 1996 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 104–193 effective Oct. 1, 1996, see section 615 of Pub. L. 104–193, set out as a note under section 9858 of this title.