News Archive - October 2010Contents:
October 4, 2010CCDAA Alert! Big Five Announce State Budget DealOn Friday, October 1, 2010, the Big Five, made up of the Governor and Democrat and Republican Legislative leadership, announced that they have reached a “comprehensive” state budget deal. A public hearing is to be held on this budget deal on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, and a vote is expected as early as Thursday, October 7, 2010. Legislative leadership is declining to release details of the budget agreement until the Legislature has been briefed this week. However, the Los Angeles Times reports that anonymous sources have confirmed that the budget deal includes $7.5 billion in cuts to services including K-12 education, health services, and social services. Details of the state child care budget are not yet known. In addition to cuts in services, the budget deal includes a two-year suspension of a corporate tax break that allows businesses to deduct losses in one year from taxes paid in another. The suspension saves the state $1.4 billion. In order to get Republican support for this suspension, Democrats replaced it with a smaller corporate tax reduction that would be permanent. CCDAA will continue to closely monitor the progress of the state budget, and keep our members updated with the latest news from the State Capitol. To read more about the state budget deal, please visit the Los Angeles Times. October 8, 2010CCDAA Alert! Major Features of the Legislature's 2010-11 BudgetThis publication summarizes the 2010-11 budget package passed by the California Legislature on October 8, 2010. We will update this publication after the Governor signs the budget and releases his vetoes. This report is available using the following link: http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/PubDetails.aspx?id=2355 October 11, 2010CCDAA Alert! Act Now to Save Stage 3 Child Care!!As you are all aware, the Governor's signed 2010-2011 budget includes draconian cuts to early care and education programs, including the elimination of CalWORKs Stage 3, reduction of Center-Based reserves to 5%, a 1.5% cut to AP operational and administrative funds, a 50% reduction to Local Planning Councils (LPC), and more. You can view the Governor's cuts in their entirety by visiting the California Department of Finance‘s E-Budget website. This email is the first in a series of action alerts to voice that the Governor's cuts to child care are not okay! Together with our sister organizations, we are presenting a united front against the cuts, showing the real effects on programs, families, and children in California. With the total elimination of CalWORKs Stage 3, the Governor has broken what was essentially a promise by the State to families on welfare. The promise to help working their way towards self-sufficiency if the parent(s) worked hard, got a job, and got off welfare. The Governor told over 30,000 children and their parents: You don't count, and we don't care about you. We should all be outraged! The elimination of Stage 3 child care was totally unnecessary. The savings from this cut went to build a bigger emergency fund for the State, but created an immediate emergency for 30,000 children and their families. How many of these families will lose their jobs, become homeless, go back onto welfare, and quit paying taxes? This is not only a human disaster, but also an economic disaster for California. Every CCDAA member needs to join with these families in telling the leaders of the legislature that they must fix this emergency. We must stand together, united, for these children and their parents. In January 2011 Governor Schwarzenegger will be gone, and there will be an opportunity for the Legislature and a new Governor to reverse this shortsighted decision. But we need to respond immediately, before Sacramento starts to think that this cut was not that bad. Please write two letters, one to the Senate President Pro Tem and one to the Assembly Speaker. Please cc CCDAA and we will forward copies to the two candidates for Governor, Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman. Below is a sample letter and addresses: Senate President Pro Tem: Assembly Speaker: CCDAA: Dear (President Pro Tem Steinberg or Speaker Perez): Eliminating child care for 30,000 plus children is a disaster for California. These parents did what the State asked, they got off of welfare by getting jobs, but low paying jobs. The Governor has now reneged on an implied promise of help if they did their part, and has pulled out from under them the critical support that allows them to work. The elimination of Stage 3 child care will be an economic disaster for California, resulting in more unemployed, more homeless, more on welfare, and lower taxes. In January, recognize that this is an emergency, and with a new governor save Stage 3. Also, the cut in alternative payment operational funding, to 17.5% will seriously undercut the quality of services, error rate reduction staffing, and fraud prevention staffing. This cut must also be reassessed. Sincerely, Thank you for taking the time to write. The children, and your colleagues, need the support of all of us in this emergency. October 11, 2010CCDAA Alert! Very Important CDD Management Bulletin For Stage 2 and 3 ContractorsToday, October 11, 2010, the California Department of Education Child Development Division (CDD) issued a Management Bulletin for all Stage 2 and 3 contractors to direct them regarding implementation of the Governor’s October 8, 2010 veto of the CalWORKS Stage 3 program. Please see below for important information from (CDE) about how to move forward. Directives from CDD: Stage 3 ContractorsEffective immediately, CalWORKs Stage 3 contractors