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<section article="ged" article_name="Education" number="9.5-401" title_number="9.5" title_name="Division of Early Childhood Development" subtitle_number="4" subtitle_name="Child Care Centers">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>“Child” means an individual under the age of 16 years.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Child care center” means an agency, institution, or establishment that, for part or all of a day, or on a 24–hour basis on a regular schedule, and at least twice a week, offers or provides child care to children who do not have the same parentage except as otherwise provided for in law or regulation.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Child care center” shall include a nonpublic nursery school in which an instructional program is offered or provided for children who are under the age of 5 years.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Child care center” does not include:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>A nonpublic kindergarten in which an instructional program is offered or provided for children who are at least 5 years old;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A nonpublic elementary school in which an instructional program is offered or provided for children who are in grades 1 through 8;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>A child care home, a child care institution, or other child care facility that offers or provides a residential placement for a child and is established, licensed, or registered under this title, Title 9 of the Human Services Article, or Title 10 of the Health – General Article; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>A family child care home or large family child care home that is required to be registered or is registered under this title.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>“Letter of compliance” means a letter issued by the Department to a religious organization that meets the requirements under § 9.5–404 of this subtitle.</text>
  </level>
</section>
