HELP LIFT US UP WHERE WE BELONG!
Posted: April 8, 2024 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Mississippi, MS Department of Human Services, Uncategorized | Tags: CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, MDHS, SECAC Mississippi 1 CommentWe Will Set Our New Child Care
Tuition Fees With 65%
Participation!
This is an exciting time to complete the Child Care Market Rate Survey!
This time, our tuition fees will not be weighted or influenced heavily by those mostly receiving 75% of market rate, but rather, to the extent possible, fees will be based on the true costs of care based on the information we all share with the researchers!
Last week, I voluntarily sent my liability renewal invoice to Dr. Heather Hanna of the Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University who is overseeing the 2024 market rate survey! I wanted to see if it would shock her as much as it did even my own insurance provider!!
When I explained that I thought her team should have this information, she explained that I could share this and much more by using the call-in hotline at my own convenience to directly provide my costs of operation CONFIDENTIALLY with the researchers who are now gathering the needed information by completing the New Market Rate Survey through telephone interviews.
I will be phoning in soon after the Great American Eclipse. Today, I am in Arkansas!
In the meantime, I am urging you to call-in and to encourage other providers and colleagues to also call-in so that we may reach the 65% needed to get our rates “UP WHERE THEY BELONG”!
For more information, see the flyer below.
PLEASE CALL TODAY!
662-325-4150
RESOURCE FAIR THURSDAY – acquire funding through state grant programs!
Posted: August 25, 2020 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Mississippi, Uncategorized | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, Mississippi child care, Mississippi licensed child care Leave a commentRESOURCE FAIR THURSDAY – acquire funding through state grant programs!
A virtual Resource Fair will be held on Friday beginning at 9:00 AM.
There are a few seats left, but they are going fast!
Register today to :
acquire funding through state grant programs
save dollars monthly when ordering supplies and food
partner with service agencies to provide a more comprehensive program
support families of children you serve through networking
You will receive 2.5 professional development credit hours when you complete your survey at the end of the session.
Click here:
https://www.msresaservices.com/categories-EC
EARLY CHILDHOOD
This virtual conference will provide you with information on all the (mostly) FREE services you can access on a variety of topics. Speakers representing; Back to Business Mississippi, Barksdale Readin..
Online, 08/27/20
Zoom Meeting On MSDH Emergency Regulations
Posted: July 19, 2020 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Mississippi, COVID-19, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Mississippi Health Department, Mississippi Legislature, MLICCI, MS Department of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, Mississippi Child Care Licensing, Mississippi Health Department Leave a comment
Say, “Cheese.” Dr. Cathy Grace Wishes to Take Our Snapshot!
Posted: May 8, 2020 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, COVID-19, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Uncategorized Leave a commentSay, “Cheese.”
Dr. Cathy Grace Wishes to Take Our Snapshot!
Not DHS Official or Required, But Very Mississippi Essential.
Whether or not planning for Cares Act Funding or COVID-19 CCDF Stimulus money, it is necessary to “see” the whole or entire Mississippi child care industry in order to best determine how to use resources to help re-open licensed care and re-build enrollment/capacity.
Perhaps when COVID-19 is no longer a threat, Cathy (as she likes to be called), will invite us to tour her office and commission a group child care director photo on the Ole Miss campus…all 1,400 of us…but for now, due to social distancing, we will be cut out of today’s picture unless we reply to the survey she has provided.
Mississippi must know where the open facilities are and where the “child care deserts” have developed due to COVID-19 closures.
Did you know that we have counties that have no licensed care available today and may be at risk of not having any facilities to re-open as we navigate through this pandemic?
Many agencies and entities will benefit from this work…but especially families and child care small businesses through the help received as a result of the information gathered.
Other states have already collected such data and Cathy/Ole Miss has offered to do that work for us here at home.
(Some states are operating a daily website listing every open facility statewide to aid essential workers and prospective clients in locating available care.)
The best part of our survey is, even though business information is requested, WE DO NOT HAVE TO PROVIDE ANY INFORMATION we consider to be “None-ya” (none of your business) in order to participate but I think we should at least provide a zip code so that our data will be immediately useful and…duh…somewhat helpful.
There is an opportunity to make recommendations near the end. That might take me a minute. I best get started! (God Bless them!)
CLICK HERE TO BE IN THE STATEWIDE SNAPSHOT…AND SMILE!
“IT’S JUST EGREGIOUS…IT’S IMMORAL FOR US TO STAND HERE…TO SEE PEOPLE STEAL MONEY LIKE THAT!”