are to issue a Notice of Action to all families and children receiving CalWORKs Stage 3 services, terminating their services effective November 1, 2010. The Notice of Action must include the following statement: “Effective November 1, 2010, your child care services will be terminated. Your services are being terminated because the Governor eliminated funding for the CalWORKs Stage 3 program after October 2010. Because there is no funding for the CalWORKs Stage 3 program after October 2010, you do not have the right to an appeal hearing for this action. If you believe that you are not receiving child care services through the CalWORKs Stage 3 program and are entitled to services under Stage 2 or a different program, please notify this contractor immediately.” Directives from CDD: Stage 2 ContractorsEffective immediately, Stage 2 contractors are to issue a Notice of Action to all families that would have transferred to CalWORKs Stage 3 at the end of October 2010. The Notice of Action must include the following statement: “Effective November 1, 2010, your child care services will be terminated. Your services are being terminated because the Governor eliminated funding for the CalWORKs Stage 3 program after October 2010. Because there is no funding for CalWORKs Stage 3 after October 2010, you do not have the right to an appeal hearing for this action, unless you have written documentation that indicates that you have not been off CalWORKs cash assistance for 24 consecutive months or are otherwise entitled to remain in the Stage 2 program.” Effective November 2010 and each subsequent month, Stage 2 contractors are to issue a Notice of Action to all families that would have transferred to CalWORKs Stage 3 at the end of the month. The Notice of Action must include the following statement:“Effective (the month/year services are ending) your child care services will be terminated. Your services are being terminated because the Governor eliminated funding for the CalWORKs Stage 3 program October 2010. Because there is no funding for CalWORKs Stage 3 after October 2010, you do not have the right to an appeal hearing for this action unless you have written documentation that indicates that you have not been off CalWORKs cash assistance for 24 consecutive months or are otherwise entitled to remain in the Stage 2 program.” Information to ProvidersWhen sending a Notice of Action to the family, the Child Development Division (CDD) strongly encourages contractors to provide the same information to child care providers serving these families at the same time that families are noticed that their child care services are ending. PolicyThe CDD is requesting that contractors work with their Stage 2 and 3 families whose child care will end to look for alternatives to allow parents to continue to work and attend work activities without placing children in potentially dangerous situations. We encourage contractors to refer families to the local Child Care Resource and Referral agency for other child care arrangements and for additional assistance. Because the Governor eliminated funding for CalWORKs Stage 3, the provisions of California Education Code Section 8263(c) regarding continuity of care do not apply for the families being terminated. Therefore, it is very important that families understand that they can be placed on each county’s Centralized Eligibility List (CEL), and that they understand how the CEL works and what it means to be placed on the CEL. The Department is well aware of the extraordinary hardship that our contractors have endured during this budget impasse. We know that the workload that this Management Bulletin will require is substantial, and we understand the difficulties that contracts will face in continuing operations under these directives. Given the Governor’s veto of the CalWORKs Stage 3 funding, we see no other alternative but to issue this directive. Questions regarding the information in this Management Bulletin or the process by which families receiving CalWORKs child care must be terminated should be addressed to your CDD Field Services Consultant or by phone at 916-322-6233. CCDAA is working closely with CDD to get all of the information out necessary for Stage 2 and Stage 3 contractors to move forward during the 2010-2011 fiscal year. CCDAA will be distributing information to the field immediately as it becomes available. To read the full text of this Management Bulletin, please visit the California Department of Education website. October 13, 2010CCDAA Alert! CDD Releases License-Exempt Management BulletinToday, October 13, 2010, the California Department of Education Child Development Division (CDD) released a Management Bulletin that guides Alternative Payment (AP) and Stage 2 providers through the implementation of the reduction in license exempt reimbursement rates from the 90th percentile to the 80th percentile. Please see below for instructions from CDD: CDD Instructions to AP and Stage 2 ProvidersContractors operating CalWORKs Stage 2 and Alternative Payment programs should send NOAs to all parents whose child care reimbursement amount is determined using license-exempt Regional Market Rate ceilings. The NOA should state the following: “The California Budget Act of 2010 reduced the maximum amount that can be reimbursed for license-exempt child care. Based on this change in law, effective November 1, 2010, the maximum amount available for your child care assistance will be reduced by approximately 11 percent. This means that if your provider charges more than the new maximum amount, reimbursement for your child care services will be reduced by up to approximately 11 percent on November 1, 2010. Please inform your provider of this change. Because this change was