"Children Learning, Parents Earning, Communities Growing"
Issue #17                                                               April 23, 2018 
Quick Links
CAPPA's
2017-18 Board of Directors
President
Rick Richardson
 Child Development Associates

Vice President
Karen Marlatt
Valley Oak Children's Services

Treasurer
Beth Chiaro
Child Care Resource Center 

Secretary
LaVera Smith
Supportive Services Fresno

Past President
Martin Castro
Mexican American Opportunity Foundation
Public Policy Co-Chair
Jeffrey Moreira
Crystal Stairs, Inc.

Public Policy Co-Chair
Phillip Warner
Children's Council San Francisco 

Members-at-Large
Tina Barna
Choices for Children

Abby Shull
YMCA Childcare Resource Service 
 
Amanda Al Fartosi
KinderCare Education

Jeanne Fridolfs
Community Resources for Children
 
Mike Michelon
Siskiyou Child Care Council

Marco Jimenez
Central Valley Children's Services Network

Jasmine Tijerino
San Mateo 4Cs

Michelle Graham
Children's Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County

Joie Owen
Glenn County Office of Education

Denyne Micheletti Colburn
CAPPA CEO
Featured Agency of the Month

The Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County, Inc. (CAPSLO) , established in 1965, is in a nonprofit corporation committed to eliminating the causes of poverty by empowering low-income individuals and families to achieve self-sufficiency through a wide array of community-based collaborations and programs. 
Click HERE to read more. 
EESD/CDE, DSS & CCLD Updates
The EESD will host a webinar for CDE, EESD contractors on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 9:30am on the Program Self-Evaluation (PSE). Access the webinar 
March 14, 2018
The CDE Child Development Contracts office will begin e-mail distribution of fiscal year (FY) 2018-19 child
development contracts on May  21 , 2018.
February 12, 2018
Bridge Program Monthly Technical Assistance Calls
DSS will be hosting technical assistance calls on the last Tuesday of each month from 1-2 pm, beginning in February.  These calls will provide opportunities for counties to share best practices and challenges as they implement the Bridge Program. CDSS staff will also be available to answer questions and address concerns. If you have specific questions or suggestions for topics in advance of the calls, please send them to
Job Openings

Is Your Organization Hiring?
Post your job announcement here for thousands to see!
There is no charge for CAPPA members.
Non-members will be charged a fee of $75.
Please email us your posting!

Go Kids, Inc., Gilroy

Pomona Unified School District- Child Development 
Children's Council San Francisco
Solano Family & Children's Services 
UC Berkeley
North Coast Opportunities-Lake County
Child Care Coordinating Council, Inc. of San Mateo County 

Child Development Inc. is Hiring! See the Recruitment Flyer  Here.
Announcements
CAPPA Member Benefits now available on the Members Only website:
*BRAND NEW!*
CAPPA is excited to announce that our brand new CAPPA Community Forum is now ready! This Forum is an integrated discussion board and will allow members to engage in online discussion, subscribe to your favorite topics, get your questions answered and upload your agency forms- Find answers, stay informed, and make connections!
Email CAPPA for your log-in so that you can access this forum and all other resources that the member's only website has to offer.
Now up on the forum: Do you have any specific questions on 12-month eligibility stopping you from fully implementing? 

*All new AP branding templates  from CAPPA's Branding Committee are now available for CAPPA members. 

Sensory Regulation Strategies to Promote Behavior Management 


Save money when you join TechSoup! TechSoup is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits.  Save hundreds of dollars on products like Microsoft Office, Antivirus software, a number of fundraising programs, and much more!  Signing up to become a TechSoup member is the first step toward getting product donations. Once you sign up, you can see the donation programs your organization is eligible for. 
Sign up  and check it out today!  Once you've signed up as a TechSoup member, you can register your organization and get started requesting donations.

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support CAPPA every time you shop.  When you shop at  smile.amazon.com , you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to CAPPA. 
If interested, you can also sign up for an Amazon Business account for free. This is similar to a Prime account and will give you free 2-day shipping. You can learn more  Here.
Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you for your support! 
Field Happenings!
The CAPPA Board has made it a priority to support our field with a coordinated calendar to note upcoming statewide conferences, federal conferences of relevance, CDE and DSS stakeholder meetings and legislative and budget deadlines and hearings.
CAPPA Monday Morning Update Partner






Our Monday Morning Update supports our Early Learning & Child Care field with timely information about what is going on in California and nationally; as well as dates to be aware and upcoming events. 

Our weekly (50 times per year) Monday morning distribution is to more than 4,000 federal and state local agencies, resource and referrals, contractors, legislators and their staffs', centers, parents, providers, state departments and advocates.  