Posted: February 26, 2020 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Mississippi Legislature, MS Department of Human Services, SECAC Mississippi, Suel v MDHS, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Uncategorized | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care licensing Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, SECAC Mississippi Leave a comment“IT’S JUST EGREGIOUS…IT’S IMMORAL FOR US TO STAND HERE…TO SEE PEOPLE STEAL MONEY LIKE THAT!”
Oleta Fitzgerald, Children’s Defense Fund
The Children’s Defense Fund, the NAACP, the Southern Poverty Law Center and other non-profits held a press conference yesterday to say to Flowood Real Estate Broker, Senator Josh Harkins, and others supporting bills in the legislature that would require the State Auditor to audit the tax returns of Mississippians receiving TANF, SNAP and Medicaid benefits that they are scrutinizing the wrong “TANF beneficiaries” considering the ongoing embezzlement scandal of former MDHS Head John Davis, Nancy New and more!
Rather than withdraw his bill, Senator Harkins responded that if the state does not audit benefits, the state could loose the funding.
It is being suggested that if federal monitors do remove Mississippi from the direct administration of TANF/CCDF funds (a growing number now support legal action for a Court-ordered Conservator) it will be as a result of the alleged, ongoing misconduct and abuse of power in the implementation of federal block grants by those appointed to lead MDHS.
Reports have also surfaced alleging that, unknown to most, Medicaid is already interfaced with the IRS and has already “audited” the tax return of at least one low-income parent receiving benefits. In fact, says the mother, the income tax return was just “pulled” and used initially to determine eligibility.
Likewise, MDHS is now interfaced with many other agencies – all responsible for tracking and targeting recipients of benefits for the purpose of flagging fraud/program error.
See “Bills to audit tax returns of TANF, SNAP, Medicaid recipients draw backlash” below:
No absolution is given by us to DHS! Further, Restitution Upon Conviction Warrants the Immediate Freezing of Personal Assets (Real Property and Equipment)
Posted: February 16, 2020 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, Business Ethics, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, DECCD-MDHS, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Mississippi Legislature, MS Department of Human Services, Office of Govenor Phil Bryant, SECAC Mississippi, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Uncategorized, Xerox | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi licensed child care, SECAC Mississippi Leave a commentNo absolution is given by us to DHS! Further, Restitution Upon Conviction Warrants Immediate Freezing of Personal Assets (Real Property and Equipment)
No Absolution
No absolution is given by us to DHS for “self-reporting” embezzlement only when/as John Davis’ gubernatorial appointment by Gov. Phil Bryant neared its end and many on the executive team at State Office vied/vie to fill the long term position of Executive Director to be appointed by Governor Tate Reeves.
If anything, child care leadership feels the public statements given over years by now Interim MDHS Executive Director Jacob Black, and others close to him, enabled/enable state actor misconduct in the administration of federal block grants in spite of grossly unreasonable justifications, violations of statute and scandal.
We First Reported March 12, 2018 – Almost Two Years Ago
We “reported” questionable appropriations March 12, 2018, including to Eric Blanchette at ACF in Atlanta. See Delta Licensed providers: Financial Windfall from MDHS to Family Resource Center allows Staff Increase From 30 to 260!
Following that post was an invitation to lunch with MDHS Executive Director John Davis and Dr. Laurie Smith of the Governor’s Office, where I was able, at long last, to influence the first release of CCDF funding for new child care enrollment in five consecutive years. See Delta Licensed Providers: March 27, 2018 “Child Care Collateral Damage is Unhealthy for this State, Life Changing and Wide Spread!”
Atlanta Meeting Requested
On August 14, 2019, a meeting was requested with HHS/ACF Region IV Office of Child Care Regional Program Manager Eric R. Blanchette. To this day, he has not acknowledged or responded to our request to discuss alleged and ongoing wrongdoing in the adoption and administration of Mississippi’s CCDF/TANF State Plans. Click here to see WLBT Red Flags: “We have been asking for help.”
Today
Families First Remains Open and held over parties have hired Butler-Snow Law Firm after receiving $65 Million in TANF Funds Over Five Years all the while Child Care Assistance was effectively “Defunded”.
See Greenwood Commonwealth February 13, 2020:
https://www.gwcommonwealth.com/news/article_2b471f1c-4e13-11ea-9df5-47b93290c9d2.html
Personal Assets (Real Property and Equipment) Accumulated In the Course of the Corruption Scheme Should Be Seized as Proper Restitution to the poor upon Conviction
See: ‘Tremendous growth’ Family Resource Center expands presence in Northeast Mississippi
Since the Mississippi Department of Human Services got involved and reorganized these organizations, there has been a significant increase in funding from the state. That has resulted in new centers built across the state at an accelerated rate, expansion of programs and a substantial staff increase.
