An Act To Notify Parents of a Complaint against a Child Care Facility or a Family Child Care Provider
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §8301-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2005, c. 530, §7, is further amended to read:
4. Complaints. Upon receipt of a complaint about a licensed child care facility or a certified family child care provider and if the department has reasonable cause to suspect that a violation of the licensure or certification requirements has occurred, the department may investigate the complaint and enter the premises at any reasonable time for the purposes of the investigation. If the department investigates a complaint filed pursuant to this subsection, the department must notify in writing, within 5 days of commencement of the investigation, the parent or legal guardian of every child receiving care at the licensed child care facility or from the certified family child care provider that a complaint was filed, the nature of that complaint and that the complaint is being investigated by the department.
summary
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to notify in writing the parents and legal guardians of children receiving care at a licensed child care facility or from a certified family child care provider of a complaint's being lodged against the facility or provider, of the department's investigation and of the nature of the complaint. Notification must be sent within 5 days of the department's commencement of the investigation.