Background

Governor DeWine has established Ohio PROMISE, a new statewide initiative that will Promote Resources, Opportunities, and Meaningful Inclusion through Support and Education. This initiative is focused on increasing access for children with special needs through new:

• Professional development to prepare and support professionals;
• A program designation to create awareness for families; and
• Services and supports for programs and families. 

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is using Supplemental Discretionary Funds awarded through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to support the Inclusive Child Care Program (ICCP).

Pilot ICCP Child Scholarship Program

Beginning October 10, 2023, limited scholarships will be available for families who attend an ICCP designated program providing care to children with special needs when the family is over the income limit for publicly funded child care (PFCC). These funds are paid to the provider to assist families with the cost of child care.

Scholarship funds are available for ICCPs that are both PFCC and non-PFCC (private pay) child care centers, family child care home providers, approved day camps, and Ohio Department of Education (ODE) preschool and school-age programs. This includes programs that were grandfathered into the ICCP designation.

ICCP programs will receive $500 per month when a child meeting the eligibility criteria below has attended the ICCP at least one day in the month. Payments will continue for care provided through August 31, 2024 or until funds are depleted.

Family Eligibility

To be considered for the pilot ICCP child scholarship, the family must meet the following requirements:

• Have been denied PFCC for being over income in the past sixty days and have a household income at 146-200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).  (See chart below for more information.)

• The child(ren) in need of special needs care must have either an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) for infancy through two years of age or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for children three years and older.

How to Apply for the ICCP Child Scholarships

Beginning on October 10, 2023, families who have met the eligibility requirements above can apply for the ICCP child scholarship by submitting the following to ODJFS using the email address childcareprograms@jfs.ohio.gov:

1.A complete JFS 00601 "Inclusive Child Care Program (ICCP) Child Scholarship Application." Part A is completed by the family. Part B must be completed by a provider that has the ICCP designation. Families can go to the ODJFS child care search page childcaresearch.ohio.gov to locate a provider with an ICCP designation.

2.A copy of Section 5 of each child's most recent IFSP or the signature page of each child’s most recent IEP.

3.A copy of their PFCC denial letter issued within the last sixty days. If the family has an account in the Ohio Benefits Self-Service Portal (SSP), a copy of the denial letter can be found in the document section.

Program Requirements for the ICCP Child Scholarships

To participate in the pilot ICCP child scholarships, PFCC and non-PFCC (private pay) ICCP providers must:

• Be awarded the ICCP designation.
• Complete Part B of each family's JFS 00601 scholarship application.
• Track each approved ICCP scholarship child's attendance, including arrival and departure times, and submit attendance to ODJFS by the 10th of the following month. Instructions for submitting attendance will be emailed to the provider. Payments will be issued to the ICCP on a monthly, per-child basis in the month after submission for child care provided as a result of an approved ICCP scholarship. For example, payment for any attendance submitted for October will be issued in November.
• The program may not charge the family more than their private rate minus the scholarship.
• Non-PFCC (private pay) ICCP providers must add their banking information into the Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System (OCLQS) provider portal using the "Initiate Private Pay Only Financials" button in order to receive payment. A job aid with instructions to do this is available here:  OCLQS Licensing Job Aids | Job and Family Services (ohio.gov).

Funding Supports for the First 50 ICCP Designated Child Care Centers and ODE Preschools

In phase 2 of the pilot, the first 50 ICCP designated centers who received the first payment of $15,000 are eligible to receive a second payment of $15,000 as detailed below in the pathway examples.

Funds are to be used to continue inclusive child care support including, but not limited to improving inclusive child care programming, assisting with operating expenses and staff expenses, or the purchase of adaptive or specialized equipment. These 50 programs must select one of the two pathways below to qualify for the phase 2 funds:

Grandfathered ICCP Designated Programs

Centers that received the $20,000 incentive for providing enhanced special needs child care from July 1, 2022- June 30, 2023, as detailed in Child Care Manual Procedure Letter No. 163, are not eligible for the pilot phase 2 funds. However, the grandfathered programs are eligible for the ICCP child scholarships.

Questions

Please contact the Child Care Policy Help Desk at 1-877-302-2347, option 4, or at childcarepolicy@jfs.ohio.gov with any questions.