Child Care

COVID-19 immediate and continuous child care for exempt and sanctioned participants

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has provided clarifications about immediate and continuous Stage One child care for exempt volunteers and sanctioned welfare-to-work (WTW) participants.  General information about immediate and continuous Stage One child care is in ACL 19-99, summarized here.

Clients who are exempt from WTW participation who express an intent to participate in WTW as an exempt volunteer are eligible for immediate and continuous Stage One child care.  An exempt individual’s expressed intent to volunteer to participate in WTW is sufficient to establish authorization for immediate and continuous Stage One child care.  This indication can be communicated in any manner (for example in writing, verbally, by phone or in person).

Exempt volunteers will need to sign a WTW plan to maintain child care.  Exempt volunteers will have 30 days to locate child care, and 30 days to sign a plan.  Depending on communication with the client, these 30 day time frames and run concurrently or sequentially.

Exempt volunteers authorized for immediate and continuous Stage One child care who sign a WTW plan will continue to receive child care for 12 months, regardless of their participation status after signing the plan.

Clients who were sanctioned prior to October 1, 2019 or sanctioned clients applying for child care after October 1, 2019 must be authorized to receive immediate and continuous child care upon expressing an intent to cure the sanction to the county.  The indication of intent to cure the sanction is sufficient to establish authorization for immediate and continuous Stage One child care.  This indication can be communicated in any manner (for example in writing, verbally, by phone or in person).

Sanctioned individuals shall not be required to sign a cure plan prior to receiving immediate and continuous Stage One child care.   Exempt volunteers will have 30 days to locate child care, and 30 days to sign a cure plan.  Depending on communication with the client, these 30 day time frames and run concurrently or sequentially.  For individuals who do not sign a cure plan, child care will be discontinued until the sanction client again indicates an intent to cure the sanction.  Sanctioned clients who sign a cure plan will be authorized for immediate and continuous Stage One child care without discontinuance regardless of their participation status after signing the plan. (ACIN I-15-20, May 6, 2020.)

COVID-19 ongoing child care for at-risk populations

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding child care services for the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children (Bridge Program) and other at-risk populations during the COVID-19 emergency.

Children at-risk should continue to receiving child care at the request of the caregiver or parent even if the caregiver or parent is not employed in a job designated as essential.

If a Bridge Program voucher is scheduled to expire during the emergency period, counties may extend the voucher for 60 days.  This flexibility is in place until June 30, 2020 or when the State of Emergency has ended, whichever is earlier.  When the family secures a long-term child care placement, the Bridge Program voucher is terminated.  (ACWDL, May 4, 2020.)

COVID-19 Trustline registration period

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has extended the period for TrustLine child care registration to 180 days because of COVID-19.  Effective April 4, 2020, prospective license- exempt child care providers who are required to be TrustLine registered before child care payments can be made to receive retroactive payment for up to 180 days prior to the date of fingerprinting.  (ACWDL, April 23, 2020.)

COVID-19 guidance for child care R&Rs and LPCs

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The California Department of Education (CDE) has issued guidance for child care Resource and Referral (R&R) programs and Local Planning Councils about requirements because of COVID-19.  R&Rs and LPCs must remain open and operate virtually.  They must be available to assist in county development of emergency child care for essential workers and to help coordinate early learning and care programs, providers and families searching for care.

R&Rs are the lead coordinator of emergency supply, demand and referral and response for each county unless the county appoints another agency.  By April 30, 2020, R&Rs and LPCs must update their emergency response plans for staffing and continuity of services to include COVID-19 guidelines.

All R&R programs must work with their licensed providers to collect or update information on each provider’s status, capacity and vacancy at least twice per week and submit that data to the the state.  That data will be made public here.

With CDE’s approval, R&Rs can support purchases of essential commodities and supplies for local child care providers.  (MB 20-07, April 15, 2020.)

COVID-19 child care for essential workers and at risk populations

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This Management Bulletin is rescinded and replaced by Management Bulletin 20-14, summarized here.

The California Department of Education (CDE) has issued guidance regarding emergency child care for essential workers and at risk populations.  In addition to serving current families, contractors may enroll new families in emergency child care in this priority order if they are: 1) an at risk population including (A) children who are receiving child protective services or who have been deemed to be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation, (B) children eligible through the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children, (C) families experiencing homelessness, or (D) children of domestic violence survivors; 2) deemed to be an essential worker including (A) health care/public health and emergency services, (B) food and agriculture, teachers, education staff, providers of early learning and care services, state and local government workers, communications and information technology, energy, transportation and logistics, critical manufacturing, hazardous materials, financial services, and chemical sector, (C) all other fields listed on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers document, , or 3) families with children with disabilities or special heal care needs who have individualized education plans or individual family support plans that include early learning and care programs.  Essential workers whose total family income exceeds the current income eligibility threshold are lowest priority.

All current families have the option to stay in care or return to care before any new essential families are enrolled.

Children enrolled in emergency child care can only be provided services through June 30, 2020.  If the provider has served all groups eligible for emergency child care and has space in their program, they can serve private paying essential workers, but must consider that they must resume serving all children receiving subsidies that are currently enrolled.

For essential workers to be eligible and the family is a two-parent household, both parents must either be essential workers or one must be unable to provide care because of incapacity.  The family must require child care to perform their essential work and they cannot complete their work remotely.

For children with disabilities or special health needs, the family must self-certify that status.

Families must apply for emergency child care using a new application form. and self-certification form. Contractors must allow digital signatures, electronic submission of applications and supporting documents.

CDE also issued various changes to capacity guidelines because of COVID-19.  (MB 20-06A, April, 2020. [link removed by CDE].)

CalWORKs Stage One child care informing notices

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The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued instructions regarding frequency of providing the Child Care Request Form and Child Care Payment Rules (CCP 7).  This notice must be provided by counties when there is 1) new participation in a program activity, 2) an increase of 20 hours of participation or more in a program activity, 3) new earned income, and 4) new employment.

The welfare department computer systems will look back 30 days from the date of the participant’s report to determine if the CCP 7 has been sent.  If a CCP 7 has not been sent in the last 30 days, it will be sent.  (All County Welfare Directors Letter, February 3, 2020.)