Child Care Providers: Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) is asking for your help with the 2021 Child Care Market Rate Survey. This survey asks questions about your program, children you serve, and gathers rates paid for services. Your participation in this survey is very important as the information you provide will help set CCAP reimbursement rates for the next three years! By completing the survey, you will have multiple chances to win a $50 gift card! The survey closes April 23, 2021.

Complete the survey here: http://bit.ly/RImrs

For questions or assistance, please contact: RIDHSSurvey@pcgus.com

Los proveedores de cuidados infantiles: Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) le solicita ayuda con la Encuesta 2021 sobre Tarifas de Mercado del Cuidado Infantil. Esta encuesta hace preguntas sobre su programa, los niños que atiende, y reúne las tasas pagadas por las familias y las tasas de mercado. Su participación en esta encuesta es muy importante y la información que proporcione ayudará a establecer los importes de reintegro del CCAP para los próximos tres años. ¡Al completar la encuesta, tendrá varios posibilidades para ganar una tarjeta de regalo de $ 50! La encuesta cierra el 23 de abril de 2021.

Complete la encuesta aquí: http://bit.ly/RImrs

Si tienen preguntas o necesitan ayuda, pónganse en contacto con: RIDHSSurvey@pcgus.com

The Child Care Stabilization Fund is a grant opportunity for DHS-licensed providers. The program aims to alleviate some of the economic and operational hardships you faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first window of applications will open on March 29, 2021. All licensed programs will need to submit an online grant application prior to award.

For more information, go to: RI Children's Cabinet Funding Opportunities.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) deployed a series of three surveys in October, November, and December 2020 to collect information on the programmatic and financial impact that COVID-19 had on licensed child care programs and the families they serve. Thank you so much to all the providers who completed one or more of the surveys.

Each month, an average of 339 licensed, reopened child care providers responded to the survey (October: 347, November: 324, December: 346).

Hearing directly from providers is crucial in providing DHS real-time information to inform our decisions and best provide additional support. Specifically, the information gathered through this survey series provides DHS the data to:

• Advocate for the $5 million COVID-19 Relief Fund, which will be used to support licensed child care providers to maintain their businesses
• Continue the enhanced Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) rate to better support child care providers serving children enrolled in CCAP
• Continue the CCAP payment practice to pay providers based on enrollment rather than attendance
• Plan and advocate for future funding

The COVID-19 Impact Survey series has now concluded, and a summary report can be found here.

With the leadership of Governor Raimondo and the support of the Rhode Island Department of Health, several child care providers reopened under new regulations after June 1, 2020.

The State’s reopening plans are aligned with the Governor’s broader Reopening RI, a phased and flexible plan to safely bring Rhode Island and its economy into a place that is stronger and more resilient with fewer restrictions. It is important to note, timelines for Reopening RI are entirely dependent on the status of the COVID-19 crisis and guidance from our public health experts.

The Department’s first priority is to protect the health and safety of all children and families served in child care programs statewide. We also recognized the need to reopen child care in a way that is economically viable for child care providers who are small business owners.

Our Department recognized the need to thoughtfully reopen safe and developmentally appropriate child care to both support working families and ensure the economic viability of our valued providers. Based on recommendations from our public health experts, RI is exercised additional precautions to protect the health and safety of children and ensure child care programs adhere to public health protections to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

All providers must develop and submit a COVID-19 plan to the DHS Child Care Licensing team. The plan needs to be approved by DHS to begin operating. COVID-19 plans should be sent to the DHS Child Care Licensing team.

The following CCAP payment practices are in effect temporarily to help our valued providers reopen. These practices will be in effect for 13 weeks, from June 1st to August 28th.

• For providers who reopen, CCAP services are reimbursed based on enrollment and not attendance. Providers who do not reopen and are not serving CCAP children are not reimbursed for CCAP services. Providers are temporarily able to maintain their Pre-COVID enrollment capacity upon reopening and should only disenroll CCAP families who either lose their eligibility or decide to enroll with a new CCAP provider.
• CCAP Providers are receiving a temporary rate enhancement to support reopening costs. These rates are posted below and all necessary documents, including the application plan, and other resources for reopening a child care site as well as helpful information for families can be found on Reopening RI.