The financial windfall that resulted from the partnership two years ago has allowed FRC to open 15 centers across Northeast Mississippi and increase staff from 30 to 260 employees.
Please click on the links below to see the title to the real property occupied by Families First of Greenwood which remains in operation and see the verification that it has retained Butler-Snow Law Firm for representation with some source of funding.
AVALON HOLDINGS LLC
|
https://cs.datasysmgt.com/tax?state=MS&county=42
https://cs.datasysmgt.com/tax?state=MS&county=42#TaxPanel:taxweb_details:08608010101100
https://cs.datasysmgt.com/tax?state=MS&county=42#TaxPanel:taxweb_details:08608010201100
https://cs.datasysmgt.com/tax?state=MS&county=42#TaxPanel:taxweb_details:08608010201110
Avalon Holdings, LLC is a Mississippi Limited-Liability Company filed on March 8, 2005. The company’s filing status is listed as Good Standing and its File Number is 869004.
The Registered Agent on file for this company is New, Jesse S, JR and is located at 190 East Capitol Street, suite 100, Jackson, MS 39201.
The company has 1 principal on record. The principal is Nancy W New from Jackson MS.
The official CCDF Early Childhood Academy
The official CCDF training agency for child care providers serving low-income children in Mississippi is the Early Childhood Academy which has received merely/approximately $250,000.00 from MDHS to fund more than 20 locations at community colleges throughout the state!
Because MDCC had no room on its campus, plans were made to locate our Child Care Academy at Families First in Indianola.
I strongly opposed the Families First of Indianola location for our ECA
In addition to our localized protest (lack of support for MCEC and Families First’ no-bid funding and lack of a TANF public hearing) and concern for the organizations’ alleged entitlement/political advantage which we believed/believe greatly harmed low-income child care programs and innocent babies living in abject poverty, we did not wish to be the only ECA not located on a true college campus.
Fortunately, discussions that followed with Dr. Micah Knox of the Mississippi Community College Board resulted in the placement of our Early Childhood Academy at Mississippi Valley State University where college credits for caregivers might be earned and a demonstration pre-school for hands-on experience and instruction in curriculum and classroom management (much like short term student teaching for caregivers) may be established.
As I see it, these are the services and work that should now be given priority, fully funded and not interrupted!
Open House Friday – MVSU Early Childhood Academy
There will be an open house of the MVSU Early Childhood Academy on February 21, 2020, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
All are invited to attend.
Public Hearing Today: Proposed Increase in Child Care Licensing Fee Coerces Political Action!
Posted: September 9, 2019 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Mississippi, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Mississippi Board of Health, Mississippi Health Department, Mississippi Legislature, MS Department of Health, NAEYC, Office of Govenor Phil Bryant, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, SECAC Mississippi, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Uncategorized 1 CommentPublic Hearing Today: Proposed Increase in Child Care Licensing Fee Coerces Political Action!
“It has been determined that a direct appropriation by the Mississippi Legislature that would sufficiently cover the expenses of operating a quality child care facility licensure program would eliminate the need for a fee increase.”
The Mississippi State Department of Health Division of Child Care Licensure has proposed a 25% increase in child care licensing fees because, as stated in its Economic Impact Statement, the Mississippi Legislature has never appropriated sufficient funds to cover completely the cost of administering the child care licensure program at a level to meet national benchmarks.
The Mississippi State Department of Health Division of Child Care Licensure has partnered with MDHS/SECAC to require adherence to most costly NAEYC performance standards as outlined in the now embedded yet un-adopted Standard Application which determines which child care facilities will be allowed to serve low-income children and which will not from this time forward. (The current number of licensed child care programs in Mississippi who have met the most costly standards is 23 facilities out of 1,481. Click here to confirm. Please also note that the accredited programs receive funding other than from very unstable CCDF child care subsidy. Further, less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.)
Dr. Charles Allgood, formally with the unsuccessful Quality Stars Q.R.I.S. at Mississippi State, plans to increase the number of child care inspections to four by presenting additional (2) two hour inspections under the guise of helpful technical assistance to be conducted during the busiest and most distracting times of day…which may result in fines.
Desperate to punish, the Division of Child Care actually manipulated a non-profit providing quality technical assistance to entrap and report perceived child care violations to its office following voluntary quality improvement training sessions with unsuspecting child care providers in order that licensing officials could go in immediately after and issue fines based upon the “complaints” of those who provided the technical assistance; the agency only has the statutory authority to conduct one inspection each year and others “as needed”
Dr. Charles Allgood has revealed that selected child care facilities have been inspected 12 (twelve) times in 2 (two) months!
