Here are a few helpful resources if you are interested
in starting a group facility.
**Please be aware that group facility licensing differs by county and city of residence.**
Group Home: You (and with your spouse and/or children) will live in the home (that typically you own or in some situations, rent) and typically will be the primary caregiver of the children as well. This means your group home is your job/business and you will not work outside of the home as you are required to work with the children directly at least 40 hours a week. You are required to have identified/approved respite staff to assist you during peak times and/or on the weekend. Your reimbursement would be considered non taxable income, just as you were a foster parent. You would be responsible for paying taxes on your employees.
Group Center: You own a home that is not your primary residence and staff this home 24/7 with your employees. You may work a shift or two but have staff rotate the majorify of the time--although you still require a primary caregiver-there at least 40 hrs during each week. Finding good staff can be the hardest part of this process!!! You oversee the facility and are responsible for the entire operation of the facility. Your reimbursement would be considered taxable income.
Some FAQ's: How many children can I serve? This is determined by your zoning department and by the square footage of your sleeping space. You must have 60 sq. ft. of sleeping space per child (or a bedroom at least 80 sq. feet for 1 child) and 1 full bathroom to every 6 residents. You may not have over 11 children in your home under the age of 16 (this includes your bio/adopted children).
Why would I pick Kids Crossing as my supervising agency? We are experts at this process as we have 11 licensed group facilities along the front range. You want to pick a supervising agency that knows this process in and out as it is different than licensing foster homes. We are here to walk you through the process. We are responsive to your needs, provide the "next steps" for you, help with any hurdles you may be encountering, however, do not complete this process for you. This is your business! We are clear about what is expected from you on Day #1 so you are not confused, wondering what is next or never being told, "just one more thing before you are done." Once you are licensed, we provide a group home supervisor who will be responsible for the case management of the children in the home, help ensure appropriate placement referrals are given to you (the child placement agency is the gatekeeper of all referrals from the counties) and provide support to you. They are in the home at least 2 hours each week. They do the majority of your documentation for you. They maintain your child, group facility and staffing files. There are minimal files and documentation requirements of you. We provide training. We have 24-hours crisis support via Blackberry at all 3 of our offices. We are there for all of your state inspections which occur annually and are unannounced. We know the rules and will let you know what to expect before these inspections occur. We have high expectations for our homes and the care they provide to children. We take our role of accountability over our homes seriously. References: We are happy to provide you with contact information on recently licensed group facilities so you can hear how easy this process can be with Kids Crossing or references of facilities who have been with us for a long time which can tell you about our ongoing support.
Time Frame: If you have a facility and your staff determined, you need to complete all of the first column of the checklist to submit your application to CDHS (with Kids Crossing). After your application and check for $121 is submitted to CDHS, it takes approximately 2-3 weeks for your provider number to be generated. After you receive your #, we can submit all background checks on you and your staff. You then have 60 days to get your facility ready for a site visit and all of the files (group center and staff) complete for the state (refer to the other columns on the checklist). When the state visits for your initial inspection, they may or may not issue a license immediately, depending on your violations. If license is issued immediately, placements can be considered that day. So, for example, if you can get the first column completed in 1 month + 3 weeks for input at the state + 2 months for site visit= You can be licensed in less than 4 months.
Rates: This can be a range that is determined by your facility, if you are a center or a group home, the services you provide, your experience, credibility as a provider, already set rates the county the child is coming from and so on. We can discuss this with you further based on the above information.
Steps involved:
1.) A good first step is to call the zoning department for the area you which to license your group facility and give them the physical address of the home. They will be able to tell you how many children (with emotional/behavioral or mental health diagnoses) your home can be zoned for-this may differ if you plan to be a group center vs/ a group home so be sure to differentiate. Also, clarify how many "residents" the home can have total and see if this is different than how many "children" can be placed into your home. Ie. A group home could have 8 residents as they are "full time residents" and a group center could have 9 residents as there are 8 clients and the 9th is a rotating staff... Example of a zoning regulation in the Aurora area. Click here for zoning contact information. Other first steps include scheduling your inspections:
Checking with the Building Department to make sure your residence is in compliance.
Health Inspections: Tri County Health Department - Administration Office: 7000 East Belleview, Suite #301, Greenwood Village, CO 80111-1628
Phone: 303-220-9200 · Fax: 303-220-9208 · http://www.tchd.org/child_care_centers.htmhild_care_centers Click here to download a form to help you know what the inspector will be looking for. These are typically completed every 2 years, but often an update is required annually. CDHS standards are every 2 years.
Fire inspections for Denver County: http://www.denvergov.org/Fire_Prevention/FireSafetyInspections/tabid/432794/Default.aspx
Fire inspections for Adams County:
Dean Vitale dvitale@sacfd.org 303.288.0835
Fire Inspections for Aurora:
http://www.auroragov.org/AuroraGov/Departments/Fire/index.htm
Fire Inspections for Arapahoe County:
http://www.cfpd.org/.cfpd.org
A few things the fire department may point out that you are unware of include: a single entry lock system on your exit doors (this means no deadbolt locks), 1 hr. fire resistive material around your furnace if close to sleeping spaces. 2 means of egress (escape) from each level of the home so you will probably need to purchase ladders for an upstairs window or basement window well. Typically homes with over 8 children in placement need a sprinkler system. This will need to be discussed with your local fire department. CDHS standards are every 2 years for these inspections--although you need to ensure your fire extinguishers are always current on their inspections.
2). Another good first step is to ensure you or your primary caregiver have had the required experience working directly with the population you intend to serve--or have been a RTC staff member or licensed foster parent or at least 2000 hours working with your intended population. Group Centers still need primary caregivers too-in the home for at least 40 hours a week.
3). Be prepared to explain why your group facility will be a "higher level of care" than a foster home. What additional services/interventions/etc will you be providing that are not available in a foster home. Additionally, the population you intend to serve, number of children, staff and mission statement are also good to define early on in the process. In El Paso County, you need to submit a proposal that answers these types of questions.
4). You will need to have letters of support from: Your school district, your county department of human services where your home is located, a Medical Dr., Dentist and Eye Dr. serving Medicaid clients.
5). You will need to have a contract and 2 weeks of planned menus approved by a registered dietician (you will need a copy of their license too-showing it is current). Approval is needed on an annual basis. We have someone you can use: Abby Janos, RD
(719) 584-4994
abbyjanos13@yahoo.com. You will need to scan and email her sample 2 weeks of menu's and she will review and complete a contract with you. The cost is typically $50-$100 for an annual year.
6.) Your primary caregiver will need to have a psych statement completed. See attachment for requirements: Requirements for the Primary Caregiver's Psych Statement
7.) You and your staff need medication administration training-that is approved by CDHS. Visit: CO Department of Public Health for a schedule of classes. Typically this is a class good for 5 years. You also need current cpr/first aid certification.
Kids Crossing Specialized Group Facility Manual
Colorado Department of Human Services Vol. 7.709-Specialized Group Facilities-You will have to scroll down to get to 7.709
What is involved in becoming a group home?
What is required of group home staff?
Group Facility Checklist
Colorado Department of Human Services-Specialized Group Facility Application-only to be completed in partnership with a CPA or county
If, after reviewing the above information (which is based on the interpretation of Kids Crossing only meant to be helpful to you. For the most accurate interpretation, CDHS Division of Childcare Licensing should be consulted at 303.866.5948), you are interested in submitting a group facility proposal to Kids Crossing, please call Amy Harder at 719.331.1214 or 3030.330.5083 or email aharder@kidscrossing.com.
