(A) As used in this chapter, "family childcare home" means a facility within a residence occupied by the operator in which childcare regularly is provided for no more than six children, unattended by a parent or legal guardian, including those children living in the home and the children received for childcare who are related to the resident caregiver. However, an occupied residence in which childcare is provided only for a child or children related to the resident caregiver or only for the child or children of one unrelated family, or only for a combination of these children, is not a family childcare home.

(B) An operator of a family childcare home shall register with the department within six months of June 13, 1977.

(C)(1) A family childcare home which elects to participate in a federal program which requires licensing as a prerequisite to participation may elect to be licensed under the procedures in § 63-13-820. A family childcare home electing licensing shall demonstrate compliance with the suggested standards developed by the department under § 63-13-180 and shall comply with provisions of §§ 63-13-420 and 63-13-430 relating to criminal history conviction records checks, a Central Registry check to be conducted by the department to determine any abuse or neglect perpetrated by the person upon a child, and a search of the National Crime Information Center National Sex Offender Registry and the state sex offender registry pursuant to § 23-3-430 upon original licensing and upon renewal. The person shall be subject to a state criminal register or repository check, a state sex offender check, and a state child abuse and neglect registry and database check in each state where the person has lived in the previous five years.

(2) Operators and caregivers of licensed family childcare homes are held to the standards in §§ 63-13-420 and 63-13-430 regarding criminal convictions and Central Registry and sex offender checks.