4.1 Access to Full Range of Provider Options

Lead Agencies must provide parents a choice of providers and offer assistance with child care services through a child care certificate (or voucher) or with a child care provider that has a grant or contract for the provision of child care services. Lead Agencies are reminded that policies and procedures should not restrict parental access to any type or category of care or provider (e.g., center care, home care, in-home care, for-profit provider, non-profit provider, or faith-based provider, etc.). 4.1.1 Parent choice a. Identify any barriers to provider participation, including barriers related to payment rates and practices, (including for family child care and in-home providers), based on provider feedback, public comment, and reports to the Lead Agency: While insurance is not a requirement to receive subsidy payments, it is a requirement to receive quality enhancements through Baby Promise. The cost of insurance policies, especially for family child care and in-home providers has become a barrier. In Oregon these providers are being charged $10,000 per year or more or being denied coverage for required policy limits. The Legislative Child Care Task Force commissioned the Oregon Child Care Research Partnership to interview parents and providers on their experience accessing child care assistance in November 2020. Some of the barriers identified by providers included: providers receiving payments at the end of the month, the high copays for families, the level of state reimbursements, the complexity of the application process for providers, and the lack of an online billing option. End-of-month payments, high copays, the level of state reimbursements have been recently addressed with updated policy reflected in this plan. The full report can be found at: https://health.oregonstate.edu/sites/health.oregonstate.edu/files/earlylearners/pdf/rese arch/barriers_to_accessing_child_care_subsidies_in_oregon_corrected_november2 020.pdf Some providers have also vocalized being overwhelmed or dissuaded by having ERDC rules and procedures to follow in addition to licensing and grant rules and requirements. Historical late payments and the administrative burden of current state systems also discourage some providers from participating. b. Does the Lead Agency offer child care assistance through vouchers or certificates? [x] Yes. [ ] No. c. Does the Lead Agency offer child care assistance through grants or contracts? [x] Yes. [ ] No. d. Describe how the parent is informed that the child care certificate allows the option to choose from a variety of child care categories, such as private, not-for-profit, faith-based providers; centers; family child care homes; or in-home providers: An interview is conducted during the determination process for the ERDC program. During the interview the eligibility work will discuss child care options with the family. If a family does not have a child care provider selected, they direct the family to 211info to be given information around the full range of child care provider options. For Baby Promise, when a parent is enrolled in the ERDC program, they are connected with their local CCR&R who provides the list of Baby Promise Providers and assists in matching families with providers. Families eligible for ERDC receive a Child Care Fact Sheet upon approval, which directs them to 211info, the organization which provides consumer education around locating child care and other valuable services to families throughout Oregon. e. Describe what information is included on the child care certificate: The child care certificate outlines the following information and is sent to child care providers each month prior to care being provided: contact information for the Direct Pay Unit (where billings are processed), child care certificate voucher number for providers to inquire on payment status, family case number and case name, subsidy provider number and provider type, provider name and mailing address, phone number to report changes, billing dates, family copay amount, child name, date of birth, and age group, and family’s authorized child care hours. Additionally, an automatic approval notice is issued to the family the business day after benefits is approved. It includes the certification period, copayment amount, authorized child care hours, income, and household size. For the Baby Promise Program, the ￿certificate￿ is the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) voucher received by the provider for a family's eligible care (referenced above).