“Can we talk?” How About “Quality Implementation” of the Child Care Certificate Program?
Posted: September 10, 2014 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, Child Care Development Fund, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Mississippi Legislature, MS Department of Human Services, Uncategorized, Xerox | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, Allies for Quality Care, CCPP-approved Provider, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, e-Childcare™, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, The Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, Xerox 4 Comments“Can we talk?” How About “Quality Implementation” of the Child Care Certificate Program?
When the Certificate Program was taken from the Planning and Development Districts in 2012, support was split among providers because we did not know then what we know now…MDHS had already executed a contract with XEROX for e-childcare.
Regardless, the MDHS in-house administration of child care assistance distribution known as the Certificate Program demonstrated first steps in bringing an automated process online through the development of the ledger reimbursement system. Basically, the transition was a smooth one and MDHS should be commended for that.
However, the new statewide online process only for the child care assistance application and issuance of new Certificates and the process for the recent period of rollover – particularly the relentless Notices of Termination – have been and continue to be chaotic, very work intensive and incomplete.
Policy and system failures along with too little, if any, advance explanation from DECCD have left parents and providers in a lurch as to how to even proceed this academic year and have adversely impacted statewide work force support systems fueling local economic development, early learning and entry-level jobs in every community!
Forget Quality Stars for now – do you even know how many children age four you will be serving this school year? Age three? Can you even remotely finalize an overall school roster?
That is the important message providers have tried to convey when attending the recent MDHS Quality Road Shows.
That is the message MOST OFTEN SUPPRESSED by policy makers and the Quality funded when providers have attended Road Shows.
That is the most heavily weighted finding documented in the Q.R.I.S. research conducted by the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative which was recently released; LOW-INCOME PROVIDERS JUST CANNOT PROVIDE QUALITY WITHOUT ADEQUATE FUNDING AND CERTIFICATES, so, for them, there is little reason to attend Road Shows or participate in quality initiatives at this time.
Most of the issues frustrating Mississippians, harming employability, denying access or limiting resource capacity are simply managerial. Primarily, I have come to opine MDHS Case Managers are doing their best to process all families but are completely overwhelmed by what is being expected of them. I think it is very reasonable to conclude that one DECCD Case Manager may be trying desperately to complete the work-load formerly done by an entire Planning Development District Office of four to eight staff members. That work environment has only been exasperated further by sudden staff vacancies (DUH!) and new DHS hires unfamiliar with the work or with little experience and little time for DECCD to train them during the period of rollover!
MDHS had planned to outsource all of this to XEROX. We objected to that and still do object to eventual, less child care assistance to parents as a “savings” to the state rather than continued (already insufficient) reimbursement of full-time fees for full-time slots to support rising, full-time operating costs supporting early learning.
Even still, what we are seeing now may be a glimpse of what customer service might have looked like through XEROX e-childcare…limited staff and diminished customer service for increased profits.
MDHS is asking for our input on the administration of the Certificate Program.
Please provide documentation of issues via email to MDHS – telephone calls to your assigned MDHS Case Managers often bring an unacceptable period of being placed on hold for up to forty-five minutes or longer and would further overwhelm Case Mangers already “buried” in messages. Faxes are sent to a separate MDHS location, logged in and scanned before ever delivered to Case Managers and many are lost in the shuffle. (You may also leave comments below.)
Encourage MDHS to fill all staff positions quickly, stay true to the CCDF State Plan and encourage Quality through “QUALITY Implementation” of the Child Care Certificate Program by clearly conveying to MDHS that automation and a paperless system will never eliminate the need for dedicated and sufficient MDHS employees any more than XEROX DID NOT eliminate the need for county eligibility workers determining SNAP benefits or county TANF Case Managers.
Mississippi does not save or fully prosper when there is no effort from MDHS to give up attitudes against welfare recipients and recognize child care assistance as an important local economic development tool in more ways than early learning for future success. The Certificate Program is an economic development tool local employers and communities have come to rely on in the maintenance of a stable, productive, successful work force today! The Certificate Program puts a “fair share” of chased federal dollars into each local economy today! All socio-economic groups benefit from such local economic stimulus each and every day…today!
Therefore, MDHS Road Shows only touting quality technical services while suppressing needed public discussion of the problematic economic issues arising out of the current Certificate Program administration simply puts the “cart before the quality horse”.
Forgive me for saying so, but it is a classic example of “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.”
“Can we talk?”