This feeding frenzy – the aggressive and competitive group attack on licensed and CCPP child care providers – is relevant narcissistic manner and Hubris in the dysfunctional MDHS/SECAC Kingdom of Contempt where state actors and policy makers jockey for position.
FACT: Neither MDHS/SECAC or the Division of Child Care Licensing have the statutory authority to require the costly national bench marks that make up the Standard Application.
Review the proposed amendment including the Economic Impact Statement by clicking here. 
Engage in the political action needed to prevent an increase in your child care licensing fee and more by contacting your Senator and Representatives today.
Enter your support or objection to this proposed agency rule into the official rule-making record by attending the public hearing:
Monday
Sept. 9, 2019
9:15 AM
MSDH Osborne Auditorium
570 E. Woodrow Wilson Blvd.
Jackson, MS 39215
I Do Not Know Why the DHS General Counsel is Collecting Child Care Fees
Posted: September 3, 2019 Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, MS Department of Human Services, NAEYC, Quality Rating System, SECAC Mississippi, Suel v MDHS, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Uncategorized, Xerox | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, equal access, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi, Xerox Leave a commentI Do Not Know Why the DHS General Counsel is Collecting Child Care Fees
I do not know why DHS General Counsel Andrea Sanders initiated a new and expanded database to collect financial data/child care fees or how the information will be used.
I do know the purpose of A.P.L. (Administrative Procedures Law)
is to let you know what your government is up to!
Below is the Administrative Procedures Law and guidance for policy makers developing a new or expanded database which is applicable to all entities receiving CCDF funding including NSPARC and the Standard application:
Any organization proposing to establish a new system of records, or to enlarge an existing system, shall give public notice long enough in advance of the initiation or enlargement of the system to assure individuals who may be affected by its operation a reasonable opportunity to comment.
§ 1320.8 Agency collection of information responsibilities.
(3) Informs and provides reasonable notice to the potential persons to whom the collection of information is addressed of –
(i) The reasons the information is planned to be and/or has been collected;
(ii) The way such information is planned to be and/or has been used to further the proper performance of the functions of the agency;
(iii) An estimate, to the extent practicable, of the average burden of the collection (together with a request that the public direct to the agency any comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing this burden);
(iv)Whether responses to the collection of information are voluntary, required to obtain or retain a benefit (citing authority), or mandatory (citing authority);
ROUTINE USE: Allows for the disclosure of a record outside of the agency without consent. Disclosure or use must be for a purpose which is compatible with the purpose for which the information was collected. (I don’t advertise rates – never have!)
Administrative Procedures Law also requires the following with regard to the Standard application:
§552. Public information; agency rules, opinions, orders, records, and proceedings
(C) rules of procedure, descriptions of forms available or the places at which forms may be obtained, and instructions as to the scope and contents of all papers, reports, or examinations;
(D) substantive rules of general applicability adopted as authorized by law, and statements of general policy or interpretations of general applicability formulated and adopted by the agency; and
(E) each amendment, revision, or repeal of the foregoing.
Child care market rates are one rule established by DHS for reimbursement of services according to the age of the child. For example, an infant is assigned a higher rate of reimbursement than a full time child age two.
A substantive rule of general applicability is a separate rule that interprets how the market rate will be computed and paid to the CCPP provider. For example, up to August 1, 2019, a reimbursement rate was set as a constant for the whole of a Certification Period. Prescribed age adjustments were not made until rollover or the next, new period of Certification.
Now, DHS General Counsel Andrea Sanders has reformulated the general applicability of the rule to reduce the reimbursement rates each month throughout the active Certification period following a child’s birthday – the reimbursement rate is no longer set as a constant and naturally, less reimbursement will be paid each month.
The rates remain the same and therefore, do not require any further action.
It is the new way the rates will be computed and applied that have changed – a separate act –the new formulation of general applicability – that triggers required APL and an economic impact statement. (See §552. (D) above.)
Mrs. Sanders did not follow the required APL.
She just put it into effect August 1, 2019, by simply authorizing a change in computer programming and then she casually announced it in a memo dated July 26, 2019.
It is a frightening agency practice to witness!
It is reminiscent of the same state actor advantage, arrogance and environment demonstrated through the attempted finger-scanning method of payment…announced to us in a letter from Xerox requesting our private banking information and access to our accounts!
Delta Licensed Providers 
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