Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

1. (a) "area" means villages, wards, hamlets or locality where Centre is to be set up;
2. (b) "Centre" means a registered Early Childhood Care and Education Centre run by an Institution;
3. (c) "children" means children below six years of age and includes Children With Special Needs (CWSNs) with no age bar;
4. (d) "Deputy Commissioner" means the Deputy Commissioner of the District;
5. (e) "Director" means the Director, Women & Child Development, Himachal Pradesh;
6. (f) "District" means a revenue District;
7. (g) "Early Childhood Care and Education Centre" means a Centre like crèche, play school, day care centre, or kindergarten, nursery school or balwadi;
8. (h) "employee" means any person or teaching staff appointed by the Institution for running of Centre;
   • (i) "existing Centre" means a Centre which is running prior to the commencement of this Act.
9. (j) "fee" means monetary collection made by the Institution or Individual, as the case may be, from the parents or community by whatever name it may be called;
10. (k) "Government" means the Government of Himachal Pradesh;
11. (l) "Head of Centre" means the representative of the Institution who heads an Early Childhood Care and Education Centre and is responsible for the day-to- day functioning of the Centre;
12. (m) "Institution" means the agency which intends to open an Early Childhood Care and Education Centre which may be a Non-Government Organizations, Trusts, Society or any other agency registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860; the Himachal Pradesh Societies Registration Act, 2000; the Public Trust registered under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 or under the relevant laws of the State or a Company registered under the Companies Act;
13. (n) "new Centre" means a Centre established after commencement of this Act;
14. (o) "Notification" means a Notification published in the Official Gazette;
15. (p) "Official Gazette" means the Rajpatra, Himachal Pradesh;
16. (q) "Policy" means the National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy, 2013;
17. (r) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act; "PTA" means a Parent Teacher Association constituted in an Early Childhood Care and Education Centre;
18. (t) "State Appellate Authority" means the Secretary (SJ&E) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh; and
19. (u) "teacher" means a Worker, teacher, Instructor, Educator or any other person appointed to impart Early Childhood Care and Education to the children.