Page 90
Child Care Scholarship Policy Manual 90
If the minor foster child (in the case of a teen parent) is in a group home or shelter and has an open/active foster care case, services may be provided. The application would be entered in the teen parent’s name and their income would be counted.
2.11.10 REUNIFICATION CHILD CARE Child care may be provided for families where a foster child or a child in a family preservation case outside of the child’s home is closed and the child is reunified with the Bio or Original Guardian. In order to qualify for child care under this category, the following criteria must be met: • Child has no longer has an open/active foster or family preservation case and has been reunified with the bio parent or original guardian. • The child care application should be in the name of the Bio parent/guardian name. • The parent does not have to be working, in school, or in training. • The parent/guardian does not have to be income eligible. • 52 weeks of age-appropriate care will be given. • There is no co-pay for this category of care. • The family must choose an enrolled ABC Quality provider. • Would serve a family up to age 5 or 52 weeks, whichever is longest. o Example: If a child is reunified at the age of 2 years old, the child may receive services until they are 5 years old. o For sibling groups, for children over 5, they would receive 12 months (52 weeks) of child care only.
The process for applying for this category is: • All DSS case involvement (foster or family preservation case) must be closed. • Upon closure, the case manager will forward a child care referral form (DSS Form 3004) and the child care application into the Child Care Scholarship Eligibility Unit. • Upon receipt of the referral form and child care application, eligibility staff will check CAPSS to verify closure. • Eligibility staff will determine eligibility and key, fund and connect the children to enrolled ABC Quality providers for 12 months of child care. • The funding source will be ReunifyCC • All applications will be tracked on the Foster Care spreadsheet under the tab Reunify Child Care.