To help support the continuation of this resource and or advertise in the Monday Morning Update, click  HERE. 

You can also make a donation to CAPPA and CAPPA Children's Foundation
The Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization (501(c)3), Taxpayer Identification Number is 
03-0521444. Your generous donation is tax deductible.
What's Happening
California 
State Legislation 
California Senate and Assembly floor sessions will convene on Monday and Thursday this week. This Friday, April 27, is the last day for policy committees to hear and report to fiscal committees fiscal bills introduced in their house. 
 
Click here   to be directed to CAPPA's website to see all of the legislation that has been identified to be of interest to our field. You can find fact sheets and sample letter templates when available. On this page, CAPPA will also note legislative hearings of interest to our field.  To track and/or review legislation or to create your own tracking list,  click here.  

This week CAPPA would like to highlight some bills of importance relevant to the CalWORKs system that are currently being moved through the legislative process. These bills, although may not directly impact our Alternative Payment Programs, are bills which may be of benefit to low-income families and children- the clients served by Alternative Payment Programs. Below please find a sampling of some current bills relevant to these issues. 
*Please note the bills noted are not always necessarily bills that CAPPA is taking active positions on, but rather for information sharing purposes. You can find more information, such as fact sheets and sample support letters by visiting our website . 
  • SB 982 (Mitchell) CalWORKs grant amount: The CalWORKs program provides basic needs cash aid and services to low-income families with children to alleviate the impact of poverty on children and help parents overcome barriers to employment. The CalWORKs program serves 1.1 million individuals in California, 80 percent of whom are children. SB 982 will endeavor to eliminate deep poverty in the CalWORKs program by placing a minimum grant level to ensure no CalWORKs grant falls below 50 percent of the federal poverty line. By doing so, this bill intends to protect children from the worst harms of chronically unmet basic needs and better enable the CalWORKs program to achieve its goals.
  • AB 1992 (Chu) CalWORKs eligibility: immunizations: Current California law requires families receiving CalWORKs benefits to provide documentation that under-school-age children have the required immunizations. Families may could opt out of immunizing their child if it has been medically determined that the child cannot be immunized or if the family files an affidavit claiming that their beliefs do not permit them to immunize their child. If they do not provide verification within 45 days, the family's grant is reduced by approximately $130 per month until verification is submitted to the county. AB 1992 supports children and families in deep poverty by extending the time a family has to comply with the CalWORKs immunization verification requirement to 6-months and by actively working to help a low-income family secure immunization for their child.
  • AB 2269 (Lackey) CalWORKs: eligibility: Currently, the CalWORKs program benefits terminate for a person who reaches the age of 18 years old, unless there is evidence that he or she will complete school requirements before turning 19 years of age. AB 2269 addresses this by extending the CalWORKs program for person receiving aid until he or she reaches the age of 20, when attending school and making satisfactory progress. 
  • AB 2326 (Rubio) CalWORKs: welfare-to-work: exemption: Currently, In order for families to be exempt from welfare-to-work (WtW) with a child under 2 years of age, a CalWORKs parent has to contact their county worker. Additionally, currently, families are only allowed to utilize the exemption once, or for only one child. AB 2326 provides that a CalWORKs parent shall be exempt for participation in a WtW activity with a child under the age of 24-months. The individual exempted from the WtW program shall be issued a notice of action (NOA) informing them that they are exempt from participation in the WtW program, but they are entitled to volunteer to participate in any WtW activity of his or her choice. It also expands the exemption to apply for multiple children. 
State Budget Update
For child care and early education, our need and our ask is quite simple... 

WHAT DO WE WANT...
$1 BILLION FOR BABIES!!
100,000 CHILD CARE SLOTS!!!
WHEN DO WE NEED THEM...NOW!!!
  • Parents need access to 24 hour/7 days per week affordable child care options that meet the demands of full time employment.
  • Children need stable and enriching child care settings to attain greater educational outcomes.
  • Child care providers and teachers need to be reimbursed livable rates that value their profession and economic contributions.
  • Employers need a reliable workforce.
The Senate and the Assembly Budget Subcommittees that oversee child care, early education, preschool and transitional kindergarten (TK) have wrapped up their first informational hearings.  Click here to read the past agendas for each of the respective subcommittees as well as 2018-2019 budget related materials.  Click here to read a copy of the Early Care and Education (ECE) Coalition letter.

So what happens now?  By May 14, the Governor announces an updated revenue forecast, which accounts for changes in revenues since January. If the forecast changes significantly, the Governor may propose more changes to his January budget proposal. The update is known as the "May Revise" or "May Revision." The Assembly Budget Subcommittee 2 on Education Finance and the Senate Budget Subcommittee 1 on Education will have about a week to consider any new proposed changes. 

