Background
In December 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Response and
Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021. The Act provided Ohio with
funding to help support the child care workforce. On May 17, 2021, Governor Mike DeWine signed
Senate Bill 109 of the 134th General Assembly allowing for the appropriation of
these funds to verified early childhood professionals. As a result, the following payment framework
has been established.
Per rules 5101:2-12-07 and 5101:2-12-08 of the Ohio
Administrative Code (OAC), for child care centers and rules 5101:2-13-07 and
5101:2-13-08 of the OAC, for family child care home providers, individuals are
required to create a profile in the Ohio Professional Registry (OPR). Profiles
include an employment record that is created on or before their first day of
employment. The profile must be updated within five calendars days of a change.
Hero Pay Eligibility
Eligible professionals working in an Ohio Department of Job and
Family Services licensed child care center, type A family child care home or
type B family child care home will receive either $3000.00 or $1500.00 based on
the period worked as outlined below. To
be eligible, the following three requirements must be met:
Requirement 1- The professional must
be employed by a regulated child care program for the entire payment
eligibility period, excluding a gap of less than 10 days and meeting one of the
two options below:
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Have an employment record open in the OPR for 170 of
the 180 days during the payment eligibility period of September 1, 2022
through February 28, 2023.
|
OR
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Have an employment record open in the OPR for 80 of the
90 days during the payment eligibility period of December 1, 2022 through
February 28, 2023.
|
Requirement 2- The license for the child
care center, type A home or type B home must be in an active status during the
entire payment eligibility period, excluding a gap of less than 10 days.
Requirement 3- The professional has
one of the following eligible roles in their employment tab in the OPR:
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Eligible
Roles
|
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Administrator
on JFS License
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Individual
Service Provider Not Used in Ratio
|
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Assistant
Teacher
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Individual
Service Provider Used in Ratio
|
|
Cook
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Lead
Teacher
|
|
Driver
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Owner
|
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Extracurricular
Not Used in Ratio
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Program
Management Not Used in Ratio
|
|
Extracurricular
Used in Ratio
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Program
Management Used in Ratio
|
|
Floater
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Substitute
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Dates Professional Needs to be Employed for Eligibility
Payments for eligible individuals will begin April 2023.
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Payment Eligibility Period
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Award Amount
|
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September 1, 2022 – February 28, 2023
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$3000.00
|
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OR
|
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December 1, 2022 – February 28, 2023
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$1500.00
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Eligible individuals do not need to apply for Hero Pay. However,
for Hero Pay to be issued, eligible individuals must ensure the payment portal
in the OPR is completed in the timeframe outlined by OCCRRA.
Eligibility for each period is determined at the end of the payment
eligibility period. Professionals will be able to see their eligibility status
in the Hero Pay tab in their OPR account on March 16, 2023.
Hero Pay guidance and frequently asked questions can be found on
the OCCRRA website in mid-September.
Questions can also be submitted through the OCCRRA
website.
Hero Pay will be issued as long as funding is available.
Please Note
Hero Pay funding does not count as income toward any public
assistance eligibility. The Internal Revenue Service sets the guidance regarding
if funds are taxable. The Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association
(OCCRRA) must follow the IRS guidance and will generate a Form 1099 for these
payments. When issued, the Form 1099 will appear in the professional’s account
tab in the OPR.