adopted by the Legislature and Governor through a change in state law, you do not have the right to an appeal hearing for this notice. If you believe that your current provider is a licensed facility or is an after-school recreation program, please notify this contractor immediately.” If at all possible, contractors should issue the NOAs required by this Bulletin by October 15, 2010. The NOAs required by this Bulletin should not be sent to parents in the CalWORKs Stage 3 child care program. Please note that the change in ceilings is effective for care provided on or after November 1, 2010, and will be reflected in reimbursement checks issued in December. Some contractors may not be able to modify computer programs to incorporate the new license-exempt ceilings in time to process November reimbursement checks. The change in reimbursement caused by moving from the previous license-exempt ceilings to the new ceilings can be accurately determined by multiplying the reimbursement amount using the previous license-exempt ceilings by .889. Please note: If a license-exempt provider is currently charging less than the license-exempt Regional Market Rate ceilings, the above calculation should not be used. Instead, consult the new license-exempt Regional Market Rate ceilings to determine reimbursement. Information to ProvidersAlthough sending a NOA to the parents is required, the CDD)strongly encourages contractors to provide the same information to child care providers receiving reimbursement based on license-exempt ceilings. PolicyThe Department is well aware of the extraordinary hardship that contractors have endured during this budget impasse. We know that the workload that this Management Bulletin will require is substantial, and we understand the difficulties that contractors will face in continuing operations under these circumstances. However, given that provisions of the Budget Act affect the amount of parental child care assistance as defined by CCDF regulations, parents must be notified of this change. Questions regarding the information in this Management Bulletin should be addressed to your CDD Field Services Consultant or by phone at 916-322-6233. CCDAA has been working closely with CDD to get the most recent information regarding the reduction to license-exempt. We will continue to release information to our members as it becomes available. If you would like to read the Management Bulletin in full, please visit the California Department of Education website. October 13, 2010CCDAA Update Budget Reduction Effective DatesThe Governor’s blue pencil budget cuts were a surprise to the field and the California Department of Education (CDE). As such, we are working getting as many details as possible from CDE in terms of guidance and effective dates. Here is what we know thus far: First Apportionment ChecksWe have received confirmation from Sharon Taylor at CD Fiscal that the first apportionment check will be at 41.6%. The controller has the checks queued, and the estimate is that agencies will start receiving checks in two weeks. Effective Dates for Program CutsWe have been informed of the following effective dates for the 2010-2011 budget reductions: Reduction in License Exempt Reimbursement Rates To view the full management bulletin please visit the California Department of Education website. Reduction to Administration and Family Support for Alternative Payment Programs (APPs) Elimination of CalWORKS Stage 3 Child Care To view the full management bulletin please visit the California Department of Education website. Quality Reductions
Additionally, the following quality programs have been eliminated effective October 1, 2010:
Although clarification is still being sought, how each of these reductions will be implemented is unclear. As we receive more information and guidance from CDE we will be sure to share this with the field. October 13, 2010CCDAA Alert! CD Fiscal Issues Letter on 5% Cap on Center-Based Reserve AccountsCD Fiscal Issues Letter on 5% Cap on Center-Based Reserve Accounts CDD Conference Call Regarding 5% Reserve Cap and License Exempt Reimbursement Questions Event: CDD Conference Call Re-instatement of 5% Cap on Center-Based Reserve Accounts Initial Contract Amendments Reserve account balances are based on FY 2009-10 June final report calculations, or FY 2008-09 June final balances in the event that a contractor’s FY 2009-10 June final reports are delinquent. For agencies that have more than one of the affected contract types, the amount of Special Funds and State Base funds in each contract is determined by the amount of excess funds in reserve and the prior year contract earnings as a percent of the total of the contactor’s center-based contract earnings. Please refer to the following example below, which demonstrates how the amount of Special Funds in each contract is determined if a contractor has multiple center-based contracts." Excess in Reserve (account balance less 5 percent of the total of contract MRAs) Example of a contractor with two center-based contracts (CCTR and CSPP): Excess in Reserve: $22,000 Subsequent Amendments Child Development Fiscal Services (CDFS) is committed to ensuring that contractors who are providing services to certified children receive the proper amount of apportionments based on reports submitted by contractors operating within their contract MRAs. The amount received via apportionments and the amount being utilized from a contractor’s reserve fund for each period will equal the amount needed to operate within the terms of the contract. Initial Apportionments Subsequent Apportionments Expenses incurred to serve child days of enrollment beyond what is paid through advanced apportionments are to be covered by your reserve account funds. The apportionment schedule can be found on page 51 of the procedures at Greenbook 2010-11. Report Forms Questions October 14, 2010CCDAA Action Alert! 