COVID-19 end of emergency child care and new enrollment priorities

The California Department of Education (CDE) has issued guidance regarding the end of emergency child care and child care enrollment priorities.  Management Bulletin 20-06A, summarized here, is rescinded and replaced.

Essential workers families, at-risk populations, and children with disabilities or other health care needs, could receive emergency child care through June 30, 2020, or for 60 days following enrollment, whichever is later.  SB 98 extends this emergency child care for an additional 90 days.

Beginning July 1, 2020, there will be an additional 5,600 child care slots for families previously enrolled in emergency child care.

New enrollment in emergency child care cannot occur after June 30, 2020. Families who were receiving emergency child care and were disenrolled prior to July 1, 2020 may be reenrolled before July 15, 2020 without needing to provide additional eligibility and need documentation.

Families enrolled in emergency child care prior to June 30, 2020 have priority for enrollment into ongoing subsidized child care over any other family on the contractor’s waiting list.

CDE strongly encourages contractors to reach out to any families disenrolled from emergency child care to allow them to reenroll before July 15, 2020.

Contractors must provide written notice to families receiving emergency child care after June 30, 2020 if they will be required to pay a family fee effective July 1, 2020.

To the extent possible, beginning July 1, 2020, contractors must begin to transition children who are in enrolled in emergency child care into ongoing non-emergency child care. Families certified for ongoing child care shall receive services for no less than 12 months. (Management Bulletin 20-14, July 13, 2020.)