DAR File No. 40554

Workforce Services, Employment Development

Rule R986-700

Child Care Assistance

Notice of Proposed Rule

(Amendment)

DAR File No.: 40554
Filed: 06/29/2016 01:42:33 PM

RULE ANALYSIS

Purpose of the rule or reason for the change:

The Legislature passed S.B. 101 in the 2016 General Session, which provided funding for an Intergenerational Poverty (IGP) School Readiness Program.

Summary of the rule or change:

These changes outline eligibility requirements for IGP scholarships, how to apply for a scholarship, and how the Department will award scholarships to ensure it stays within funding limits.

State statutory or constitutional authorization for this rule:

• Subsection 35A-1-104(4)
• Section 35A-3-310
• Section 53A-1b-110
• Section 35A-9-401
• Section 35A-1-104
• Section 53A-1b-207

Anticipated cost or savings to:

the state budget:

There will be no costs or savings to the state budget as services and scholarships will be provided within the amount allocated in S.B. 101 (2016).

local governments:

There will be no costs or savings to any local government as this is a state-funded program.

small businesses:

There will be no costs or savings to any small businesses as these changes will be paid for from allocated state funds. Small businesses will not be affected by these changes.

persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local governmental entities:

There will be no costs to persons other than small businesses, businesses, or local government entities to comply with these changes because there are no costs or fees associated with these proposed changes.

Compliance costs for affected persons:

There are no compliance costs for this change to anyone, including persons affected by this change. This is a program to provide scholarships, and there are no fees or compliance costs to apply for or receive the scholarship. All expenses will be paid by the Department within the budget allotted by the Legislature.

Comments by the department head on the fiscal impact the rule may have on businesses:

There are no compliance costs associated with this change. There are no fees associated with this change. There will be no cost to anyone to comply with these changes. There will be no fiscal impact on any business.

Jon Pierpont, Executive Director

The full text of this rule may be inspected, during regular business hours, at the Office of Administrative Rules, or at:

Workforce Services
Employment Development
140 E 300 S
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84111-2333

Direct questions regarding this rule to:

• Suzan Pixton at the above address, by phone at 801-526-9645, by FAX at 801-526-9211, or by Internet E-mail at spixton@utah.gov

Interested persons may present their views on this rule by submitting written comments to the address above no later than 5:00 p.m. on:

08/15/2016

This rule may become effective on:

08/22/2016

Authorized by:

Jon Pierpont, Executive Director

R986. Workforce Services, Employment Development.

R986-700. Child Care Assistance.

R986-700-775. High Quality School Readiness Grant Program.

(1) The Office of Child Care (OCC) administers this program pursuant to the authority granted in Utah Code Section 53A-1b-106.

(2) The OCC will solicit proposals from eligible private providers and eligible home-based educational technology providers and make recommendations to the School Readiness Board (SRB) as provided in 53A-1b-106(3).

(3) Eligible private providers and eligible home-based educational technology providers must submit an application, together with a proposal to the OCC by the date provided in the application.

(4) The proposal must contain the components outlined in 53A-1b-105(1) or (2) and details as required in 53A-1b-106(7).

(5) A grant recipient must report annually to the OCC the information required in 53A-1b-106(12) in addition to other information as required by the OCC.

[(6) The OCC will monitor each grant recipient to ensure compliance with the High Quality School Readiness Grant Program and share information received from grant recipients annually with the SRB.

(7) Grant recipients must cooperate with the OCC to satisfy the monitoring and reporting requirements of the grant. Cooperation will include allowing onsite visits, providing information, including documentary evidence and written statements, when requested by the OCC, returning telephone calls from an OCC representative when requested to do so, and reporting, at a designated time and place, for an in-person interview with an OCC representative if so requested.]

 

R986-700-776. Intergenerational Poverty School Readiness Scholarship Program.

(1) Scholarships are available, as funding permits, for a child who

(a) will be four years of age on or before September 2 of the school year in which the individual intends to participate in a school readiness program;

(b) has not entered kindergarten; and

(c) is experiencing intergenerational poverty, as determined by the Department.

(2) The Department will mail scholarship applications to individuals who the Department has identified as potentially eligible and who live in an area where one or more high quality preschool programs is available. Individuals who do not receive an application from the Department may still apply by contacting the OCC and requesting an application. The Department will notify potential applicants of the due date for filing a completed application.

(3) An applicant may be required to show that transportation to a high quality preschool program is available if the child does not live within a reasonable commuting distance from the high quality preschool.

(4) An applicant may be required to provide verification and supporting documentation if necessary to determine eligibility.

(5) The value of the scholarship will be determined by which program the parent chooses.

(6) Scholarships are transferable however funds cannot be prorated during a given month. So if a child attends one day or more during a given month at one program, and wishes to transfer to a second program at any time during that month, the full scholarship payment will be made to the first program.

(7) Payment will be made directly to the high quality preschool provider. The provider must send the OCC an invoice at the end of the month, or as soon thereafter as feasible, when services were provided.

 

R986-700-777. Prioritizing Criteria.

If the Department does not receive sufficient funding to award scholarships to all eligible individuals, the Department will award scholarships by ranking eligible children who are considered at the highest risk according to Department policy. A list of the criteria for determining highest risk is available from the Department.

 

R986-700-778. Training and Scholarships for Early Childhood Teachers.

The Department may contract without outside entities, as funding permits, to provide training, scholarships and consulting services to assist individuals who intend to receive a Child Development Associate Credential (CDA).

 

KEY: child care

Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment: [April 1], 2016

Notice of Continuation: September 3, 2015

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 35A-3-310; 53A-1b-110