Information on the Declared State of Emergency - Coronavirus - If you have questions for CDE or CDSS-CCLD that you want added, email. For CAPPA Member Best Practices, click here.
The Administration for Children and Families has released materials to help Lead Agencies understand the flexibilities in the CCDF law as they try to help meet the needs of families and communities in response to the spread of COVID-19. Options available to State, Territory, and Tribal Lead Agencies include:
Flexibility to change eligibility or priority criteria to permit uninterrupted child care
Flexibility to define income and set the income threshold for purposes of CCDF eligibility
Option to waive family co-payment requirements for families that meet criteria established by the Lead Agency – which may include, for example, families impacted by federal or state declared emergency situations
Option to use quality dollars to provide immediate assistance to impacted families, including families that do not participate in CCDF
States may also enact legislation or regulation in order to take advantage of these flexibilities. States may also need to submit a Plan amendment or waiver request to the Office of Child Care. Click here to access ACF’s full memo on CCDF flexibility during state or federal emergencies.
In addition, ACF has released a letter with updated resources and information about administrative relief strategies, as well as a list of FAQs about CCDF and COVID-19.
For an archived listing of all Management Bulletins, please visit the CDE website.
March 26, 2020
Management Bulletin 20-05: COVID-19 Guidance: Temporary Waiver of Family Fees Attention: All Executive Officers and Program Directors of Early Learning and Care Programs Management Bulletin 20-05 notifies and provides guidance to state-subsidized early learning and care (ELC) programs that they must waive family fees following the enactment of Senate Bill 117. It is important to note that the fee waiver is not a permanent change to statute or regulation. Each requirement will apply until June 30, 2020, unless nullified or changed by the Legislature. As the situation evolves and more information is available, the CDE will issue additional guidance.
March 20, 2020
Management Bulletin 20-04:COVID-19 Guidance on Apportionment, Attendance, and Reporting Requirements Date: March 18, 2020 Expires: June 30, 2020 or unless rescinded sooner Authority: Senate Bill 117 (Chapter 3, Statutes of 2020) Attention: Executive Directors, and Program Directors of All Early Learning and Care Programs Purpose This Management Bulletin (MB) is to notify and provide guidance to state-subsidized early learning and care programs about updated apportionment, attendance, and reporting requirements after the enactment of Senate Bill (SB) 117. It is important to note that this is not a permanent change to statute or regulations. These requirements will apply until June 30, 2020, unless nullified or changed by the Legislature. As the situation evolves and more information is available, the California Department of Education (CDE) will issue additional guidance. The CDE encourages those that can safely provide care to do so, following state and local public health guidance in addition to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, as needs evolve, the CDE will be reaching out to early learning and care contractors and programs to have them be part of the solution in addressing the needs of working families, in particular, the needs of low-income families and parents who are health workers, emergency response personnel, key governmental staff, and child care workers. Click here to see more on the policy, background, directive and resources.
March 20, 2020
Subject: Suspension of FY 19-20 Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD) Onsite Program Monitoring Reviews Dear ELCD Contractors: The priority of the Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD) is the health and safety of the children and families we serve as well as that of the staff in each of your programs. As part of health and safety measures to mitigate the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the ELCD is suspending onsite contract monitoring reviews until further notice. For the remainder of the fiscal year, reviews may be scheduled on an as needed basis. Contractors who are scheduled for a review will participate remotely from their locations and transmit documentation electronically. As state and health officials provide updated information about California's COVID-19 emergency, the ELCD will determine next steps and keep you informed of them. Please keep your ELCD Field Consultant informed as conditions at your agency change. Additionally, the ELCD has established a dedicated email address to receive public inquiries related to ELCD programs and emergency concerns. This e-mail address is [email protected]. When sending questions to the email address, please specify the program county in the subject line and/or the body of the email. This information is necessary to enable the ELCD to forward the questions to the appropriate office for a timely response. The CDE is monitoring COVID-19 situation and working closely with agency partners. Contractors are encouraged to follow California Department of Public Health recommendations. For more information visit https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/coronavirus.asp.
January 2, 2020 Management Bulletin 20-01:California State Preschool Program (CSPP) Free or Reduced-Price Meal Eligibility Criteria to Enroll Four-Year-Olds
CDE Webinar Archive Visit this page for the January 25, 2018 Webinar: Eligibility, Certification, Recertification and Notice of Action and the September 28, 2017 Webinar: Budget Act of 2017: Implementation of 12-month Eligibility- in partnership with CAPPA
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has amended regulations pertaining to CalWORKs, within the Eligibility and Assistance Standards Manual. The changes are detailed in CDSS Manual Letter No. EAS-18-05
