Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership
Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership As part of President Obama’s Early Learning Initiative, ACF has set aside $500 million for new Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships. New grants will allow new or existing Early Head Start programs to partner with local child care centers and family child care providers serving infants and toddlers from lowincome families. ACF will support states and communities as they expand high quality early learning opportunities to infants and toddlers through these partnerships. The partnerships will support working families by providing a full-day, full-year program so that more vulnerable children have the healthy and enriching early experiences they need to realize their full potential. Early Head Start programs also provide comprehensive services that benefit children, families, and teachers, including: Health, developmental and behavioral screenings Higher health, safety and nutrition standards Increased professional development opportunities for teachers Increased parent engagement opportunities
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County/ Early Head Start Grant Summary: We are applying for a grant to serve 36 – infants and toddlers through partnerships with Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Providers. All EHS Partners must be licensed or registered with the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. Twenty-five percent (25%) or nine children must be receiving a child care subsidy from the local department of social services. We can enroll children who are already receiving child care subsidies if they are eligible for the program. All children who apply for our program must also apply for a child care subsidy. Early Head Start funds cannot supplant child care subsidy funds, but may be used to increase funds available in the community for quality child care. Early Head Start can pay for up to 75% or 27 children’s child care fees to Child Care Centers and Family Child Care providers. $240,000 is set aside for Child Care Fees for enrolled children. Child Care Center and Family Child Care providers will receive $2,000 per Early Head Start Child enrolled in their program - $72,000. These funds we be used to provide enhanced services for Early Head Start children. These enhanced services will improve the quality of the child care services. We will hire 2 staff directly - an EHS/CC Partnership Manager and a Family Services/Health Advocate. Both of these positions will be full time. The manager will provide direct monitoring of the partnership services, including but not limited to reviewing lesson plans, conducting classroom observations, meeting with center directors and family care providers, assist in the implementation of the curriculum, monitoring of Performance Standards and supervision of the Family Services/Health Advocate. The
Family Services/Health Advocate will provide family services directly to enrolled families and monitors health requirements and follow up. The EHS/HS Director will provide overall monitoring of the Early Head Start/ Child Care Partnership, develop contracts, community outreach, monitor management systems and conduct quarterly meetings with Child Care Center and Family Child Care providers. Other EHS/HS staff listed will provide administrative and database support for the EHS program. Partners must implement the Creative Curriculum for children 0 – 3. They must conduct required screenings and ongoing child assessments on all enrolled children. There is a need for quality child care for low income families in Madison. The cost of child care in licensed and registered child care centers and family child care providers is cost prohibitive for low income families unless they receive a child care subsidy.
GROUP 3 COUNTIES: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Sullivan, Tioga, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Market Rates DAY CARE CENTER AGE OF CHILD Under 1 ½ 1½-2 $190 $180 WEEKLY $42 $40 DAILY $28 $27 PART-DAY $6.75 $6.75 HOURLY
REGISTERED FAMILY DAY CARE AGE OF CHILD Under 1 ½ 1½-2 $150 $140 WEEKLY $30 $30 DAILY $20 $20 PART-DAY $4.75 $4.50 HOURLY GROUP FAMILY DAY CARE AGE OF CHILD Under 1 ½ 1½-2 $150 $150 WEEKLY $35 $33 DAILY $23 $22 PART-DAY $5.00 $5.00 HOURLY
Madison County (actual rates) Infant/Toddler Modality Child Care Centers (6 weeks-18 months) Child Care Centers (19 months-35 months) Family Child Care (6 weeks-23 months) Family Child Care (24 months-35 months)
Minimum $117.50
Maximum $220.00
Average $178.62
$102.50
$200.00
$166.38
$90.00
$175.00
$139.02
$90.00
$175.00
$136.07
Child Care Subsidies “On December 2, 2013, the Madison County Department of Social Services (DSS) notified child care subsidy recipients that benefits will be ending effective December 31, 2013. This affected about 50 families out of the approximately 130 families who were receiving the child care subsidy. It meant about 90 children in those 50 families were no longer eligible to receive the child care subsidy after January 1, 2014. The action was taken to make up for a severe shortage in child care funding that Madison County received. The allocation had been reduced for three consecutive years and despite other actions taken to negate the need to close cases, the DSS was faced with shortages of $200,000 to sustain the current level of child care subsidies. Actions taken included cutting existing contracts with other not-for-profits, not taking new applications for the last several months and using past unexpended funds. All of that had not alleviated the need to close open cases. Under the plan the Department of Social Services submits to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), who oversees the child care subsidy program and allocations, those families and children who have received child care funding the longest will be the first to close. The DSS can support about $50,000 per month in subsidies that enable parents to work or attend schooling and/or training. Eighty families will continue to receive subsidy payments. Those include families who most recently left temporary assistance rolls, those who were still receiving aid and families who are low income. Based on the most recent payments, families who received child care subsidies starting before September 2012 will lose child care benefits. The loss of child care subsidy payments had an impact on child care providers since these monies are paid directly to child care centers, group/family day care providers and other “babysitters” who care for children.” Source press release from the Madison County Department of Social Services. Since this was reported in December 2013, the amount of subsidy has increased but not to the previous level. Our grant will bring an additional $240,000 to Madison County’s child care center and family child care providers to pay for child care fees.
