This procedure letter obsoletes any reference to
Phase 3 Child Care Stabilization Sub-Grants in the following manual procedure letters:
Child Care In-Home Aide Manual Procedure Letter
No. 13
Child Care Center Manual Procedure Letter No. 38
Child Day Care Manual Procedure Letter No. 9
Background
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021
was signed into law on March 11, 2021, issuing three streams of federal funding
to states through the Child Care and Development Fund which includes Supplemental
Discretionary, Stabilization, and Mandatory/Matching funds. Stabilization funds
support states in providing financial relief to child care programs by helping to
defray unexpected business costs associated with the pandemic and to help stabilize
child care program operations. As a result of House Bill 169 of the 134th General
Assembly, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), Office of Family
Assistance, was authorized to spend additional ARPA funding.
Phase 3
ODJFS has established several child care stabilization sub-grant
opportunities. These sub-grants are available to the following program types: ODJFS
regulated child care centers, approved day camps and in-home aides (IHA), as well
as Ohio Department of Education (ODE) licensed preschool (PS) and school-age (SA)
programs that are approved to provide publicly funded child care (PFCC). ODJFS regulated
child care programs do not need to be participating in PFCC to be eligible to apply
for these sub-grants, however, ODE programs must be approved to provide PFCC at
the time of application.
The sub-grant opportunities include Operating/New Pandemic Costs,
Workforce Recruitment/Retention, Access Development, and Mental Health Workforce
and Family Support.
Payment
Payments are based on the
program's license capacity on June 28, 2022 for child care centers, and for ODE
PFCC PS and SA programs, using the formula below which consists of a base payment
determined by program type plus an additional per child dollar amount. License capacity
requests must have been submitted in the Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System
(OCLQS) before June 14, 2022. If a program is licensed after that date, the maximum
funding amount is based on the capacity at the time of licensure. Programs total
sub-grant maximum funding amounts will not exceed $1,100 x total license capacity.
Maximum funding amounts for ODJFS approved day camps and in-home aide providers
do not include a per child amount.
Base payment + (per child amount x program capacity) = Maximum Funding
Amount
|
Example-
A medium-sized center with a license capacity of 80 children would receive a base
payment of $50,000 plus $88,000 (the per child amount of $1,100 multiplied by 80)
to equal the total amount of $138,000.
The charts below indicate
the maximum funding amounts by program type:
Program Type
|
Base Payment
| Per Child Amount by License Capacity (as of 6/28/2022) |
Centers - XX Large
(200+)
|
$50,000
|
$1,100
|
Centers - X-Large
(151- 199)
|
$50,000
|
Centers - Large
(100 - 150)
|
$50,000
|
Centers - Medium
(50 to 99)
|
$50,000
|
Centers - Small
(49 or less)
|
$50,000
|
Program Type
|
Maximum Funding Amount
|
Approved Day Camps
|
$50,000
|
In-Home Aides
|
$10,000
|
Application and Expenditure
The application for these sub-grants will be accessed in the Ohio
Professional Registry (OPR). Guidance and requirements are available on the Ohio
Child Care Resource and Referral Association’s (OCCRRA) website at www.occrra.org. Eligible providers must submit
an application through the OPR, via a program’s organization dashboard at https://registry.occrra.org/.
Providers can apply for Phase 3 funding regardless of whether they applied for or
received funding during Phase 1 or Phase 2. When considering the amount to apply
for, programs should determine the amount of expenses they will have in the expense
period listed below.
When applying for the ARPA stabilization sub-grants, applicants are
required to provide the program’s owner/administrator demographics, operational
status, and estimated monthly expense data (these items are federally required by
ARPA).
The chart below is a summary of the application and allowable expense
periods. Funds are dispersed according to this schedule. Reconciliation for the
full amount issued in each previous phase is required prior to applying for the
next sub-grant. If a program does not request all eligible funding in this phase,
they may return to the OPR and request up to the maximum funding amount, as long
as the application period is still open.
Phase
|
Application Period
|
Expense Period
|
Reconciliation Due
|
3
| July 1, 2022 – November 30, 2022 | July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023 |
July 31, 2023
|
Programs can utilize none, some or all of the sub-grants; however,
funds cannot be used toward an expense previously paid for with stabilization grant
funding. Unused funds per phase cannot be carried forward.