Click here to see budget related hearings and released information of importance to our field.
Facts for Upcoming Elections

November 6th election thus far shows the following:
  • 27 candidates have filed to run for governor
  • 5 statewide ballot measures have qualified for June and 1 ballot measure has qualified for November 6th
April 11th (below) notes the status update of all initiatives
Initiatives and Referenda Cleared for Circulation                                   (35)
Circulating Initiatives with 25% of Signatures Reached                         (15)
Initiatives and Referenda Pending SIgnature Verification                     (2)
Initiatives and Referenda Pending at the Attorney General's Office   (1)
Initiatives Eligible for the November 2018 General Election                (0)
Qualified Statewide Ballot Measures                                                         (6)


Federal
House Farm Bill Would Sabotage SNAP

On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee passed the 2018 Farm Bill, which would reauthorize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If enacted, the changes proposed by Chairman Mike Conaway (R-TX) would add red tape to SNAP and endanger millions of people who are food insecure.

As our flagship domestic nutrition program, SNAP provides 42 million people a modest monthly benefit that helps them put food on their table and often fills the gap between having enough to eat and going hungry. SNAP helps children, seniors, working families, veterans, low-wage workers, and many more. In addition to the immediate positive effects of SNAP, research shows that the program improves long-term health and education outcomes for recipients.
Medicaid Work Requirements Will Harm the Homeless

Medicaid expansion under the ACA significantly increased health coverage for people experiencing homelessness. But that coverage is now at risk due to the Trump Administration's decision to lets states take Medicaid away from people who don't work a specified number of hours each month.

Unsurprisingly, people experiencing homelessness face significant barriers to work, including physical and behavioral health conditions, lack of work experience or inconsistent work history, and histories of incarceration.

Homelessness itself is also a barrier to employment, and even those who do manage to work, including those who work in unstable jobs that may not provide enough hours each month to meet the Medicaid work requirement, will still be at risk of losing coverage.

Follow up Resources on new Child Care & Development Block Grant Funds
as forwarded to CAPPA by Hannah Matthews from CLASP

These resources from CLASP may be helpful in answering your questions about the new funds:
The National Women's Law Center (NWLC) and CLASP are creating a learning community for advocates to facilitate sharing around state strategies for the new CCDBG funds. Click here to fill out the form if you're interested in joining. We will hold monthly calls where advocates can share their best practices, state developments, challenges, and opportunities. This will also be a useful place to discuss maintaining these funds in FY19 and beyond.

Of Interest
State Partner Updates
Tax Day 2018 is a Chance to Consider How the California and Federal Paths Differ

Late last year, President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress enacted a federal tax package that is heavily tilted toward corporations and wealthy households, is projected to substantially increase the federal deficit, and could set up deep cuts to key federal services and supports that help lay the groundwork for economic opportunity and security.

On Tax Day 2018, a new post from Chris Hoene, the Budget Center's Executive Director, discusses the values and priorities reflected in this federal tax plan and also explores how California has taken a very different approach to tax policy in recent years. "The pathway that California has opted to pursue positions the state to build on this recent progress through future choices that we can make to broaden and deepen economic opportunity," Hoene writes. The post also looks at what could be at stake with certain tax policy choices California voters are likely to face on the statewide ballot this November.


IMPORTANT UPDATE: Notice of Repeal of AB 404
The purpose of this informational notice is to inform contractors of recent legislative changes and the implications to your programs. Last year, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill (AB) 404 and it became effective July 1, 2017. This bill added Section 11004.5 to the Welfare and Institutions Code and stated that foster care payments shall not be considered income of the foster parent or the child for the purposes of determining eligibility for child care services.
Recent legislation, specifically AB 1694, approved by Governor Brown on April 6, 2018, repeals AB 404, effective immediately.
Contractors shall consider foster care payments of the foster parent or the child as income in calculating total countable income for the purposes of determining eligibility for early care and education services, and for determining the family fees associated with those services, when applicable.
The CDE is aware that some contractors between July 1, 2017, and April 5, 2018, may have considered the income from foster payments to foster parents or children in calculating income during the process of certifying eligibility of families based on the provisions of last year's AB 404. As a reminder, those families' certification is valid for no less than twelve months. However, if the foster parent or child is still receiving foster care payments at the end of the twelve-month period, that income must be included in their total countable income for the purposes of determining their eligibility at recertification.
If you need assistance in calculating total countable income, or if you have any questions specifically related to this message, please contact your EESD Field Services Consultant by phone at 916-322-6233. A listing of Field Services Consultant regional assignments is located on the CDE Consultant Regional Assignment Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/assignments.asp.
Upcoming CAPPA Events 
Regional Technical Assistance Trainings- Summer 2018
May 25, 2018
Montebello

