Issue #33                                                            August 14, 2017
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Introducing CAPPA's 2017-18 Board of Directors
CAPPA is excited to announce to the field, our 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
Trudy Adair- Verbais
Santa Barbara County Education Office

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

EESD/CDE, DSS & CCLD Updates
August 11, 2017
Subject: Revised Family Fee Schedule 
July 26, 2017
July 21, 2017
July 12, 2017
July 12, 2017
Manual Letter EAS 17-05 includes revisions to the CalWORKs regulations as a result of the repeal of the Maximum Family Grant (MFG) rule.  These amended regulations are effective June 19, 2017.
Manual Letter EAS 17-06 includes revisions to the CalWORKs regulations regarding eligibility for pregnant women.  These amended regulations are effective July 1, 2017.
July 6, 2017
S ubject: State Median Income(Initial Certification) 
Subject: Graduated Phase-Out (Recertification) 
Subject: Updated Income Rankings
June 29, 2017
and additional information regarding the implementation of early care and education budget provisions.  
May 15, 2017
Transfer of Families into a California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Stage 2 Program
May 5, 2017
The following documents have been revised and are available HERE.
1) April 26, 2017 PSE Presentation Webinar Slides
2) EESD Form 4001 Instructions for Program Review Instrument
August 2017 Featured Agency of the Month!
Child Development Associates, Inc.
Child Development Associates (CDA) is a community-based, non-profit agency in San Diego that has been providing child care and development services since 1974. CDA was founded by a single mother struggling to pay for child care for her four children while working and pursuing a college degree. Her inability to get quality child care assistance inspired her to create CDA. What started as one small child care center serving 24 children, is now a multi-service agency supporting thousands of working parents with child care assistance, operating three high-quality child development centers, and a Child Care Food Program. CDA's mission is to encourage and support the success and well-being of children, families, and child care providers.  
CAPPA Volunteer Opportunities 

Interested in participating on a CAPPA Committee?
Based on outcomes from the CAPPA board retreat, we  have some volunteer opportunities we hope you consider.  They include:

Public Policy Committee (Standing Committee) - reviews actions of subcommittees and provides staff input on legislative positions and budget.
  • Subcommittee 1   focused on "big picture" policies and changes needed to be worked on within the next three years.  This subcommittee will be chaired by Jeff Moreira from Crystal Stairs.
  • Subcommittee 2  focused on more immediate needs.  This subcommittee will be tasked with developing language to support our field realizing 12 month eligibility, supporting CDE with MB content and feedback.  This subcommittee will be chaired by Phillip Warner from Children's Council of San Francisco.
  • Membership Committee
    (Chair) Abby Shull from the YMCA Childcare Resource Service; This committee will support the continued development of securing member benefits.  Additionally, this committee will help develop and identify the trainings, best practices and materials needing to be put together to help our agencies.

    Please email CAPPA if you are interested in participating in any of these committees.  

    		•
    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!

    Teacher Assistant
    International Institute of Los Angeles

    Child Development Inc. is Hiring! See the Recruitment Flyer      Here.
    Announcements
    Burnout Busters:
    Care for the Caregiver 


    CAPPA Member Benefit
    CAPPA Members can save up to 32% on shipping
    UPS is pleased to help members save time and money through special services and shipping discounts. We put the power of logistics to work for you every day by providing speed, outstanding reliability and technology tools so you can focus on your business - not your shipping.

    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!
    Highlights of 4Cs of Alameda County's programs and services featuring 4Cs' families, child care providers, staff, and supporters.

    If you have news to share or an event you want added to CAPPA's website Calendar, 
    Support Our Field & Communications
    Become a 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 HERE.
     
    The Children's Foundation is a non-profit organization (501(c)3), Taxpayer Identification Number is 
    03-0521444. Your generous donation is tax deductible.
    Child Care & Early Learning Master Calendar
    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. 
    • Click here to see the calendar.
    • If you have news to share or an event that you would like added to CAPPA's website calendar, let us know!
    High Priority

    Early Education and Support Division
    Subject: Revised Family Fee Schedule
    Number: 17-11
    Date: August 2017
    Expires: Until Rescinded
    Authority: California Education Code sections 8263, 8263.1, 8273, 8273.1, and 8447(b)(1), (c) and (f)
    Attention: Executive Directors and Program Directors of Child Development Programs

    The purpose of this Management Bulletin (MB) is to notify contractors of the Revised Family Fee Schedule and other changes impacting the assessment of the family fees as required by Assembly Bill (AB) 99, enacted by the Budget Act of 2017. The Revised Family Fee Schedule is effective July 1, 2017, and can be downloaded at   http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/documents/famfeeschedjuly2017.xls.

