Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §8301-A, sub-§1-A, ķA, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 645, §6, is amended to read:

A. "Child care center" means:

(1) A house or other place in which a person maintains or otherwise carries out a regular program, for consideration, for any part of a day providing care and protection for 13 or more children under 13 years of age; or

(2) Any location or locations operated as a single child care program or by a person or persons when there are more than 12 children being cared for.

"Child care center" does not include a Head Start preschool program that offers an early care and education program in a public school.

Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §8304-A, sub-§4 is enacted to read:

4.__Head Start classrooms.__Notwithstanding subsection 1, the fire safety rules that apply to a preschool classroom located in a public school apply to a Head Start preschool program that is excluded from the definition of "child care center" in section 8301-A, subsection 1-A, paragraph A.

SUMMARY

This bill amends the definition of "child care center" to exclude a Head Start preschool program that is located in a public school. The bill also amends the fire safety rules so that the rules that apply to preschool classrooms in a public school also apply to Head Start preschool classrooms that are located in a public school.