Payments will be processed approximately four weeks to six weeks
after the date the application is approved. Programs can see the status of their
application in the program’s organization dashboard in the OPR. Sub-grants will
be awarded as long as ARPA funding is available and appropriation to spend the funding
is provided to ODJFS.
Qualifications
Stabilization sub-grants are available by application to Ohio child
care programs who qualify by meeting basic criteria outlined by the federal government.
Child care programs are to be:
1.Licensed/certified/approved
by ODJFS or ODE PFCC.
2.In “Open” status
as verified in OCLQS and serving children. A temporarily
closed child care center that reopens during the application period can apply for
sub-grants for expenses incurred during the entire expense period for Phase 3.
3.In good standing
as of the date of application
a.Programs not in
good standing include:
i.Programs in enforcement
during the qualification period
ii.Programs who have
had their Provider Agreement for Publicly Funded Child Care terminated, within the
five years prior to this application, due to misuse of funds.
b.If a program is
in good standing at the time of application but is later determined not in good
standing prior to the funds being awarded, the funds will not be awarded.
4.Compliant with
all applicable Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) and Ohio Revised Code (ORC) requirements
which include Child Care and Development Block Grant Funds health and safety requirements
and the completion of comprehensive background checks.
5.In agreement with
sub-grant terms by certifying that the child care program will, for the duration
of the sub-grant:
a.Use funds only
for the categories and purposes indicated
b. Implement required
ODJFS policies including OAC and ORC, orders from the State of Ohio, and to the
greatest extent possible, implement policies in line with guidance from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. (CDC).
c. Pay full compensation
and maintain full benefits to staff and agree not to involuntarily furlough employees
d.Implement a hiring
bonus and a retention policy. If this option is selected, this policy should include:
i.A 6-month period
that the staff member agrees to remain with the program in exchange for receipt
of Workforce Recruitment/Retention funds.
ii.Document the date
the hiring and retention bonus is issued.
iii.A written agreement
between the professional and program articulating that the professional agrees to
remain employed by the program for at least 6 months from the date of hiring bonus
and/or retention.
Reconciliation
Programs are required to complete a reconciliation for each sub-grant
phase. Phase 1 & 2 reconciliations and desk reviews must be approved in order
to access the Phase 3 grant application. Phase 1 & 2 reconciliations are to
be completed no later than July 31, 2022. Any grant repayments for Phase 1 &
2 must be sent to OCCRRA by September 15, 2022. Programs with an outstanding repayment
may cause a Phase 3 payment delay. Phase 3 reconciliations must be submitted no
later than July 31, 2023.
Reconciliations will be located in the program’s organization dashboard
in the OPR. Programs should retain receipts, invoices and documentation for expenses
used toward these sub-grants. Reconciliation guidance will be located at www.occrra.org.
Sub-Grant Opportunities
Operating/New
Pandemic Costs Sub-Grant (Centers, Approved Day Camps, IHA, and ODE PFCC PS and
SA): Child care programs will be eligible for funds intended to assist
with costs incurred as a result of the federal public health emergency. This sub-grant
can be used for:
- Paying personnel costs; including wages or benefits
such as health, dental, vision, paid sick leave or family leave, retirement contributions
- Paying ongoing costs including rent, mortgage, utilities,
insurance
- Conducting facility maintenance, renovations,
including those that address COVID-19 concerns as well as improvements that make
child care programs inclusive and accessible for children and families with disabilities.
Note: Construction or major renovations are not permitted. 45 CFR 98.2 defines “major
renovation” to mean “(1) structural changes to the foundation, roof, floor, exterior
or load-bearing walls of a facility, or the extension of a facility to increase
its floor area; or (2) extensive alteration of a facility such as to significantly
change its function and purpose, even if such renovation does not include any structural
change.” In other words, funds may be spent on renovations such as painting, carpeting,
and other activities that neither add to the permanent value of the property nor
significantly alter the function or purpose of the facility.
- Purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) worn
to minimize exposure to hazards that cause workplace injuries and illnesses must
be either approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) or authorized for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), including under emergency use authorization.
