Page 96

Title 13: Social Service Resources Page 90 Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Employees’ Manual Chapter G: Child Care Assistance Establishing Payment Rate Revised June 14, 2024 Maximum Payment Rates

Table 4 Half-Day Rate Ceilings for Child Care Home (Not Registered) Age Group Basic Special Needs Infant and Toddler $16.63 $24.95 Preschool $15.00 $22.50 School Age $15.00 $22.50 Approve a special needs rate only when you have received documentation from the parent that the child meets the requirements for a special needs rate, and the provider has supplied the required documentation. The documentation must substantiate both of the following: ▪ A qualified professional has assessed the child to meet the definition of a “child with special needs.” (See Documenting Special Needs.) ▪ The child care provider is responding to those special needs with (but not limited to) adaptive equipment, more careful supervision, or special staff training. NOTE: Child care funds are for child care services and not for specialized services provided during the program day. Do not approve a special needs rate for therapeutic services that are provided in the child care setting. This includes, but is not limited to, services such as speech, hearing, physical and other therapies; individual or group counseling; therapeutic recreation; and crisis intervention. A child care provider serving a child determined eligible for protective child care services may receive payment up to the special needs rate, providing that child also meets the definition for a “child with special needs” and the required documentation has been secured. In-Home Rate Legal reference: 441 IAC 170.4(7)“d” In-home care is always paid at the minimum wage amount. At the current rate of $7.25 an hour, this calculates to a half-day rate of $36.25. There is no “special needs” rate for in-home providers. The in-home half-day unit rate is not a per-child amount. It is the maximum amount paid for all of the children in a family receiving in-home care.