Background:

On May 31, 2020 child care reopened with reduced class sizes, increased hand washing, temperature screening, and additional recommendations to keep children and professionals’ health and safety the top priority. Governor DeWine announced an additional $60 million investment for early care programs by creating a grant program in order to help support programs during this time. As a result, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services issued Child Care Center Manual Procedure Letter No. 25 and Child Care Day Camp Manual Procedure Letter No. 4 to establish the grant structure for June 2020. Child Care Center Manual Procedure Letter No. 27 and Child Care Day Camp Manual Procedure Letter No. 5 were issued to convey the grant structure for July 2020.

Support

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) has established the grant structure outlined below by program type.  Pending approval by the Ohio General Assembly, the application will be made available in August and payment will be issued in September.

Child Care Centers - Ratio Support Grant:

Child Care Centers and Early Childhood Education (ECE) providers licensed by the Ohio Department of Education are eligible for a Ratio Support Payment. This payment is intended to support ECE and Child Care Centers that choose to maintain reduced ratios and class size. This payment will be based on the enrollment of both your private pay children and those receiving publicly funded child care. The children reported as enrolled MUST have been served at least one day prior to reporting AND the program must have children enrolled and served for at least two full weeks in the month of August to receive support payments.

To be eligible to receive payment, programs must maintain the following ratio and class size for August AND September:

Application & Payment

A new application submission is required to receive a payment.  The application may be submitted beginning August 25, 2020 through September 04, 2020.  In order to apply for the Child Care Center – Ratio Support grant, applicants will be required to submit enrollment/attendance documentation. Processing of payments will begin the week of September 21, 2020.  Eligible providers must submit an application through the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association (OCCRRA), via a program’s organization dashboard at https://registry.occrra.org/.

The payment will be as follows:

Quality Assurance:

ECE and Child Care Centers will attest to maintaining the reduced ratio and class size on the support payment application.  ODJFS will select a random sample of programs to review and confirm appropriate ratio and class size during the grant period.  Programs found not to be in compliance may be required to repay the support payment and/or may not be eligible for future support payments.  Additionally, ODJFS will monitor those receiving payment at annual inspections and upon complaint investigations.

Day Camps - COVID-19 Support Grant:

Registered and Approved Day Camps are eligible for a monthly COVID-19 payment. These payments are intended to provide assistance in covering the cost of COVID-19 classroom dividers, cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), temporary sinks, thermometers, and other expenses. 

Application & Payment

A new application submission will be required to receive a payment. Pending approval by the Ohio General Assembly, the application may be submitted beginning August 25, 2020 through September 04, 2020.  Processing of payments will begin the week of September 21, 2020.  Eligible providers must submit an application through the Ohio Child Care Resource Referral Association (OCCRRA) via a program’s organization dashboard at https://registry.occrra.org/.

Payments for Day Camps are a flat amount.  The payment structure is as follows:

Reconciliation

A reconciliation will be required for each payment received. All reconciliations are  due by October 31, 2020. Programs should retain receipts, invoices and documentation for expenses. Reconciliation submission guidance will be provided by OCCRRA.

Questions: Please email your questions to pandemicsupportgrant@occrra.org