The state of Ohio has entered into a collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Ohio Council 8 Independent Child Care Home Providers. This agreement was made pursuant to Executive Order 2008-02S, "Establishing Collective Bargaining for Child Care Home Providers." The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) will implement the terms of the agreement, including policy changes that affect provider certification requirements and responsibilities of the county departments of job and family services. ODJFS will work in consultation with the State-Union Committee to develop and implement new policies and to provide technical assistance.

Per the agreement, ODJFS will:

• Create a brochure for parents who are considering using subsidized child care.
• Develop a list of items to be included in a parent handbook for type B providers to distribute.
• Develop a curriculum for county certification staff to use, which will include an inspection checklist with a section for the provider to make comments at the end of the inspection. The provider will be given a copy of the form before the inspector leaves the home. A similar form will be used for complaint investigations.
• Create a form that will notify caretakers and providers when a change occurs in the caretaker's eligibility.
• Provide training and technical assistance to county staff regarding the terms of the agreement. Notice of rule changes will be made through the usual Clearance and rule-filing process.

The agreement further stipulates that:

• Each CDJFS will schedule 30 minutes during the health and safety training for type B providers to allow a union representative to distribute materials and provide membership information. ODJFS field office staff will schedule 30 minutes during initial meetings with type A providers for this purpose.
• A provider's participation on the State-Union Committee is an acceptable use of a substitute care provider.
• The term "legal representative," as used in rule 5101:2-14-40 of the Ohio Administrative Code, may include a union representative or steward designated by the child care provider.
• Providers and the union may file grievances as a result of alleged violations of the agreement.

AFSCME Ohio Council 8 is a statewide organization representing all of Ohio's type A and type B home providers. AFSCME has eight regional offices in the following cities: Akron, Athens, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown. Addresses of these offices and the names of their union representatives can be found in the December 2009 edition of the "Providers Together" newsletter. A link to more information for home child care providers can be found at:

http://www.afscmecouncil8.org/

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the OFC Help Desk toll free at 1-866-886-3537, option 4.

INSTRUCTIONS: The following chart identifies the material that should be added to the Child Type A Manual (CCAM) and the Child Care Type B Manual (CCBM).