The Child Development Division (CDD) continues work to implement Act 76, the child care and early childhood education law that passed in June 2023. CDD’s Act 76 webpage includes an updated Act 76 Status and Summary report and links to related memos, reports, and committees.
Upcoming CCFAP Changes
Three changes to the Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) will go into effect on Sunday, June 30, 2024. These changes aim to make child care more affordable for more families and to support child care programs to increase quality and sustainability.
- The state rates for registered family child care homes are increasing. New certificates for providers will be generated to reflect the change in the state rate and will be available in CDDIS after June 29, 2024.
- Citizenship status of participating children will no longer be a factor for CCFAP eligibility. Citizenship status for other household members will not be requested. Families must meet all other CCFAP criteria to be eligible. Updated CCFAP applications will be available on the CDD website and from Community Child Care Support Agencies by June 28.
- Attendance codes used for CCFAP attendance submission will be minimized to meet the requirement for enrollment based payments. A new attendance code “C” will be used for all child absences, including vacation, illness, and unexplained absences, with a maximum of 30 days per fiscal year (July 1- June 30). No changes are being made to the attendance code “P” for provider closed days, with a maximum of 30 days per fiscal year. Additional days can be requested for exceptional circumstances. Additionally, payment can be made for up to two weeks when no notice is provided, an increase from the current one week no notice.
In order for a smooth transition, CDDIS will be down starting at noon (12 p.m.) on Friday, June 28 through the weekend. During that time, CDD will run a “mass certificate regeneration” for all current CCFAP recipients who have a certificate connected to a registered family child care home to reflect the increase in the state rate.
Following the certificate regeneration, new certificates for providers and Statements of Eligibility for families will be available. Providers will be able to view new certificates in their provider portal. Families will receive an email that their new Statement of Eligibility can be viewed in their parent portal. The CDDIS Help Desk is available for help with parent or provider portals. Please fill out the CDDIS Help Desk Request Form. For questions related to CCFAP, please contact AHS.DCFCDDCCFAPPayments@vermont.gov.
CCFAP Webinar and Q&A Tomorrow
Join CDD on Thursday, June 20 from 11-11:45 a.m. for a webinar about recent and upcoming Act 76 changes. The webinar will walk through upcoming changes to the Child Care Financial Assistance Program and briefly touch on other Act 76 status updates. CDD staff will be available to answer questions. Event registration is required. If you cannot attend the event but would like to submit a question, please email ahs.dcfcddinfo@vermont.gov.
Register online for the webinar.
A recording of the webinar will be posted on CDD’s Act 76 webpage after the event.
Early Submission Deadline for Child Care Attendance
Due to the close of the State Fiscal Year the last week in June and the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, please submit your child care attendance for CCFAP:
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No later than noon (12 p.m.) on Tuesday, June 25.
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Paper checks will be mailed on Thursday, June 27. Depending on your bank, direct deposits will be in accounts on Friday, June 28.
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No later than noon (12 p.m.) on Tuesday, July 2.
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Paper checks will be mailed on Friday, July 5. Depending on your bank, direct deposits will be in accounts on Monday, July 8.
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We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your help.
Summer Care
For child care providers serving school-aged children, please view your CCFAP certificates to ensure certificates have been issued for summer care. Your review will help to prevent delays in receiving payment for eligible children. Your local Community Child Care Support Agency can help with questions regarding CCFAP certificates.