    This MB rescinds MB 12-05 and MB 14-03a.

    CDE received Department of Finance approval for the updated Family Fee Schedule. The Management Bulletin was posted on Friday.

    CDE Webinar - FOLLOW UP

    On Friday, July 28th, CAPPA supported CDE/EESD with a webinar focused on MB 17-08,  17-09 and 17-10 in addition to answering submitted questions regarding 12-month eligibility.
     
    Click  HERE to read the CDE PPT presentation of the webinar.  The full audio version of the webinar is available HERE. 
     
    If you did not listen to the webinar, we encourage you do so as it was full of rich information. Additionally, it was very clear particularly during the Q&A portion of the webinar, that there are clear objectives that CDE is using as reference to answering questions and drafting Management Bulletins (MBs).  They are:
    1.        CDE directives and input will fall on the side of what is in the best interests of the child.
    2.        Continuity of care for 12 months.
    3.         Hold Harmless will be applied to agencies that are implementing the increase in the SMI, family fees and 12-month eligibility consistent with the 2017-18 budget bill and trailer bill intent.  As noted during the webinar, "Errors and overpayments will not be looked at (Hold Harmless) if implemented in accordance with Education Code Section 8263(i)1:


    (2) A family that establishes initial eligibility or ongoing eligibility on the basis of income shall report increases in income that exceed the threshold for ongoing income eligibility as described in subdivision (b) of Section 8263.1, and the family's ongoing eligibility for services shall at that time be recertified.
    (3) A family that establishes initial eligibility or ongoing eligibility on the basis of seeking employment shall receive services under this chapter as follows:
    (A) If seeking employment is the basis for initial eligibility, the family shall receive services under this chapter for not less than six months.
    (B) If, at the time of recertification, the only basis established for ongoing eligibility is a parent's need to seek employment, the family shall receive services for no less than six months.
    (4) A family may at any time voluntarily report income or other changes. This information shall be used, as applicable, to reduce the family's fees, increase the family's services, or extend the period of the family's eligibility before recertification.

    Hold Harmless will be applied to agencies that are implementing the increase in the SMI, family fees and 12-month eligibility consistent with the 2017-18 budget bill and trailer bill intent.  As noted during the webinar, "Errors and overpayments will not be looked at (Hold Harmless) if implemented in accordance with Education Code Section 8263(i)

    To understand the intent behind these directives, it is strongly suggested that Education Code Sections 8263(h) and (i) be read and memorized, as clear language on the guiding principals behind anticipated directives is given.

    Again, it could not have been emphasized any stronger that if your agency implements in accordance with the the changes in law enacted as part of the 2017-18 budget package above laws that went into effect on July 1, 2017, CDE will have a hold harmless applied for purposes of reviews.
     
    This webinar was very clear that the work we do is going to get greatly streamlined and will definitely support families with continuity of care and greater stability for children.
     
    CAPPA is going to work with CDE to write out answers to the six pages of questions that you have all submitted.  CDE will host these responses on their website, but CAPPA will have a link to them on the same page where we will host this webinar and PPT for reference.  The page where all information will be hosted is here.

    If you have additional questions, please contact CAPPA. 



    Q:  What is the October 1, 2017 deadline?

    A:  That is the deadline wherein CDE must provide through MBs or letters of instruction on how to implement the laws that are now in place.  Below is the language clarifying October 1, 2017 in the Education Code Section 8263.
    (j) (1) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) and Section 33308.5 of this code, until regulations are filed with the Secretary of State to implement subdivision (h), the department shall implement subdivision (h) through management bulletins or similar letters of instruction on or before October 1, 2017.

    MB 17-11: Revised Family Fee Schedule is currently in the approval process, and will be posted in the near future. Additional MBs associated with implementation of the Budget Act of 2017 are forthcoming.

    Finally, EESD has put a hold on issuing more answers to questions regarding past MBs.  The reason for this is that the newly enacted 2017-18 budget has provided the conduit needed to reexamine and do away with burdensome reporting requirements and transfer issues that exist between CalWORKs Stage 1 and Stage 2 child care.

