3.3 Waiving Family Co-payment

3.3.1 Waiving family co-payment The Lead Agency may waive family contributions/co-payments for many families to lower their costs and maximize affordability for families. Lead Agencies have broad flexibility in determining for which families they will waive co-payments. Does the Lead Agency waive family contributions/co-payments? [ ] No, the Lead Agency does not waive any family contributions/co-payments. (Skip to question 4.1.1.) [x] Yes. If yes, identify and describe which family contributions/co-payments waived. i. [ ]Families with an income at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level for families of the same size. ii. [ ]Families with an income above 100% but at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level for families of the same size. iii. [x]Families experiencing homelessness. iv. [ ]Families with children with disabilities. v. [x]Families enrolled in Head Start or Early Head Start. vi. [ ]Children in foster care or kinship care, or otherwise receiving or needing to receive protective services. Describe the policy: vii. [x]Families meeting other criteria established by the Lead Agency. Describe the policy: Individuals or families who use Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program services are required to contribute financially to the cost of those services, except for families that document participation in the following programs or receipt of the following benefits: Federal Housing Act Housing Choice Voucher Program, Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), Migrant Workers, Minor Parents, Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Program participants, Federal Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC) recipients, Welfare Avoidance Grant (WAG) recipients, children enrolled in Head Start or State Funded Pre-K, Maryland Office of Refugees and Asylees (MORA) recipients, pending TCA applicants with a referral from the Department of Human Resources, and families participating in the Department of Human Services/MORA Matching Grant Program. An individual or family who uses Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program services shall contribute financially to the cost of those services, except for the exempt categories listed on the Co-Payment Agreement Form located on the Money4childare care website. In addition, families with a referral from the Maryland Office of Refugees and Asylees (MORA) and Head Start, pending TCA applicants with a referral from the Department of Human Services, and families participating in the Department of Human Services/MORA Matching Grant Program are eligible for a zero copayment. Families not eligible for a co-payment waiver are assessed copayments based on the Unit of Care authorized: (a) $3.00 per week (3-Unit Scholarship); (b) $2.00 per week (2-Unit Scholarship); and (c) $1.00 per week (1-Unit Scholarship). 4 Parental Choice, Equal Access, Payment Rates, and Payment Practices Core purposes of CCDF are to provide participating parents choice in their child care arrangements and provide their children with equal access to child care compared to those children not participating in CCDF. CCDF requirements approach equal access and parental choice comprehensively to meet these foundational program goals. Providing access to a full range of child care providers helps ensure that families can choose a child care provider that meets their family’s needs. CCDF payment rates and practices must be sufficient to support equal access by allowing child care providers to recruit and retain skilled staff, provide high-quality care, and operate in a sustainable way. Supply-building strategies are also essential. This section addresses many of the CCDF provisions related to equal access, including access to the full range of providers, payment rates for providers, co-payments for families, payment practices, differential payment rates, and other strategies that support parental choice and access by helping to ensure that child care providers are available to serve children participating in CCDF. In responding to questions in this section, OCC recognizes that each Lead Agency identifies and defines its own categories and types of care. OCC does not expect Lead Agencies to change their definitions to fit the CCDF-defined categories and types of care. For these questions, provide responses that closely match the CCDF categories of care.