5% Permanent Cap on Center-Based ReservesAs you are all aware, the Governor's signed 2010-2011 budget includes draconian cuts to early care and education programs, including the elimination of CalWORKs Stage 3, reduction of Center-Based reserves to 5%, a 1.5% cut to AP operational and administrative funds, a 50% reduction to Local Planning Councils (LPC), and more. You can view the Governor's cuts in their entirety by visiting the California Department of Finance’s E-Budget website. This email is a continuation of action alerts to voice that the Governor's cuts to child care are not okay! Together with our sister organizations, we are presenting a united front against the cuts, showing the real effects on programs, families, and children in California. The Legislature and Governor took two actions regarding the California Department of Education Child Development Division (CDD) center-based reserve fund in the final 2010-2011 budget. In the budget bill they cut the reserve funds of all agencies to 5% in 2010-2011. But in budget trailer bill 6110-196-001 of the 2010-2011 California State Budget (SB 870) they permanently capped the center-reserve at 5% established in California Education Code Section 8450. CCDAA believes that the reduction of the center-based reserves to 5% this will seriously hurt agencies, but we also know that this cut was better than solving this year's budget deficit by eliminating more spaces for children. However, the permanent cap of 5% does nothing to help this year's budget deficit, and is grossly inadequate, as it only funds 2.5 weeks of care in future late budgets. Both the Assembly and Senate Education Committees need to hold hearings on the proper size of the center-based reserve next Spring and correct this mistake. All members should write to the chairs of the Assembly and Senate Education Committees! A sample letter and addresses for chairs are below. Please also cc your letters to CCDAA. Sample letter Dear _________: The permanent 5% cap on the child development center-based reserves implemented in the 2010-2011 California state budget is too low! A 5% reserve only equals 2 1/2 weeks of funding. The primary reason a child care center keeps a reserve is so it may continue to operate during a state budget impasse. If California’s 2011-2012 budget is as late as the 2010-2011 budget, child care centers will be forced to close their doors with only a 5% reserve in place. Please hold hearings on the 5% cap to child care center-based reserves in early 2011, and set an appropriate cap. No public hearings were held on this cap -- which was wrong. Sincerely, Your name Please Send Your Letters To: Assembly Education Committee Chair Senate Education Committee Chair CCDAA October 15, 2010CCDAA Action Alert! Steinberg Hears the Call of CCDAA Members and Intends to Undo Child Care CutsSenate President Pro Tem Steinberg Intends to Undo Child Care Cuts On Wednesday, October 13, 2010, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg held a press conference to announce that his first agenda item for January 2011 will be to reverse the Governor’s line item vetoes in the 2010-2011 California State Budget. Among the cuts Senator Steinberg will seek to reverse is the elimination of CalWORKS Stage 3 child care. During the press conference, Steinberg called the Governor’s cuts “Callous, cruel, and unnecessary.” To read about Senator Steinberg’s press conference please visit the Sacramento Bee website. To see news footage of Senator Steinberg’s press conference, please visit the KCRA 3 website. To watch the press conference in its entirety, please visit YouTube. Thank you Senator Steinberg for being a champion for California’s children! CCDAA Members Make a Difference in Sacramento! Since news broke of Governor Schwarzenegger’s elimination of the CalWORKS Stage 3 Child Care program, CCDAA members have been mobilized! CCDAA members have been busy writing letters to President Pro Tem Steinberg and Speaker Perez telling them that the Governor’s cuts will not stand! Steinberg’s announcement on Wednesday is evidence that YOU have been heard loud and clear! The President Pro Tem has received your letters, and has pledged to reverse the devastating damage the Governor has done to California families. CCDAA wants to thank everyone who stood with us for these children and families! Without YOU voicing YOUR outrage, legislative leadership would not have stood up to take notice. While we have made some good progress this week, the work is far from over. Join us in expressing our appreciation to Senator Steinberg and Speaker Perez for being champions for California’s children! Below, please find a letter of appreciation. Please take a few minutes to sign this letter and send it to both Senator Steinberg and Speaker Perez. Please also cc your letters to CCDAA. Dear (President Pro Tem Steinberg/Speaker Perez), On October 8, 2010, Governor Schwarzenegger dealt a devastating blow to 55,000 children and their families across California when he eliminated CalWORKS Stage 3 child care through a line item veto. I am very pleased to hear that you have pledged to work to reverse the elimination of this program in January 2011. As you know, CalWORKS Stage 3 child care was the last step towards self-sufficiency for California families receiving aid. This program allowed parents to work while their children were being prepared for school through participation in high quality child care programs. Thank you for standing-up for California’s working families, and for being a champion for children! Sincerely, Please Send Your Letters To: Assembly Speaker President Pro Tem CCDAA October 21, 2010CCDAA Update CDE Posts New Regional Reimbursement RatesOn October 8, 2010, Governor Schwarzenegger signed the 2010-2011 California State Budget into law. This year’s state budget included several reductions to child care and development programs. Among them was a reduction of the license-exempt reimbursement rate from 90% of the Family Child Care Home Ceilings to 80%. The California Department of Education (CDE) has now updated the license-exempt reimbursement rates posted on its website to reflect the reduction from the 90th to 80th percentile in the 2010-2011 California State Budget. To view the 2010-2011 license-exempt reimbursement rates for providers in your county, please visit the California Department of Education website. Please note that the new license-exempt reimbursement rates are also available when logging-in to report Alternative Payment (AP) fiscal and caseload information. CCDAA is closely following the implementation measures CDE is putting into place in light of the 2010-2011 California State Budget reductions to child care programs. We will continue to share information about child care budget reductions from CDE as it becomes available. October 25, 2010CCDAA Action Alert!< Speak Out Against the Reductions to LPCs!On October 8, 2010, the Governor signed a budget that included draconian cuts to early care and education programs in California. Among the programs that faced reductions is Local Child Care Planning Councils (LPCs). In the 2010-2011 California State Budget, funding for Local Planning Councils (LPCs) was reduced by 50%, or $3.3 million. CCDAA fears that this action may have been taken due to a lack of understanding of the critical and independent role LPCs play in coordinating and maximizing the state's child care and development investments at the local level. LPCs perform a vital function for local communities, by coordinating public and private resources to provide the most comprehensive set of child care and development services possible to meet the needs assessed for their communities. This email is part of a series of action alerts to voice that the 2010-2011 cuts to child care are not okay! Together with our sister organizations, we are presenting a united front against the cuts, showing the real effects on programs, families, and children in California. CCDAA is asking all of our members to write to President Pro Tem Steinberg and Speaker Perez to remind them how important LPCs are to local communities and to restore the funding to LPCs. Please find a sample letter about the LPC reduction below. Please join this effort to protect child care services in California! Please send a letter to both the Speaker and President Pro Tem, and cc CCDAA. Please Send Your Letters To: Assembly Speaker John Perez Senator Darrell Steinberg CCDAA October ______, 2010 The Honorable (Darrell Steinberg/John Perez) RE: 50% Reduction Local Planning Councils (LPCs) in 2010-2011 California State Budget Dear (Senator Steinberg/John Perez): In the 2010-2011 California State Budget, funding for Local Planning Councils (LPCs) was reduced by 50%, or $3.3 million. CCDAA fears this action may have been taken due to a lack of understanding of the critical and independent role LPCs play in coordinating and maximizing the state’s child care investments at the local level. LPCs are the only local child care entities accountable both to state and federal mandates and locally to the County Board of Supervisors and the County Superintendent of Schools. In 1997, the federal and state government saw the need to establish independent, diversified councils which could quantify the need for child care and development services and fairly determine which areas within each county had the greatest need for subsidized care. LPCs are charged to bring all the local stakeholders together, including subsidized and non-subsidized providers, employers, county welfare departments and human service agencies, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), regional centers, colleges, First 5s, tribal councils, job training programs, and parent organizations to create local strategic priorities for child care services for all children and families who need them. They pay particular attention to improving effectiveness and access to child care subsidies, and ensuring that training and quality improvement initiatives truly reach local communities. Local Planning Councils are robust catalysts for collaboration and coordination among historically isolated programs, services, and stakeholders. Funding for LPCs amounts to only $6.6 million statewide while LPCs have consistently leveraged over $3 million on average per year from other sources to enhance and expand the child care and development services in each county. These funds have been leveraged for the local community, not to increase the profile or staffing of LPCs. This summer, LPCs have been critical to keeping vital child development centers open without a budget by bringing their data and stories to the attention of local government, business, and the philanthropic community in their counties. Even now, they are at work to advocate for families ejected from Stage 3. CCDAA maintains a basic public policy premise that the state should preserve spaces for children at all costs. This significant cut to LPCs, retroactive to July 1st, cripples their ability to have a paid staff person working at a local level to preserve and protect spaces for children. The role of LPCs is unique and critical at the community level where the bulk of the state’s child care investments hit the road. We urge you to reconsider this drastic cut and restore full funding to LPCs in the 2011-2012 budget. Sincerely, |