- Purchasing sanitizer, classroom dividers, cleaning
supplies, temporary sinks, thermometers, and COVID-19 testing, covering other expenses
that facilitate business practices consistent with safety protocols.
Workforce
Recruitment/Retention Sub-Grant (Centers, Approved Day Camps, and ODE PFCC PS and
SA): This sub-grant can be used for personnel costs including:
- Providing increased wages
- Providing benefits such as health, dental, vision,
paid sick leave or family leave, retirement contributions
- Paying sign-on and retention bonuses, ongoing premium
or hazard pay, transportation costs to/from work
- Creating substitute pools, providing administrative
support
- Funding recruitment activities
- Supporting early childhood professionals through
coaching as well as training and professional development on topics including communicable
disease, first aid, CPR, sudden infant death syndrome, medication administration,
shaken baby syndrome, emergency preparedness and response planning, transportation,
handling and storage of hazardous materials. This includes Ohio Approved training.
- Supporting staff access to COVID-19 vaccinations
including paid time off for vaccine appointments and to manage side effects, transportation
cost to appointments
- Assisting with background check expenses
Access
Development Sub-Grant (Eligible program types are noted by each sub-grant):
These sub-grants can be used for costs incurred when:
- Expanding the number of current classrooms or reopening
classrooms closed due to the pandemic to serve additional children or serve new
age groups. This does not include construction to build a program or construct a
new room, but can include: adding or expanding infant/toddler, or school-age care,
or care for children with special needs (Centers or Approved Day Camps), or expanding
hours of operation to include non-traditional hours weekdays 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
or between 12:00 a.m. Saturday to 6:00 a.m. Monday (Centers)
- Increasing technology access by purchasing technology
and new equipment for learning and development (Centers)
- Supporting programs serving school-age children in
addressing learning gaps and meeting the social and emotional needs of school-age
children. (Examples: after hours tutoring, partnering with speech and hearing, etc.)
(Centers, Approved Day Camps, IHA, ODE PFCC SA programs)
- Engaging in the expansion of programming to include
therapeutic child care by partnering with an Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services
(OhioMHAS) certified community mental health agency to provide ongoing mental health
services to children and staff. Child care programs identified by the community
mental health agency to participate in the pilot program will enter into a partnership
agreement/MOU with the community mental health agency. This includes community mental
health agencies that operate a child care program. All selected child care programs
will implement therapeutic child care built upon evidence-based mental health practices.
(Centers)
Mental
Health Workforce and Family Support Sub-Grant: (Centers and ODE PFCC PS and SA)
Programs may use sub-grant funds to support costs related to the mental health and
well-being of their children and employees. This sub-grant can be used for the following:
- Coaching, training, local team building, resiliency,
stress reduction and developing staff in mental health and social-emotional development
topics
- Organizing stress reduction and wellness experiences
for children
- Addressing staffing patterns and schedules to support
staff mental health
- Purchasing program materials, and supplies to promote
mental health and social-emotional learning in the classroom
- Providing family engagement activities to strengthen
mental health and wellness, like take-home toolkits and family game nights
- Providing childhood mental health supports (e.g.,
infant/toddler and early childhood mental health consultation services, targeted
programming, etc.)
- Utilizing the Mental Health Bridge to expand access
to mental health services for children and their caregivers in ODJFS licensed centers.
This includes an online referral tool for setting up ongoing treatment services
for children and their families delivered by community-based mental health agencies.
Services may include sessions held at the child care center, clinical office, community,
or via telehealth. Sub-grant funds may be used for creating private, comfortable,
HIPPA-compliant spaces within child care centers for families and staff to use for
telehealth services, purchasing technology for telehealth mental health services,
including tablets for real-time medical assessments and assisting with fees for
telehealth services obtained for children and staff. Additionally, the Mental Health
Bridge offers child care professionals opportunities aimed at addressing the child's
challenges via developmentally appropriate behavior management approaches prior
to referral, classroom consultation, various online resources and tools, as well
as numerous training sessions through the OPR. (ODJFS Centers)
Questions
Please contact OCCRRA with questions at support@occrra.org or 1-877-547-6978.