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Child Care Subsidy Policy October 1, 2024 114 that portion of the day, week, or year when the Head Start part of the program is not in operation. Head Start programs shall not be reimbursed for care provided during the hours of operation that federal Head Start funds are available to cover the cost of the program for a particular child. However, Head Start centers can receive payment for full days for any child who is in care for more than four hours, either before and/or after normal Head Start hours. In recent years, the Federal Administration for Children and Families has encouraged Head Start to collaborate with child care programs to offer full-day, full-year services, blending and braiding funds in programs that offer the quality of Head Start with child care’s longer hours of services. To encourage such blending of resources, child care and Head Start resources may be used jointly in some situations. If a Head Start program enters into an agreement with a licensed child care center to pay for enhancements to a child care program to provide additional services (family support, health and safety, teacher certification, curricula, or equipment) needed to meet higher standards under Head Start Performance Standards or WV Pre-K requirements, then the center may continue to receive child care reimbursement for eligible children. Parent co- payment will continue to be deducted from the center’s payment regardless of Head Start policy on collection of fees. Each CCR&R shall maintain a list of Head Start, Title I and Pre-school Special Needs programs. The CCR&R case manager shall contact these agencies to determine the location of programs, hours/days of operation and availability of transportation. Child care applicants shall be referred to the program, when appropriate. The CCR&R case manager shall assist the parent in locating child care for the portion of the day or week when part-time programs are not in operation. The child care arrangement may be in a center or family child care home near the program or along the transportation route. In some instances, the child care provider may be willing to provide transportation. If existing child care providers are not available or convenient, the CCR&R case manager shall attempt to recruit family child care homes. The Head Start or Public-School programs may assist with recruitment efforts by identifying potential providers among parents of children attending the programs. To facilitate child care’s participation in the Early Head Start program and assist families and children, licensed child care centers that are participating in the Early Head Start program or contracting with Head Start may continue receiving child care payments during the hours considered as Early Head Start, if certain conditions are met. Those conditions are as follows: 12.2.1. The child care center must be licensed and offer full-day care of at least 10 hours per day. 12.2.2. Payment may only be made for children eligible for child care subsidies. 12.2.3. Payments from Early Head Start are designed to cover additional services. Additional services include but are not limited to certified teachers, curricula materials, payment for absent days or hours not covered by child care, and additional equipment to meet Early Head Start requirements. These are considered enhancements to the program, not payment for the basic cost of care for that child.