    What's Happening
    California 
     
    LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
    On July 21st, the legislature adjourned for summer recess and will return August 21st. The legislature will return and be in session for a short time until September 15, at which point interim recess will begin until 2019. Upon their return on August 21, bills will be in their final stages as they move through fiscal committee, respective floors, and, finally, to the governor. Many bills of interest to the field are still active in the process:
    • AB 273 (Aguiar- Curry) - Child care services: eligibility. This bill would include in the area relating to need, as a requirement that may be satisfied for purposes of eligibility, that the family needs the child care services because the parents are engaged in an educational program for English as a second language learners or to attain a high school diploma or general educational development certificate.
    • AB 603 (Quirk- Silva) - This bill would require the California Department of Education to provide to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature cost estimates and system analysis for alternative payment programs to develop an electronic timesheet process for the monthly attendance record or invoices, as provided. The bill would require on or before January 1, 2019, an alternative payment program to establish a program of electronic banking for payments made to licensed or license-exempt child care providers that have a contract with that alternative payment program, as provided. This bill would require APPs provide written and/or electronic notice to a child care provider of any changes to service.
    • AB 1106 (Weber)  -   This bill will allow allocated monies to support working families with child care, to be distributed over a longer period of time.  Additionally, the proposal will allow active military personnel to not have their basic housing allowance considered as part of their income when they apply for a child care subsidy.  (CAPPA sponsored bill)  
    • AB 1250 (Jones - Sawyer) - Counties: contracts for personal services.
      *CAPPA has elevated this bill as a high priority bill. This bill would establish specific standards for the use of personal service contracts by counties including, but not limited to  - requiring the county   to clearly demonstrate that the proposed contract will result in actual overall costs savings to the county   and also to show that the contract does not cause the displacement of county  or city  workers, require the to conduct an audit of contracts for personal services in excess of $100,000 annually to determine whether cost savings have been realized and would require the contractor to reimburse the county for the cost of the audit. The bill also would impose additional disclosure requirements for contracts exceeding $100,000 annually.
    During this recess, we think it is would support the field by being aware of what other organizations are tracking.  
    Click here   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 also will be noting legislative hearings of interest to our field.  To track and/or review legislation or to create your own tracking list,  click here.
     
    To access the Senate Daily Files,  click here.
    To access the Assembly Daily Files,  click here.
    To watch live coverage of the Assembly and Senate click here.

    Click here to see the upcoming calendar of legislative deadlines and other field meetings.  CAPPA is offering to host a field calendar to help us all better coordinate our conferences, trainings, and meetings.  If you would like to add to the calendar, email CAPPA. 


    Analysis: Child Care in State Budget 2017 - 2018
    (a message from the Law Center)
    We are pleased to share with you our
    in-depth analysis of child care funding in California's FY 2017-2018 state budget. 
    Significant features in the final state budget for child care include:
    • Total funding for child care and preschool is up $320 million this year, to a total of $3.9 billion.
    • Hundreds of thousands of children will stay in quality child care  because income eligibility guidelines have been increased and we have adopted 12 months of continuous eligibility. 
    • In response to Governor Brown's proposal to exempt preschools run by school districts from health and safety regulations - a stakeholder group will examine the regulations and recommend the appropriate action. 
    Making the Case for Greater Investment in Child Care and Development 

    Policy Analyst Kristin Schumacher provided invited testimony before the California Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education at its July 27 meeting at Cerritos College in Norwalk. Established earlier this year by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, the Commission aims to develop policy solutions to improve outcomes for California's youngest learners and their families. Kristin's presentation discussed state support for child care and development programs and the need for continued reinvestment in subsidized child care and preschool.

    Click here to watch the July 27 meeting (Kristin's remarks begin at 27:45).

    Federal 
    House Republicans Cuts to Nutrition Assistance Would Harm Families in Every State
    By Rachel West and Melissa Boteach
    The House Republican budget's radical, sweeping cuts to programs that everyday Americans rely on should be a wake-up call for anyone who believes that congressional Republicans are more reasonable than President Donald Trump. Like the budget the Trump administration released in May, House Republicans' budget would gut services for people with disabilities, eviscerate Medicaid, cut Social Security, and hike costs for families struggling to afford college.

    Among the cruelest elements of the proposal is its plan to decimate the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation's largest nutrition assistance program. House Republicans want to slash SNAP by a whopping $154 billion over 10 years, cutting projected spending on benefits by 42 percent of projected SNAP spending between 2023 and 2027. If these budget cuts were enacted solely by taking families off the program, more than 7 million households per year could lose access to benefits starting in 2023, and 6.6 million households could lose access in 2027. Take a look at the state and congressional district breakdowns showing how many families would lose benefits in the piece. 


