Parents to be Fingerprinted. Time and Attendance to be Tracked.

Without written notice to providers and in possible violation of Mississippi’s Administrative Procedures Act, DECCD has stated that providers will only be reimbursed for ten days absent per subsidized child each fiscal year.

Dr. Jill Dent has – only on occasion – stated that the “policy” has always been to reimburse for ten days absent per fiscal year but that Planning and Development Districts “got it wrong”.

In pursuit of its “high quality” agenda without the money and resources a successful Race to the Top application would have secured and without appropriations from the Legislature, DECCD/SECAC has increased efforts to micro-manage every Certificate dollar to parents and providers while implementing costly RTT-ELC components to grow the development of an “early Learning system”.

Effective September 30, 2011, DECCD entered into contract number IT20100110 for 1,815 VeriFone Vx 570 and 1,815 Safran Morpho Track MSO 300 which use fingerprints to track a child’s attendance.

INVOICE:

The parents will scan a fingerprint to “sign” a child in to a center.

While I feel that this system may reduce Program fraud as well as eventually demonstrate the educational benefits of regular daily attendance, it may be very damaging to struggling low-income providers who depend on sustained enrollment and full collection of fees to cover ever-increasing operating costs just as outlined in the Iron Triangle of ECE Finance guidance. (click)

The bottom line is that parent fees + third party payments must equal per-child cost. Otherwise the program is losing money.

ACF (Federal Administration for Children and Families) advises that a large share of child care costs—including labor, space, and sometimes food—are fixed from one month to the next and sometimes longer; that is, providers must cover these costs whether or not enrolled children attend.

Collecting fees – in full and on time – is essential.

SECAC/DECCD has NO control over Head Start funding in the develpment of its early learning system. Head Start federal regulations allows reimbursement of up to 30 days absent per child in any academic year.

SECAC/DECCD should allow fair equity for providers – reimbursement up to 30 days absent per subsidized child each fiscal year.

SECAC can dictate CCDF money expenditures and policies (within the lawful boundaries set forth in the Administrative Procedures Act)  because it is a block grant, but it should listen to the guidance offered by the federal Administration on Children and Families which advises: (click) 

   ACF has

established

fairness to

providers as a

goal for

successful

CCDF implementation.

---