During our March 31 webinar with Mississippi's Department of Human Services, we were unable to get to some of your questions. DHS has responded and and their answers are provided here.
Q: Will there be funding for school-age child care during the month of April and through the summer?
A: If the center is open and full time care is provided to a school-age child, the center may claim full time reimbursement for that child. If the center was closed and didn’t provide full-time care for the child, the center can only claim part time reimbursement for the child. We cannot answer the question regarding summer just yet until we know what school systems are going to do for the summer months.
Q: Will providers be paid full-time for students who were formerly part-time but since COVID-19 are now full-time students?
A: If the center is open and full-time care is provided to a child, the center may claim full time reimbursement for that child. If the center was closed and didn’t provide full-time care for the child, the center can only claim part time reimbursement for the child. A center must be open and currently providing full-time care to the child to claim full-time reimbursement.
Q: For part-time students attending full-time, how do we complete the ledger?
A: If your child care center remains open and the child attended full-time, the provider will continue to use code “F” for full-time care or “P” for part-time care.
Q: Will we need to fill out ledgers differently to make sure we are paid for all our kids? For example, do we still mark them as absent even if it is over 5 days or do we just mark everyone as present?
A: Ledgers must be filled out as follows to receive proper payment.
Codes to use for days when the center is closed:
Use “D” if a child would have received full-time care.
Use “R” if a child would have received part-time care. (For example, if you have a 9 year old enrolled, the provider would claim part-time.)
Codes to use for days when the center is open:
If your child care center remained open and the child attended, the provider will continue to use code “F” for full-time care or “P” for part-time care.
If your child care center remained open and the child
did not attend, the provider would use code “P” for any school age child. For preschool children, the provider will continue to use code “F” for full-time care or “P” for part-time care.
Q: I had a grandparent who has custody of her grandchildren. Their DHS personnel put the paperwork in but I was not paid by DECCD, and was told that I might not get paid. How can this loop hole be fixed?
A: This grandparent needs to contact their CPS worker to determine the best course of action to take.
Q: Are we still responsible to turning in attendance even though we are being paid for enrollment?
A: Yes, ledgers must be filled out as follows to receive proper payment:
Codes to use for days when the center is closed:
Use “D” if a child would have received full-time care.
Use “R” if a child would have received part-time care. (For example, if you have a 9 year old enrolled, the provider would claim part-time.)
Codes to use for days when the center is open:
If your child care center remained open and the child
attended
, the provider will continue to use code “F” for full-time care or “P” for part-time care.
If your child care center remained open and the child
did not attend
, the provider would use code “P” for any school age child. For preschool children, the provider will continue to use code “F” for full-time care or “P” for part-time care.
Q: If we were a center that picked up our checks from their office monthly, how do we get our checks if mail is not being delivered to our schools due to closure?
A: All checks are being mailed directly to child care centers. Child care centers can notify our office in writing to
CCPayment@mdhs.ms.gov
if they want their check to be mailed to a different address.
Q: Will centers be notified when a parent requests change of provider?
A: Yes.
Q: If your center is closed, how should you complete the ledger online for children that are on a certificate?
A: Ledgers must be filled out as follows to receive proper payment:
Codes to use for days when the center is closed:
Use “D” if a child would have received full-time care.
Use “R” if a child would have received part-time care.
(For example, if you have a 9-year-old enrolled, the provider would claim part-time.)
Codes to use for days when the center is open:
If your child care center remained open and the child
attended
, the provider will continue to
use code “F” for full-time care or “P” for part-time care.
If your child care center remained open and the child
did not attend
, the provider would use
code “P” for any school age child. For preschool children, the provider will continue to use code “F” for full-time care or “P” for part-time care.
Q: Is it still taking 60 days to get an application approved?
Parents have a 60-day window to complete all necessary documentation and verify parent meets all requirements. CCPP staff will process applications as quickly as parents can provide all necessary documentation to be approved.
Q: Can I extend hours for people working split shifts?
A: Operating hours must be approved by MSDH Child Care Licensure. Centers should contact their MSDH Licensing Official to determine if they can offer extended or overnight care.
Q: Is there any discussion of potentially increasing the rate paid from certificates to compensate for the group size of 9 children and 1 teacher, which means we aren’t operating at full capacity or have to hire more staff?
A: Not at this time. However, providers are being paid based on enrollment regardless of attendance as we understand that centers are not operating at full capacity right now.
Q: What happens after April?
As the COVID-19 situation continues, so will necessary responses. Please continue to check for update on the COVID-19 update page found at
https://secac.ms.gov/covid19/.