• Licensed Center Temporary Rate Enhancements
• Licensed Family Temporary Rate Enhancements English
• Licensed Family Temporary Rate Enhancements Español

If you have additional child care licensing questions, or would like support from your licensor in completing your COVID-19 plan, please email Child Care Licensing team. For CCAP child care inquiries, such as CCAP enrollment and payment matters, please email Child Care.

Thank you for your cooperation, flexibility and patience as the State continues to do all it can to further prevent the spread of COVID-19 and safely reopen our economy.

This Quick Reference Guide (QRG), below in English and in Spanish, provides an overview of how to log in, enroll a child, search for and submit attendance and view reports and correspondence.

CCAP Provider Portal QRG English

CCAP Provider Portal QRG Español

CCAP Provider Portal Guide 2018:

English

Comprehensive background checks are an essential component of child care licensing compliance, and is required every five years. A comprehensive background check consists of the following:

• RI Child Abuse and Neglect Registry Check – only available from the Department of Children, Youth and Families (formerly known as a CANTS check)
• National FBI Fingerprint Criminal History Check
• State criminal background check for RI (also known as the BCI) (If fingerprints were conducted in RI, the state check is included in the national. If fingerprints were conducted outside of RI, a state criminal BCI is needed.)
• State Sex Offender Registry (RISOR)
• National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR)
• Interstate Criminal, Sex Offender Registry, and Child Abuse and Neglect Registry (for any individual who has lived outside of Rhode Island in the previous five years)

Effective December 2019, the Rhode Island Attorney General will accept any and all staff members for walk-in fingerprinting. It is imperative to the Child Care Licensing team that you can hire, onboard and train staff to ensure successful adherence to the child care regulations. While you are still able to go to your local and state police barracks if necessary, the Attorney General will fingerprint new hires for you immediately. The cost of the comprehensive background check at the Attorney General’s office will be $40.00.

• Due to COVID-19, we ask those individuals to contact BCI first in order to make an appointment at 401-274-4400 , ext. 2.

Please provide the fingerprint affidavit (below in English and Spanish) to all child-caring staff upon hire moving forward. It is important that you work with your staff to fill this out entirely, so the complete comprehensive background check can be obtained.

• Fingerprint Affidavit English
• Fingerprint Affidavit Español

A Helpful Background Check Requirements Infographic is below in English and Spanish.

• Background Check Infographic English
• Background Check Infographic Español

Following a public hearing in June 2018, the federal Administration for Children and Families approved the RI CCAP State Plan 2019-2021. Here is the most recent amendment.

SEIU 1199 NE represents health care workers in the New England area and is the selected union representative for family child care providers participating in the Starting RIght Child Care Assistance Program. For more information, please connect to SEIU 1199 NE.

Starting Right Eligibility Guidelines

CCAP Eligibility Levels and Cost-Sharing Levels

CCAP Annual Family Income and Weekly Co-Payment

CCAP Family Income and Co-Payments

Provider Applications

Child Care Center Universal Application

Family Child Care Universal Application English

Family Child Care Universal Application Español

Provider Rate Charts

Center Child Care Weekly Rates

Exempt Child Care Weekly Rates

Exempt Child Care Weekly Rates Español

Family Child Care Weekly Rates

Family Child Care Weekly Rates Español

Payment Schedule with Dates of Service, Batch Numbers, Reporting Deadline Dates, and the estimated Payment Dates for the coming year

CCAP Bi-Weekly Payment Schedule English

CCAP Bi-Weekly Payment Schedule Español

Request for Reimbursement

CCAP Payment Request Form English

CCAP Payment Request Form - Español

Direct Deposit:

CCAP-5 Direct Deposit Form English

CCAP-5 Direct Deposit Form Español

Ways to Strengthen Rhode Island's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)

BrightStars Think Tank Recommendations Report

Department of Human Services' Response to the BrightStars Think Tank Recommendations

Implementation Fall 2018 Response

RI Child Care Emergency Preparedness Plan 2018

To ensure that child care providers are prepared in the event of an emergency.

RI Child Care Market Rate Survey 2018

A study was undertaken to determine child care rates charged throughout Rhode Island and, particularly, to establish the 75th percentile rate. The ultimate purpose of this study is to assist DHS in determining the appropriate maximum reimbursement rates for child care services provided to families participating in the DHS Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).