Yet bet we can! If not at a MDHS sponsored Road Show, we can talk here… starting with the late Joan Rivers (Phi Beta Kappa) and what she might have said of the current implementation:
Joan Rivers 1933-2014
“How many times can you go, ‘And the cow goes moo and the pig goes oink’? It’s like talking to a supermodel.”
“I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking.”
“Don’t follow any advice, no matter how good, until you feel as deeply in your spirit as you think in your mind that the counsel is wise.”
Some MDHS priority must be given to improving the management and implementation of the Child Care Certificate Program.
Talk to members of your local Chamber of Commerce. I am sure they would agree. Perhaps you can get them involved as well!
Delta Licensed Providers 
UNFORTUNATLY I AGREE!
The 2013 Mississippi Child Care (CCDF) Plan Created the Environment of the “Haves, vs. Have Not’s’.”
The 2013 state of Mississippi Child Care Development Program (CCDF) exists in an environment of the “Haves, vs. Have Not’s.” Especially for Mississippi child care providers who serve low income families. Approximately 90% of their children (students) are eligible for the free and reduced USDA food/lunch. It is a problem for these child care owner/ operators to generate adequate resources to sufficiently operate within the quality rating system instituted by the state. Under the former Leadership of the Mississippi Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Dr. Jill Dent child care providers were given the responsibility of accounting for parents’ information without training nor technical assistance; and without additional resources to do so. Her focus was on subcontracting services regardless of the environmental differentiation that exist in Mississippi child care. The 2013 state plan submitted to the federal office of child care included subcontracted areas which represent the state’s most diverse economic income and politically savvy communities. These subcontracted areas in the child care plan included Starkville, City of Jackson, City of Bolton, Sanders Farm (a private corporation) and a few others. It perpetuated problems of a non-existent presence of a service delivery to clients outside subcontracted areas.
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The outside providers were unaware of how to address unmet needs of working poor families with children under the age of five.
In addition, the local TANF offices are unable to assist the underemployed workers, who are now having to work under the minimum requirements of 100 hours monthly.
Prior to the 2007 national economic recession to now, these providers’ base subsidy rate has not been increased. The owner-operator child care providers’ resources for the past fifteen years have had an arduous task to operate with a very low subsidy rate. There was a 3% one-time increase subsidy rate prior to the 2007 recession period.
Some child care business providers have taken a financial risk in investing in the state’s underserved economically deprived areas. Many of these devastated and areas impoverished areas, where most of the manufacturing work left the state, are leaving many parents with little work options; many low-income parents lack a high school diploma. The impact of economic devastation on the working poor has had an astronomical effect.
Many parents are forced to work for less than minimum hours to meet living expenses or they moved to north Mississippi, or the southwest Memphis area to get work and child care. An overwhelming amount of single mothers in the economic deprived areas are currently forced to work less than required hours, which includes flexible time but makes them ineligible for TANF; they are unable to pay private daily rates and they are ineligible for CCDF subsidy.
The question is: How can child care providers in the areas of “have not’s” survive, or is the State plan a design for failure of these providers?
The problem of adverse effect on limited resources increased when child care providers were forced to pay child care employees’ the increase in the federal minimum wage three times in a three year time frame. Without stable subsidy funding to all Mississippi’s working poor, provider who are not fortunate enough to have funding contracts have felt the financial impact of providing child care services to low income families!
Many other programs provided do not benefit existing low-income providers’ economic conditions and families, especially the mental health issues of children from culturally deprived areas entering child care centers!! This problem will be shifted to the public schools as these children enter kindergarten. Hopefully, the parents will be able to get help, but an intervention measure should be a part of the funded child care state plan.
Unfortunately, Mississippi pays the lowest child care subsidy rate in the nation and the state funds that are paid are not being evenly distributed throughout.
Over two years ago, in-house administration was initiated and those processes and directives lack continuity due to fragmentation in the policies and procedures. Instructions to access the delivery system are unclear; the information sought by the centers and parents is not given sufficient response to meet their needs or provide the information requested.
The problem is further expanded when child care providers are expected to “have” technological support and know-how. There is no training, help or assistance for new parents’ needing child care services. Callers have to just wait, wait and wait for DECCD to share information. Needs are just not being addressed, particularly the needs of working poor parents as described in the 2010 US Census demographic state profile.
At this time, the child care work force support system appears to be more punitive than beneficial to child care providers and working poor families- outside the subcontracted areas. This kind of disparity doubles down the providers and further exhausts the resources of these owners.
