(a) Each Lead Agency shall certify in the Plan that procedures are in effect to ensure that child care providers of services for which assistance is made available in accordance with this part, within the area served by the Lead Agency, comply with all applicable State, local, or tribal health and safety requirements, including those described in § 98.41.

(b) Each Lead Agency shall certify in the Plan it has monitoring policies and practices applicable to all child care providers and facilities eligible to deliver services for which assistance is provided under this part. The Lead Agency shall:

(1) Ensure individuals who are hired as licensing inspectors are qualified to inspect those child care providers and facilities and have received training in related health and safety requirements appropriate to provider setting and age of children served. Training shall include, but is not limited to, those requirements described in § 98.41, and all aspects of the State, Territory, or Tribe's licensure requirements;

(2) Require inspections of child care providers and facilities, performed by licensing inspectors (or qualified inspectors designated by the Lead Agency), as specified below:

(i) For licensed child care providers and facilities,

(A) Not less than one pre-licensure inspection for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards, and

(B) Not less than annually, an unannounced inspection for compliance with all child care licensing standards, which shall include an inspection for compliance with health and safety, (including, but not limited to, those requirements described in § 98.41) and fire standards (inspectors may inspect for compliance with all three standards at the same time); and

(ii) For license-exempt child care providers and facilities that are eligible to provide services for which assistance is made available in accordance with this part, an annual inspection for compliance with health and safety (including, but not limited to, those requirements described in § 98.41), and fire standards;

(iii) Coordinate, to the extent practicable, monitoring efforts with other Federal, State, and local agencies that conduct similar inspections.

(iv) The Lead Agency may, at its option:

(A) Use differential monitoring or a risk-based approach to design annual inspections, provided that the contents covered during each monitoring visit is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements;

(B) Develop alternate monitoring requirements for care provided in the child's home that are appropriate to the setting; and

(3) Ensure the ratio of licensing inspectors to such child care providers and facilities is maintained at a level sufficient to enable the State, Territory, or Tribe to conduct effective inspections on a timely basis in accordance with the applicable Federal, State, Territory, Tribal, and local law;

(4) Require child care providers to report to a designated State, Territorial, or Tribal entity any serious injuries or deaths of children occurring in child care.

(c) For the purposes of this section and § 98.41, Lead Agencies may exclude grandparents, great grandparents, siblings (if such providers live in a separate residence), aunts, or uncles, from the term “child care providers.” If the Lead Agency chooses to exclude these providers, the Lead Agency shall provide a description and justification in the CCDF Plan, pursuant to § 98.16(l), of requirements, if any, that apply to these providers.