May 31, 2018
Orland
June 11, 2018
Fresno
June 14, 2018
Santa Rosa
CAPPA member agencies, with the support of CAPPA & Children's Foundation, are putting together a series of Technical Assistance (TA) trainings that will be coming to a region near you!
This series will be delivered in a format that is very participatory.
We encourage all participating to come with questions, as well as samples for each of the topics that will be discussed. 
Topics to include:
  • Best Practices Session (10:00am-11:45am):
    • How to successfully prepare for a GAU in the age of 12-month eligibility-discussions based on recently conducted reviews
    • Provider Reimbursement Methods 
  • Lunch (11:45am-12:15pm)
  • CAPPA Budget and Legislative Discussion and Updates (12:15pm-1:00pm)
  • Peer-to-Peer Networking Session (1:00pm-2:00pm):This portion of the agenda will allow attendees to share their successful strategies, tools and ideas.

CAPPA Statewide Meeting-in partnership with CDE
June 21, 2018
University of Phoenix
2860 Gateway Oaks Drive
Bldg. B, Ste. 100
Sacramento CA  95833
Classrooms 121/122/123 
9:30am-2:30pm

To better support our field, CAPPA, in partnership with CDE, will be hosting an informational training for our field in Sacramento!  
These Statewide Meetings will bring our field together to share insights and experiences, explore ideas, shape policy, and discuss best practices.
Both locations will offer the same format, agenda and presentations. We hope you can join us!

Agenda:
9:00am
Registration
9:30am-11:00am
 Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Act Results
 The purpose of this informational session is to present information and results regarding the Improper Payments and Elimination Recovery Act (IPERA) review for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2015-16.
11:00am-12:30pm
 Overview of the Alternative Payment, CalWORKs Child Care and Family Child Care Home Education Networks Review Guide
This workshop presents an overview of the Alternative Payment review guide and provides clear written information that will be used in Alternative Payment monitoring reviews.
12:30pm
Lunch
1:00pm-2:30pm
 Attendance Recording, Reporting and Provider Payments (Alternative Payment Programs)
This workshop presents an overview of the changes to attendance reporting as prescribed in AB 274. It will provide information on provider payment requirements and parent and provider responsibilities for attendance recording for reimbursements, proration, monthly maximums, provider examples of actual calculations and how to deal with oddities like if hourly rates exceed daily rates.

A BIG Thank you to our event partners!

 

Interested in sponsoring these events?
Click Here to sponsor the Sacramento Training

We look forward to seeing you!
Upcoming Field Events 
CAPPA Logo

To help the field better coordinate the calendaring of information valuable to all, we are hosting a field calendar.  On the calendar will be national, state and regional meetings, legislative and budget hearings, and any other events brought to our attention.  To add to the calendar, simply email CAPPA.
SAVE THE DATE!
KIDS ARE TAKING OVER CALIFORNIA THIS SPRING!

Did you hear that noise? It's the sound of thousands of kids voices rising up and taking over  Sacramento   this Spring! Advocacy groups from across California are bringing the voices of kids and families to the Capitol this April and May, urging decision makers to put kids front and center during policy and budget decisions. Please join us in Sacramento for any of these great  opportunities  , and we urge you to use hashtag #SpringForKids for any related social media. 

Upcoming Events:

First 5 Association
First 5 20th Anniversary & Family Fun Day
May 2, Capitol Lawn North (L Street) 11am - 1pm
Contact: Margot Grant Gould, 

Parent Voices CA
22nd Annual Stand for Children Day
May 9, Capitol Steps North (L Street) 10am - 2pm
Contact: Mary Ignatius, 

What: Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission hearing
Topic: Financing Early Learning in California
When: May 3, 2018 at 1:00pm-3:00pm
Where: State Capitol, Room 4202
Sacramento, CA 95814

*Agenda and additional materials will be forthcoming.   Click here to be directed to the website for upcoming meeting notices and materials. 
Register Today for an Entire Year's Worth of Training!


All New Early Learning & Child Care Webinar Series for 2018!

Build or Add to your  Resource Library!
This is Your Opportunity to Receive Professional Development in a Format Convenient to You.

CAPPA Children's Foundation, in partnership with MCT Technology, brings you an ALL NEW Series of trainings, all for one low price per center or program location.
View the webinar series and be connected without ever leaving your location. This is a fabulous opportunity to train staff, providers and the community on the most requested child care topics for 2018 at an affordable price in an incredibly convenient format.

Click Here to see more details, topics and to register for the all new 2018 series.

The 2010- 2017 series' are still available for purchase. Purchase the 2010, 2011 and 2012 webinar CDs for 50% off!! For more information or to view past topics, Click Here.