    CACFP Reimbursement Rates
    If you hadn't already heard, the Child and Adult Care Food Program reimbursement rates for 2017-2018 have been released.  Basically, rates went up a little for centers and CACFP administrators and rates went down a little for homes.  The table below shows the rates for everyone.

    To understand how USDA determines if rates go up, down or stay the same in one paragraph click here to view NAFCC's explanation and to understand it in a more detailed version, click here, to read Minute Menu's blog
    .

    Of Interest
    NOTE:  If you would like to share your newsletter or items of interest with our field via the Monday morning e-Newsletter, then please email us a link.
    Insights and Advocacy Call - member benefit

    CAPPA Insights and Advocacy
    Members Only Conference Calls
    August 16, 2017
    10:00am - 10:30am

    Topic: Western Center on Law & Poverty
    Budget and Legislative Update
    Presented by: Jessica Bartholow, Policy Advocate, WCLP

    Join us for an ALL NEW Insights and Advocacy Conference Call.
    Topics will vary from month to month and will include: relevant legislation, budget updates, caucus priorities, reports from policy experts and more.  

    The purpose of these calls is to share with our members, information that is relevant to our field. 

    For this call, Jessica Bartholow, Policy Advocate, Western Center on Law & Poverty will be covering Budget & Legislative Updates, as well as Western Center on Law & Poverty's Upcoming Policy Priorities.

    Jessica Bartholow is a Policy Advocate with nearly two decades of experience in anti-poverty organizing, advocacy and program development at the local, state and national level.

    Western Center on Law & Poverty fights for justice and system-wide change to secure housing, health care, racial justice and a strong safety net for low-income Californians.  We attain real-world, policy solutions for our clients through litigation, legislative and policy advocacy, and technical assistance and legal support for the state's legal aid programs.  We are California's oldest and largest legal services support center.

    Visit Wester Center on Law & Poverty's Legislation and
    Budget webpage HERE.  Also, see a  link to their most recent update      HERE. 

    The calls will be formatted to allow the speaker the opportunity to speak and provide the field with information. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the call.  If you have questions right now, you can submit them to CAPPA. 
     
    Call-in information will be sent the day before the call to the email address provided.  

    Of Importance

    The 2017 -18 Budget Act reflects 75th percentile 
    rates using the 2016 Market Rate Survey.   Click here to see that survey and the rates as they relate to your county. 
     
    Included in the budget is another hold harmless provision for 12 months, which is proposed to start from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018.

    *MEMBERS: Please email CAPPA for county specific sheets
    Upcoming CAPPA Trainings

    CAPPA Training: "Everything Fiscal"
    August 23, 2017
    Sacramento, CA 
    9:30am - 2:00pm 
    CAPPA will be delivering a training focused specifically on APP fiscal issues on August 23rd in Sacramento. We will be providing information from a field auditor on auditing practices and another on Projections, so that agencies can better monitor their contracts and also learn best practices that work efficiently. Hope you can join us!
    Workshops to include:
    • Fiscal Projections
    • Preparing For Year-End Activities from an Auditor's Perspective
    • Fiscal Essentials from CDE Fiscal Services
    Joint Annual Conference 2017
    Joint logo
    Joint Annual Conference 2017 
    October 18-20, 2017

    Registration is Now Open!
    Register Online 
    For more conference information and to see the Preliminary Workshop Program, Click Here.


    Conference Sponsorship or exhibitor opportunities are still available!
    Hotel Reservations:
    Our room block at the DoubleTree is sold out. If you are still in need of a room, please email  Danielle.
    ALL NEW! 2017 Early Learning & Child Care Webinar Series 

    Build or Add to Your Center 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 your staff on the most requested child care topics for 2017 at an affordable price in an incredibly convenient format. 
    Click Here  to see more details and to register for the all new 2017 series.
    August 2017 Webinar:
    Burnout Busters: Care for the Caregiver 
    Self-care is important in any line of work. However, it is particularly important in the helping and caring professions. By taking care of ourselves, we are ensuring that we are functioning at our highest capacity, therefore providing the best services to the families and children that we serve. This webinar will assist you in creating and identifying self-care strategies that suit you and your needs.

    The 2010- 2016 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.