Child Care Assistance Program

• Type B Family Child Care Providers are licensed to accept up to six children (of which three may be under two years old)
• Type A Family Child Care Providers are licensed to accept up to twelve children (of which six may be under two years old)

• To become a Type A or B provider you must:
  $25 application fee
• Have a high school diploma or GED
• Pass a home inspection
• Pass local FBI and BCI background checks for the provider, any adult living in the home, any child care staff member, substitute, or employee
• Be certified in First Aid, CPR,  and complete Communicable Disease (6 hour course), and Child Abuse/Neglect (6 hour course)
• Attend 6 hours of training annually to maintain licensure
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Not have been convicted of a violent crime
• Provide child care services only in your home
• Have a working telephone
• Complete a Pre-Licensing training for family child care providers (Type A or B home Providers)
• Provide a medical statement that meets the criteria listed here

• If you have an adult or child who has been convicted of a violent crime or any other disqualifying criminal offenses (a list is available here).

• For a complete list of rules Type A and B home providers must be aware of, please review the ODJFS Rules/Resources for Licensed Type B Home Providers.

As a licensed Type A or B child care provider you are:

• Self-employed and enter into a provider agreement with ODJFS
• Responsible for paying your own city, state and federal tax. FCJFS and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) DO NOT withhold taxes from your paycheck.
• Paid weekly

Your income will vary depending on the number of children in your care. You may accept private-paying children as long as you report these children to FCJFS and abide by the state and county rules and regulations

• Your home will be inspected at least twice a year. At least one of these inspections will be unannounced.
• You may have other employment as long as your employment schedule does not conflict or interfere with your child care hours.

• You must become Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) rated by the end of your first year of being a provider
• SUTQ is a five-star quality rating and improvement system administered by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and ODJFS. SUTQ recognizes and promotes learning and development programs that meet quality program standards that exceed licensing health and safety regulations. The program standards are based on national research identifying standards that lead to improved outcomes for children.
• Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) rules

• TAP is a system to record attendance for children receiving publicly funded child care.
• You can record attendance through a tablet or a smart phone.
• For more information: ohiocctap.info.
• Caretakers may contact the TAP Support Center at 1-833-866-1708 Option 9 for KinderSign tablet related questions, KinderSign PIN resets, and KinderConnect password resets

• Find out the rate information here: provider rates.
• The payment for "settled" service weeks is currently visible in the provider portal. This payment is based on the provider's reported rates compared to the ODJFS maximum reimbursement rates and a child's time and attendance data from the Time, Attendance, and Payment (TAP) System. Payment is based on child care usage, not authorization category.

• If a program believes they have been paid incorrectly, the program must use the send alert feature on the Provider Payment screen in KinderConnect to question any part of their payment. The program needs to explain in the alert why the believe the payment is incorrect.

• Complete and submit the following application
• Apply online
• In person at our agency during regular business hours
  (Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.)
• By mailing a completed application to
  239 West Main Street, Lancaster, Ohio 43130
• By dropping a completed application in the agency drop box located in the front of our building, open 24 hours
• By faxing a completed application to 740-689-4848
• By email to childcare23@jfs.ohio.gov

• Families that need care for a child with a verified special need may meet income requirements for PFCC if their gross monthly income level is at or below one hundred fifty percent of the FPL.
• Special needs child care is defined in rule 5101:2-16-01, OAC, as child care provided to a child who is less than eighteen years of age and either has one or more chronic health conditions or does not meet age appropriate expectations in one or more areas of development. This includes social, emotional, cognitive, communicative, perceptual, motor, physical, and behavioral development and that may include on a regular basis such services, adaptations, modifications, or adjustments needed to assist in the child's function or development.

• Proof of all household income (employment, child support, disability, unemployment, etc)
• Birth certificates for all children needing care
• Official school schedule if caretaker is enrolled in school
• A valid provider must be selected prior to determining eligibility

• Child Care applications are processed by a caseworker without a face-to-face appointment.
• To receive child care assistance, you must use a licensed child care center or a licensed family child care home. For more information on how to locate and chose quality child care visit
  childcaresearch.ohio.gov, actionforchildren.org 
• If your child care application has been approved, your child will be authorized to receive child care while you are working, attending school, or participating in an approved activity.