Source - Child Care Needs Assessment and Report: Assessing the child care supply, demand & need in Herkimer, Madison & Oneida counties in 2011, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County Child Care Council.
School Readiness Goals School Readiness Goals will be established based on the initial child assessments. Overall, goals will reflect progress toward school readiness for each child and their family.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County/ Early Head Start Grant Summary: We are applying for a grant to serve 36 – infants and toddlers through partnerships with Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Providers. All EHS Partners must be licensed or registered with the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. Twenty-five percent (25%) or nine children must be receiving a child care subsidy from the local department of social services. We can enroll children who are already receiving child care subsidies if they are eligible for the program. All children who apply for our program must also apply for a child care subsidy. Early Head Start funds cannot supplant child care subsidy funds, but may be used to increase funds available in the community for quality child care. Early Head Start can pay for up to 75% or 27 children’s child care fees to Child Care Centers and Family Child Care providers. $240,000 is set aside for Child Care Fees for enrolled children. Child Care Center and Family Child Care providers will receive $2,000 per Early Head Start Child enrolled in their program - $72,000. These funds we be used to provide enhanced services for Early Head Start children. These enhanced services will improve the quality of the child care services. We will hire 2 staff directly - an EHS/CC Partnership Manager and a Family Services/Health Advocate. Both of these positions will be full time. The manager will provide direct monitoring of the partnership services, including but not limited to reviewing lesson plans, conducting classroom observations, meeting with center directors and family care providers, assist in the implementation of the curriculum, monitoring of Performance Standards and supervision of the Family Services/Health Advocate. The
Family Services/Health Advocate will provide family services directly to enrolled families and monitors health requirements and follow up. The EHS/HS Director will provide overall monitoring of the Early Head Start/ Child Care Partnership, develop contracts, community outreach, monitor management systems and conduct quarterly meetings with Child Care Center and Family Child Care providers. Other EHS/HS staff listed will provide administrative and database support for the EHS program. Partners must implement the Creative Curriculum for children 0 – 3. They must conduct required screenings and ongoing child assessments on all enrolled children. There is a need for quality child care for low income families in Madison. The cost of child care in licensed and registered child care centers and family child care providers is cost prohibitive for low income families unless they receive a child care subsidy.
GROUP 3 COUNTIES: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Sullivan, Tioga, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Market Rates DAY CARE CENTER AGE OF CHILD Under 1 ½ 1½-2 $190 $180 WEEKLY $42 $40 DAILY $28 $27 PART-DAY $6.75 $6.75 HOURLY
REGISTERED FAMILY DAY CARE AGE OF CHILD Under 1 ½ 1½-2 $150 $140 WEEKLY $30 $30 DAILY $20 $20 PART-DAY $4.75 $4.50 HOURLY GROUP FAMILY DAY CARE AGE OF CHILD Under 1 ½ 1½-2 $150 $150 WEEKLY $35 $33 DAILY $23 $22 PART-DAY $5.00 $5.00 HOURLY
Madison County (actual rates) Infant/Toddler Modality Child Care Centers (6 weeks-18 months) Child Care Centers (19 months-35 months) Family Child Care (6 weeks-23 months) Family Child Care (24 months-35 months)
Minimum $117.50
Maximum $220.00
Average $178.62
$102.50
$200.00
$166.38
$90.00
$175.00
$139.02
$90.00
$175.00
$136.07
Child Care Subsidies “On December 2, 2013, the Madison County Department of Social Services (DSS) notified child care subsidy recipients that benefits will be ending effective December 31, 2013. This affected about 50 families out of the approximately 130 families who were receiving the child care subsidy. It meant about 90 children in those 50 families were no longer eligible to receive the child care subsidy after January 1, 2014. The action was taken to make up for a severe shortage in child care funding that Madison County received. The allocation had been reduced for three consecutive years and despite other actions taken to negate the need to close cases, the DSS was faced with shortages of $200,000 to sustain the current level of child care subsidies. Actions taken included cutting existing contracts with other not-for-profits, not taking new applications for the last several months and using past unexpended funds. All of that had not alleviated the need to close open cases. Under the plan the Department of Social Services submits to the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), who oversees the child care subsidy program and allocations, those families and children who have received child care funding the longest will be the first to close. The DSS can support about $50,000 per month in subsidies that enable parents to work or attend schooling and/or training. Eighty families will continue to receive subsidy payments. Those include families who most recently left temporary assistance rolls, those who were still receiving aid and families who are low income. Based on the most recent payments, families who received child care subsidies starting before September 2012 will lose child care benefits. The loss of child care subsidy payments had an impact on child care providers since these monies are paid directly to child care centers, group/family day care providers and other “babysitters” who care for children.” Source press release from the Madison County Department of Social Services. Since this was reported in December 2013, the amount of subsidy has increased but not to the previous level. Our grant will bring an additional $240,000 to Madison County’s child care center and family child care providers to pay for child care fees.
Source - Child Care Needs Assessment and Report: Assessing the child care supply, demand & need in Herkimer, Madison & Oneida counties in 2011, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County Child Care Council.
School Readiness Goals School Readiness Goals will be established based on the initial child assessments. Overall, goals will reflect progress toward school readiness for each child and their family.