Such disparity derives in neglect and it should not exist in state funded child care. Some allege the 2013 state plan list of subcontracted centers show “advantage” in more racially and economically diverse, political savvy communities such as Starkville, City of Jackson, City of Bolton, Sanders Farm (a private corporation). It is alleged that wealthier towns and communities are getting preferential treatment, but why?
And now the Mississippi Department of Health is, again, recommending new regulations and there has not been a memorandum issued to prepare providers for implementation dates (such as changes in food requirements and the number of meals to be served) should occur.
The racial make-up of the child care advisory council does not represent the diversity of the population. So regulations are implemented without vetting the economic impact on NON-contracted providers’ and providers of Color and no attempt to assess the current status of such providers. The remote areas in the state, with time and travel constraints to participate in the process leave some providers feeling distant and disenfranchised from the whole child care process.
It appears there are a few select gate keepers in the state. This kind of operation along with lack of proximity does not propagate the democratic process for the client population or fully address low-income client needs.
Where some areas are being offered constructive training and assistance, other areas are being ignored. Why give such priority to areas least impacted by the cultural or low-income experiences that exist in minority-majority communities in the state? Where do you find most low-income children? Where would you have the greatest impact?
The changes instituted by DECCE are ineffective in providing a service delivery system. Providers are without direct resources, and without increases in subsidy rate to assist providers to meet challenges of state offices new requirements.
Many low-income providers are totally dependent on the state delivery system. Only child care providers seeking quality star ratings benefit now, but the financial tokens lack stability and realistic reward. Quality bonuses can be taken away due to the subjective QRIS reviews. This kind of action reflects their lack of trust and confidence which further perpetuates the problem. This kind of uncertainty should not exist and this kind of pattern and practice is wrong.
Has the state profiled, published and made available information on the status on how the child care environment exists in the state? If so where can it be found?
Under the leadership of this Department of Human Service office, at least 79% of the state’s rural remote communities are being denied access to child care assistance.
Therefore the system appears to be muddling through; especially for new parents who need to access child care service. The steps and procedures exacerbate the exhausted providers’ resources. There are poor communication channels, lack of resources and lack of literature and brochures. When providers and parents initiate communication, they are being ignored -they don’t return calls. Parents’ notifications or receipts of their documentation submitted are non-existent. Follow-up on their status on the wait list is next to none. The CCDF Program is provided in small increments and without accountability -it does not provide providers and clients due process when it requires poor parents/providers without transportation to travel to Jackson for a hearing. This kind of management deprives the working poor of equal access to child care services.
A disparate impact study from an outside agency should examine the racial disparity in the management of child care development funding. Such a racial disparity study would likely demonstrate how the State of Mississippi child care program currently exists in an environment of the “Haves vs. the have Not’s.”
Irma:
Wow!
I hear you!
But you know if the “subcontractors” and policy makers cannot find the word “BUSINESS” in the by-laws governing the Child Care Advisory Council (never mind the required impact on small BUSINESS required by the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Act) they sure will not see or understand “disparate impact” or “disparate intent”.
Only a court of law or an investigation conducted by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice could determine if such management and processes have been intentionally designed by DECCD to harm a protected class of provider.
I am now conducting research on the parent application process in other states. The average number of days allowed to determine eligibility is 30 days, but we are seeing working parents wait for some word of eligibility and status up to 62 days or more from the date an application was submitted. Based on my findings thus far, I do think DECCD is denying access – although, perhaps, not intentionally.
Regardless, it is unacceptable and must be improved…quickly!
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Well done!
Parents making paper applications for child care are having their applications returned to them and are being asked to use a computer. What is happening? This should be addressed. Too much poverty exists in non subtracted areas. Who are these people who are so clueless about the problems arising from an unannounced statewide paperless system?
The unannounced “paperless” application process still requires “paper” submissions, at some point, of check stubs verifying employment and birth certificates to be submitted to DHS by U.S. Mail, so I do not understand why paper applications are being returned. The application will never be totally paperless I do not think.
Many, many parents have been unduly burdened by poor instructions, system error and system down!
The people making these decisions are Bryan Groves, Laura Dickson and Deputy Director John Davis.
You may address your concerns to them, also online, at the following Email addresses:
Bryan.Grove@mdhs.ms.gov
Laura.Dickson@mdhs.ms.gov
john.davis@mdhs.ms.gov
Please share your concerns with them. Ask that your prospective clients be allowed to submit paper applications during this period of transition to paperless if these parents are not successful applying online.