Dear Executive Directors, Childcare and Development Programs:

Stipend Allocations for Preschool and Childcare Programs

In anticipation of the 2021 Budget Act authorizing the CDE and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to allocate funding from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act, the CDE and the CDSS are preparing to issue a one-time stipend in the amount of $600 per subsidized child enrolled in a Preschool and/or childcare program. These stipends are to address costs associated with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in the case of decreased enrollment or closures, and to ensure that programs are able to remain open or reopen.

Beginning July 1, 2021, the CDSS will administer the following contract types: Alternative Payment (CAPP), California Work Opportunity and Responsibilty to Kids (CalWORKs) Stage 2 (C2AP), CalWORKs Stage 3 (C3AP), Migrant Alternative Payment (CMAP), Family Child Care Home (CFCC), General Childcare and Development (CCTR), Severely Disabled (CHAN), and Migrant (CMIG) contracts. Stipend allocations for childcare programs administered by the CDSS will be distributed by CDSS.

The California State Preschool Programs (CSPP) will continue to be administered by the CDE. Stipend allocations for the CSPP contract type will be distributed by the CDE.

Please note that this communication is to notify contractors of a need to submit or verify data, which will allow the CDE and CDSS to quickly allocate these funds; allocations will not be finalized until enacted legislation provides the departments with authority to issue stipend funding.

In order to support efficient and timely release of these funds, all data requested as outlined below must be submitted no later than Friday July 9, 2021.

March 2021 Enrollment Data

This communication serves to notify CSPP, CFCC, CCTR, CHAN and CMIG contractors that Child Development Management Information System (CDMIS) CDD-801A enrollment data submitted for March 2021 will be utilized to determine the number of eligible subsidized children in the program for purposes of stipend allocations. The CAPP, C2AP, C3AP, and CMAP contractors will receive stipend allocations based on caseload data submitted in the online CalWORKs/Alternative Payment reporting system for the month of March 2021. The CDE and CDSS request that contractors review their data submissions for March 2021 to ensure accuracy of the information that has been provided.

Seasonal Migrant Enrollment Data

The CMIG contractors that operate a seasonal migrant program, but that did not operate in March 2021, will receive a stipend allocation based on the most recent month of service prior to March 2021. As such, seasonal Migrant childcare programs should ensure that the data submitted within the CDMIS for the most recent month prior to March 2021 is accurate.

Timeframe for Allocation Process

All March 2021 data must be submitted or revised no later than Friday, July 9, 2021. Data submitted by this date will be utilized for stipend allocations. This deadline applies to both the CDE and CDSS programs.

The departments will be completing allocations shortly thereafter, and apportionment payments are expected to be issued to contractors in August 2021, provided that the 2021 budget is enacted on or about July 1, 2021. Please note that these allocations will not be provided as an augmentation to a contract, but rather will be paid as a separate payment sent directly to the contractor.

Both departments will collect data in mid-July to assess the need to distribute additional funds to contractors who provide care in a Family Childcare Home Education Network setting. The purpose of the mid-July data collection is to ensure contractors with children enrolled with multiple providers receive sufficient funding to issue stipend payments to each eligible provider.

Additional guidance will be provided to contractors in the coming weeks. The purpose of this communication is solely to notify contractors of the stipend allocation methodology and deadlines for reporting.

If you have any questions regarding this correspondence, please contact your assigned CDNFS fiscal analyst. The Fiscal Analyst Directory for both CDE and CDSS programs can be found at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/faad.asp.

We appreciate your partnership as we continue to put children first.