Connecticut Administered State-Funded Program General ...

1 Connecticut Administered State-Funded Program General Policy B-01. X OEC Child Day Care Contractors X OEC Competitive School Readiness Municipalities X OEC Priority School Readiness Districts X OEC Smart Start TO: Mayors, Superintendents, School Readiness Council Chairs/Co-Chairs and Liaisons FROM: Harriet Feldlaufer, Director Division of Early Care and Education SUBJECT: Income Guidelines and Per-Child Fee Schedules Updated October 2016. _____. The Income Guidelines for School Readiness Grant funded programs and for Child Day Care Contractors were updated as of October 2016.

2 These income guidelines are based on the State Median Income (SMI) levels published annually in the Federal Register. School Readiness Grant funded programs , Child Day Care Contractors and programs as well as Smart Start grantees, please refer to GP B-02 and the attached supplemental guidance document for explicit information on implementation of the fee scale. Child Day Care Contracted programs can only enroll families whose income falls below 75% of the SMI. If a child is already enrolled and the family income rises to 75% of the SMI or higher, a child may maintain enrollment if other eligibility requirements are met (see GP 14-03).

3 School Readiness programs can enroll families over 75% SMI. The ten percent calculation for income over 75% SMI is now calculated for each family size and is noted in the row under the family size for each SMI range over 75%. The School Readiness Councils will NOT determine fees over 75% SMI. programs will use the calculation provided, not to exceed their School Readiness published cost of care or the Child Day Care maximum rate. The Income Guidelines for School Readiness Grant funded programs and for Child Day Care Contractors are effective January 1, 2017.

4 Please remember that families must be notified 30 days in advance before changing the fee. A local or regional board of education Smart Start Program MAY choose to charge a family fee. If the local or regional board of education chooses to charge a family fee they must use the OEC. Guidelines and Per-Child Fee Schedules in GP B-02. Office of Early Childhood General Policy GP B-01. December 2016. Page 1. Fee Schedule Guidance Use the new fee schedule to determine the calculated fee for all children enrolled. For children currently enrolled in programs and transitioning to Kindergarten, no new fee calculation is needed.

5 programs may continue to charge the existing fee until the child/children exit(s) the Program to attend Kindergarten. Re-determination of fees for currently enrolled families is not required, except for those families due for their annual re-determination. Re-determination should occur annually after the initial determination using the current fee scale. For School Readiness programs , families must be informed of the cost of care and the calculated fee using the fee scale. Once a family secures a Care4 Kids certificate, the amount calculated by Care4 Kids on the certificate shall be the family fee for School Readiness.

6 If a family no longer has a Care4 Kids certificate, then the family fee should be calculated using the fee scale. The fee schedule is effective January 1, 2017. Families must be notified 30 days in advance before changing the fee. Child Day Care Per-Child Fees for Full-Time School Age Care There is no separate fee schedule for school age full-time care, occurring when school is not in session. programs may opt to pro-rate the school-age part-time care fee or use the preschool school-day rate. Hardship Guidance programs reserve the right to collect less than the calculated fee but must maintain fiscal Responsibility to ensure quality programming.

7 The Program may implement a hardship policy based on individual family needs. This policy should be clearly stated to families upon enrollment and outline what the Program considers as hardship and the documentation needed to determine hardship. School Readiness Council Guidance Councils should work closely with programs to support decisions regarding fee collections and collect data that are useful in identifying community income trends and Program policy development. Councils may continue to utilize the Part Day exemption option outlined in GP B-02 Section II (I).

8 Office of Early Childhood General Policy GP B-01. December 2016. Page 2. Office of Early Childhood Child Day Care Contracts, School Readiness Initiative, & Smart Start programs Income Guidelines and Per-Child Fee Schedules Infant & Toddler/Infant & Toddler Wraparound Full-time/Part-time/School-time/Wraparou nd Preschool &. Full-time/Part-time School Age Child Care Effective: January 2017 through September 2017. Connecticut OFFICE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD. Child Day Care Center Program Full-time Infant and Toddler Service Weekly Fee Schedule Weekly Family Size --> 1-3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12.

9 Fee From 0% of SMI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0. To 12% of SMI 10,946 13,031 15,116 17,201 17,592 17,963 18,374 18,765 19,156 19,547 9. From 12% of SMI 10,946 13,031 15,116 17,201 17,592 17,963 18,374 18,765 19,156 19,547. To 15% of SMI 13,683 16,289 18,895 21,501 21,990 22,479 22,967 23,456 23,945 24,433 18. From 15% of SMI 13,683 16,289 18,895 21,501 21,990 22,479 22,967 23,456 23,945 24,433. To 17% of SMI 15,507 18,461 21,414 24,368 24,922 25,476 26,030 26,583 27,137 27,691 27. From 17% of SMI 15,507 18,461 21,414 24,368 24,922 25,476 26,030 26,583 27,137 27,691.

10 To 20% of SMI 18,243 21,718 25,193 28,668 29,320 29,971 30,623 31,274 31,926 32,578 36. From 20% of SMI 18,243 21,718 25,193 28,668 29,320 29,971 30,623 31,274 31,926 32,578. To 23% of SMI 20,980 24,976 28,972 32,969 33,718 34,467 35,216 35,966 36,715 37,464 45. From 23% of SMI 20,980 24,976 28,972 32,969 33,718 34,467 35,216 35,966 36,715 37,464. To 26% of SMI 23,716 28,234 32,751 37,269 38,116 38,963 39,810 40,657 41,504 42,351 54. From 26% of SMI 23,716 28,234 32,751 37,269 38,116 38,963 39,810 40,657 41,504 42,351. To 29% of SMI 26,453 31,492 36,530 41,569 42,514 43,459 44,403 45,348 46,293 47,238 62.