Message from CEO
Good afternoon Providers -

First, thank you for your patience as we navigate this chaotic and uncertain time for our community, country and world. We are so thankful for all our providers and the services that you all offer every day for children and families.
A special “THANK YOU” to the providers that have been able to remain open. Your dedication and sacrifice does not go unnoticed.

We are here to assist you all. Please reach out to us for anything – guidance, training or just someone to chat with about what is happening. Please visit our website at https://www.elcirmo.org/covid-19-resources-information-for-child-care-providers/ for resources that may be helpful as you all navigate this crisis.

Thank you for all you do every day! Stay safe and healthy!

Marsha

Marsha Powers
Chief Executive Officer
Early Learning Coalition of Indian River, Martin and Okeechobee Counties
ELCIRMO & OEL Attendance Guidance for Providers 03/31/20
IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT SUBMIT SR or VPK ATTENDANCE UNTIL APRIL 1ST
SR Attendance
  1. Communicate with ELCIRMO, in writing, to inform us of any temporary closures that occurred in March before attendance is submitted.
  2. For the SR Program, mark absences for open days in the Provider Services Portal as normal.
  3. For absences related to COVID-19, choose the “Absence due to Disaster” reason. Comments and a document are not required
  4.  Submit the completed attendance roster to ELCIRMO by Friday, April 3rd. Do not submit attendance before April 1st, these will be rejected due to issues it causes in the Portal.
  5. Providers must change the care level for part- time children to full-time, if the child attended for the full day. Full-time is considered a minimum of 6 hours. This only applies to days the facility was open.

VPK Attendance
  1. Communicate with ELCIRMO to inform us of any temporary closures that occurred in March before attendance is submitted.
  2. Mark all absences with an “A” for both absences prior to closure and absences as a result of closure. 
  3. Submit the completed attendance by Friday, April 3rd. Do not submit attendance before April 1st, these will be rejected due to issues it causes in the Portal.

Calendars
  1. SR- DO NOT change your 2019-2020 provider profile “Closures Calendar” tab due to COVID-19. Temporary closures outside of your normal operating business hours and dates should be communicated to ELCIRMO. All COVID-19 related absences and temporary closures in March 2020 will be paid.
  2. VPK- DO NOT change your 2019 VPK Provider Application class calendar due to COVID-19 at this time. All COVID-19 related absences and temporary closures in March 2020 will be paid.

Additional Guidance
  1.  DO NOT COLLECT PARENT COPAYMENTS BEGINNING APRIL 1, 2020. Providers will be reimbursed 100% of their approved rate. Parent copayments will be set to $0.00 in the Portal. This applies to ALL parents. Parents will be notified of this change by Coalition. This will be reevaluated by OEL on an ongoing basis. ELCIRMO will notify Providers and parents of any changes.
  2. In the event of a transfer, providers will not receive payment for children that transferred to an open program after the transfer date.
  3.  Continue efforts to complete your 2020-2021 School Readiness provider profile in the Provider Services Portal and submit for approval. Expect additional guidance regarding 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 SR contracts.
  4. Continue efforts to complete your 2020-2021 VPK Provider Application and VPK-20 Statewide Contract in the Provider Services Portal and submit for approval.