When you are approved for services, if you have already reported the child care provider you plan to use, an authorization will be created to that provider. Authorization will display in the TAP system within 24 hours.

• Tap is an electronic attendance system. With the TAP system, you will record attendance using a tablet or your smart phone. The caretaker, or person eligible to pick up or drop off your child at care, will need to be added to the system with a phone number. For more information regarding the TAP system click here.
• KinderSign is a mobile application that will be installed on a tablet at your child care program. You will sign in on the tablet to record attendance by entering your phone number and a self-created four digit PIN number.
• KinderSmart is a smart phone application for Android and Apple i-Phones. The free KinderSmart application can be easily downloaded from the GooglePlay App store on your phone.
• The county agency does not have the ability to edit or change information in the TAP System or Kinderconnect, For help with these programs, please contact the TAP support center at 1-833-866-1708

Your provider receives payment from two sources.

• Publicly Funded Child Care through the TAP system
  Caretakers (parents) are required to enter attendance in TAP so their selected provider can be paid. Either the caretaker (parent) or designated sponsor can record a child's attendance at the beginning and end of the day.
• Your Co-Payments

Families are required to pay a weekly family co-payment as part of their eligibility for child care. Both you and your provider will receive a notice of your weekly co-payment.

You should request a receipt for your fees. If you do not pay the fee on time, the provider can refuse to care for your children and your child care case can be terminated. If you lose your child care because of nonpayment of fees, you will not be allowed to receive child care until you pay the fees and the county agency receives verification of this payment.

• When you are approved for Publicly Funded Child Care, you will be approved for a category of care based on the number of hours you work or attend school or training plus travel time. The categories are:
• Hourly – 0 to 7 hours each week
• Part-time – 7 to 24.9 hours each week
• Full-time – 25 to 60 hours each week
• Full-time plus – more than 60 hours each week
• The specific hours and days a child receives care from a provider must be agreed upon by you and your provider. You may not use more hours than the category allows, but you and your provider can determine specific days and hours of care according to your actual work, school or training activity schedule.

• All changes in your address, income, family size and work or approved activity must be reported within 10 days of the change. Changes can be reported by calling 740-652-7889 (option 3 and then 3 again), or by email at childcare23@jfs.ohio.gov.

• Let your provider know your work schedule each week.
• Let your provider know your child will be absent as soon as possible. Failure to do so could result in termination of care with the provider.
• If your child is absent 20 days or less in a 6-month period your child care costs will be paid as usual.
• You only get 20 absent days per child, regardless of how many providers you use in the 6-month period.
• If your child is absent more than 20 days in a 6-month period, you may be required to pay the full cost of care for any additional absent days. Absent days are tracked for each child. So if you have two children in care, each child can have up to 20 absent days.
• The 6-month periods for tracking absent days are fixed.
• The 1st period runs Jan.1 through Jun. 30.
• The 2nd period runs Jul.1 through Dec. 31.
• Your provider may stop your care for excessive absences.

• The State of Ohio requires your case eligibility to be reviewed every 12 months and when there is a change in your case. At that time, you must submit current verification of your income and activity, and complete the Redetermination Application located here.

• The 3-month gap allows caretakers who receive Publicly Funded Child Care, and lose their qualifying activity, to receive continued benefits for up to 3 months after the activity ends, or until their current annual certification period ends, whichever comes first.
• The Gap Period process will benefit caretakers in the following ways:
• It will allow caretakers to maintain uninterrupted eligibility for child care while they are searching for new employment or another qualifying activity.
• Once the caretaker has a new activity, because of continued eligibility, their income eligibility for Publicly Funded Child Care will be determined at 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) instead of at 145% FPL.
• Verification of the new qualifying activity must be received before the childcare closes, or a new application will be needed.