(a) The department is authorized and empowered to establish, maintain, extend, and improve throughout the state, within the limits of funds appropriated for such purposes, the regulation of early care and education programs by providing consultation and making recommendations concerning establishment and implementation of such programs and by licensing and inspecting periodically all such programs to ensure their adherence to this chapter and rules and regulations promulgated by the board. An early care and education program registered as a support center shall be subject only to paragraph (3) of subsection (m) of this Code section, paragraphs (1), (3), and (6) of subsection (b) and paragraphs (1), (4), and (5) of subsection (c) of Code Section 20-1A-12 , Article 2 of this chapter, and the rules and regulations promulgated by the board regarding criminal records checks; provided, however, that adverse action taken against the registration of a support center shall constitute a contested case within the meaning of Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act." (b) Child care learning centers operated as part of a local church ministry or a nonprofit religious school or a nonprofit religious charitable organization may notify the department annually and be commissioned in lieu of being licensed upon request for commission. Commissioned child care learning centers shall operate in accordance with the same procedures, standards, rules, and regulations which are established by the board for the operation of licensed child care learning centers. Any child care learning center operated as part of a local church ministry or a nonprofit religious school or a nonprofit religious charitable organization may elect to apply for a commission as provided for in subsection (c) of this Code section. (c) (1) All early care and education programs that care for children shall be licensed or commissioned annually, and all licenses and commissions issued by the department shall be subject to annual renewal by the department in accordance with procedures, standards, rules, and regulations to be established by the board. (2) Beginning July 1, 2025, the department shall require teachers in all programs licensed or commissioned by the department to receive training on developmentally appropriate evidence based literacy instruction, as provided for in Code Section 20-2-984 . Such training shall be aligned with content standards promulgated by the department in collaboration with the Office of Student Achievement. (d) The department shall publish in print or electronically and make available to early care and education programs and interested persons a list of guidelines for quality child care. (e) After an early care and education program has been licensed, commissioned, permitted, or registered by the department as provided in this chapter, the program shall not be required to have a permit to operate a food service establishment as required in Code Section 26-2-371 , provided that rules and regulations for food service have been incorporated in the regulations for licensing, commissioning, registering, or permitting such programs. (f) The department shall not be authorized to prescribe, question, or regulate the specific content of educational curriculum taught by an early care and education program, except to the extent that a program operates Georgia's Pre-K Program or any other voluntary educational program administered by the department. (g) Persons who operate licensed, commissioned, or permitted early care and education programs shall be required to post in a conspicuous place next to telephones in the home or center the telephone numbers of the nearest or applicable providers of emergency medical, police, and fire services. (h) Persons who operate licensed, commissioned, or permitted early care and education programs shall post signs prohibiting smoking to carry out the purposes of Chapter 12A of Title 31. (i) Child care learning centers shall provide a minimum of 35 square feet of usable space consisting of indoor play areas, rest areas, and dining facilities for each child present in the facility. Child care learning centers will be allowed to designate in writing to the department two one-hour periods daily during which 25 square feet of usable space per child for children aged three years and older may be provided. Notwithstanding the limitation to six children prescribed in Code Section 20-1A-2 , a family child care learning home operator may care for two additional children aged three years and older for two designated one-hour periods daily. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, all other applicable rules and regulations shall apply. (j) The department shall assist applicants, license holders, registrants, commission holders, and permit holders in meeting applicable rules and regulations of the department for early care and education programs. (k) (1) Application for a license, commission, registration, or permit for an early care and education program shall be made to the department upon forms furnished by the department. Upon receipt of an application for a license, commission, registration, or permit and upon presentation by the applicant of evidence that the early care and education program meets the rules and regulations prescribed by the department, the department shall issue such early care and education program a license, registration, commission, or permit in accordance with procedures, standards, rules and regulations established by the board. (2) The following annual fees shall apply to applications for any license or commission: (A) Capacity of one to 25 children .................................. $ 50.00 (B) Capacity of 26 to 50 children .................................. 100.00 (C) Capacity of 51 to 100 children .................................. 150.00 (D) Capacity of 101 to 200 children .................................. 200.00 (E) Capacity of more than 200 children .................................. 250.00 (l) (1) If the department finds that an early care and education program that currently cares for children plans to undergo a change in ownership, the department may issue a permit to such program to facilitate such change of ownership without disruption of care. If such program complies with all licensing requirements prior to the expiration of the permit, the department may issue a license to such program in accordance with this Code section. (2) If the department finds that any early care and education program applicant does not meet rules and regulations prescribed by the department but is attempting to meet such rules and regulations, the department may, in its discretion, issue a temporary license, registration, or commission to such early care and education program, but such temporary license, registration, or commission shall not be issued for more than a one-year period. Upon presentation of satisfactory evidence that such program is making progress toward meeting prescribed rules and regulations of the department, the department may, in its discretion, reissue such temporary license, registration, or commission for one additional period not to exceed one year. As an alternative to a temporary license, registration, or commission, the department, in its discretion, may issue a restricted license, registration, or commission which states the restrictions on its face. (m) The department shall refuse to issue a license, commission, registration, or permit upon a showing of: (1) Noncompliance with the rules and regulations for family child care learning homes or child care learning centers which are designated in writing to the facilities as being related to children's health and safety; (2) Flagrant and continued operation of an unlicensed, uncommissioned, or unpermitted facility in contravention of the law; (3) Prior license, commission, registration, or permit denial or revocation within one year of application; or (4) Failure to pay the required annual license or commission fee. (n) All licensed, commissioned, or permitted early care and education programs shall prominently display the license, commission, or permit issued to such program by the department at some point near the entrance of the premises of such program that is open to view by the public. (o) The department's action revoking or refusing to renew or issue a license, commission, registration, or permit required by this Code section shall be preceded by notice and opportunity for a hearing and shall constitute a contested case within the meaning of Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act," except that only 30 days' notice in writing from the commissioner's designee shall be required prior to such revocation or refusal to renew and except that hearings held relating to such action by the department may be closed to the public if the hearing officer determines that an open hearing would be detrimental to the physical or mental health of any child who will testify at that hearing. (p) It shall be the duty of the department to inspect at regular intervals all licensed, commissioned, or permitted early care and education programs within the state. The department shall have right of entrance, privilege of inspection, and right of access to all children under the care and control of the license, commission, or permit holder. (q) If any abuses, derelictions, or deficiencies are made known to the department or its duly authorized agents during their inspection of any licensed, commissioned, or permitted early care and education program or if, at any time, such are reported to the department, the department shall immediately investigate such matters and take such action as conditions may require. (r) If any abuses, derelictions, or deficiencies are found in the operation and management of any early care and education program, including failure to pay the required annual license or commission fee, they shall be brought immediately to the attention of the management of such program; and if correctable, but not corrected within a reasonable time, the department shall revoke the license, commission, registration, or permit of such program in the manner prescribed in this Code section. (s) The department may require periodic reports from early care and education programs in such forms and at such times as the department may prescribe. (t) Any person who shall operate an early care and education program without a license, commission, registration, or permit shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $50.00 nor more than $200.00 or by imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, or both, for each such offense. Each day of operation without a license, commission, registration, or permit shall constitute a separate offense. (u) The department may, without regard to the availability of other remedies, including administrative remedies, seek an injunction against the continued operation of an early care and education program without a license, commission, registration, or permit or the continued operation of an early care and education program in willful violation of this chapter or of any regulation of the department or of any order of the department. (v) Each family child care learning home and child care learning center shall be required to obtain a separate license, commission, or permit for each facility and shall have a separate director for each facility.