Posted: November 7, 2019 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: "Race to the Top", Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Mississippi Building Blocks, MS Department of Health, MS Department of Human Services, NAEYC, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, SECAC, SECAC Mississippi, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Uncategorized | Tags: "Race to the Top", Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, equal access, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, proposed amendments to the regulations governing child care, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC, SECAC Mississippi |
A Notable Farewell
Laurie Smith, SECAC Executive Director and architect of required Standard and Comprehensive child care center designations has taken a post with the U.S. Department of Labor.
She now resides in Washington, D.C.
We bid her farewell.
Posted: August 25, 2019 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: "Race to the Top", Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, MS Department of Human Services, NAEYC, NSparc, Office of Govenor Phil Bryant, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, School Readiness Mississippi, SECAC, SECAC Mississippi, 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 quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, equal access, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, Quality Rating Systems, SECAC Mississippi |
No New Enrollment…Again! Unstable! Irresponsible!
Remember this? March 6, 2018
The Governor’s policy makers did not conduct an Economic Impact Study to determine the impact of SECAC’s plan on private citizens and small businesses.
The Governor’s policy makers did not follow Administrative Procedures Law.
This conduct of state actors is unprecedented and proving to be the most irresponsible, hostile and destabilizing in the history of Mississippi’s CCDF.
SECAC/MDHS has held Mississippi to zero new child care enrollment state-wide for five years now and recently terminated approximately one-half of all children who were being served by employing new, draconian eligibility requirements and adding extra hurdles sure to eliminate large numbers.
Remember this? March 27, 2018
Employers have lost entry-level but well-trained, employees willing to fill stubborn vacancies.
The child care infrastructure developed and based in the private sector (much like the developing charter school infrastructure) is crumbling, particularly in rural areas, as owners serving low-income children go out of business.
John Davis has appointed Dana Kidd as MDHS Deputy Director of Federal Programs.
In a very recent meeting with MDHS Executive Director John Davis, I was introduced to MDHS Deputy Director of Federal Programs Dana Kidd.
According to Ms. Kidd, CCDF program redress and announcements are to come expeditiously.
Postscript
During that lunch meeting with SECAC Executive Director Laurie Smith, DHS Executive Director John Davis and myself, Mrs. Kidd, a whiz with more than 30 years experience in the administration of economic assistance and federal programs, was given primary authority for getting the child care economic assistance program up and running.
With her knowledge of federal guidelines, Mrs. Kidd swiftly aligned distribution policy and authorized the DHS release of child care assistance in short time.
What remained of the child care infrastructure developed to serve low-income children was given a temporary reprieve!
Moving forward, Mrs. Kidd met with us, heard our concerns, provided reasonable influence in the development of child care policy and encouraged our stakeholder participation.
In fact, after sending her my thoughts on aligning new enrollment with the academic year, Mrs. Kidd encouraged me to also send a timely Email of my suggestions to Andrea Sanders who was, at that time, placing proposed CCDF policy into the required HHS structure of the CCDF State Plan.
Email I sent to Andrea Sanders Aug 8, 2018:
Because the exit of full time children is immediate, widespread and happening on approximately the same day throughout the state, the current process of issuing new enrollment simply cannot keep up in a manner sufficient to support the operating budgets needed for many rural area facilities…not to mention quality! The gains recognized for CCPP providers through the current release of funding and the implementation of the rates increase is lost for many due to the large exodus of full time children. It is often a huge source of immediate and swift financial stress.
In addition, other re-determinations scheduled throughout the year as twelve months of services expire for families are still further destabilizing and place children, suddenly, out of learning environments and readiness programs with no thought given to that child’s education.
You cannot, simply cannot, even attempt or expect truly effective preschool programs in rural programs where very large numbers of children enrolled are low-income children without aligning all re-determination and new enrollment with the new school or academic year.
The Planning and Development Districts knew this. They aligned all re-determinations for April/May and then issued new enrollment Certificates for October…thus, classes were formed and children were ready to be received at the start of the new FFY (but should have aligned with the academic year as a “‘best practice”‘ support). This was done statewide!
Further, no Change of Provider forms were received/processed from April through August.
I recommend this practice be fine tuned and the former PDD process be reinstated to align with the academic year as soon as possible even if it requires allowing for 18 months or more of services for some initially.
The PDD’s terminated Certificates while also issuing new enrollment Certificates at the same time. They understood that no business could operate without sufficient customers. McDonalds would close if too few purchased their meals!
And one year later…with precious little recovery time, we are right back where we started with No New Enrollment!
Unfortunately, we have just learned from others that since Mrs. Kidd’s return from FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), she was given a very reduced role in matters of the CCDF; recently, she was completely removed from child care duties altogether – and it shows!
After only one child care certification period and three months now, in to the termination of large numbers of children on assistance, DECCD Director Kristi McHale, who has been employed at DHS about twelve months, still maintains her instruction of no new enrollment even as large numbers of the children that survived Program eligibility have exited for public school!
Worse, through DECCD, DHS General Counsel Andrea Sanders – who now has taken primary authority after only two years of employment with DHS – released a memo, without proper APL, notifying of changes in the delivery of payment for child care that have already started:
What is new?
”On the first of each month, CCPS will look at the previous month to see which children had a birthday. CCPS will pay the appropriate rate based on the child’s new age. For example, if a child turns 13 months old in November, then CCPS will pay the new rate starting in December.”
Children terminated + Children moved to Part-time reimbursement status + No new enrollment + less reimbursement and squeezed payments each month rather than at the next re-certification period = predatory underfunding while requiring costly Q.R.I.S.
A child care Rally at the Capitol is being planned for September!
Plan to attend!
Posted: March 22, 2019 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Mississippi Board of Health, Mississippi Building Blocks, Mississippi Health Department, MLICCI, MS Department of Health, MS Department of Human Services, NSparc, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, School Readiness Mississippi, SECAC Mississippi, 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, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Quality Steps, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi |
Is Q.R.I.S. Technical Assistance Primarily to Degrade and Cause Licensing Inspections and Fines?
At least two African-American child care providers, who will not be named here, reported last week that after allowing technical assistance coaches into their facilities to work with staff – just as the CCDF State Plan calls for – their small businesses were met by child care licensing officials at the start of the following business day and excessive fines were imposed.
Since that time, it has been alleged that technical assistance coaches have been instructed by agencies to report all observations and anything caregivers might be doing incorrectly to licensing officials.
Keep in mind that many of the former, unsuccessful Q.R.I.S. coaches are now with MDHS technical assistance sub-contractors and I suppose still enjoying the open fault they find with you as a quality measure – however misguided and counterproductive.
If these allegations are founded, and I believe they are, then I am sorry your staff was not coached, guided and “improved” in a safe space, but rather, unwittingly inspected.
Under such circumstances, the attitude of purported help does not foster learning or training for anyone but rather, only more degradation, so perhaps you should wait to accept technical assistance after Standard and Comprehensive Center criteria and scoring scales are defined.
Sadly, such technical assistance is just what we have expected.
March 11, 2016, the United States Commission on Civil Rights investigated the application of Q.R.I.S. in Mississippi and stated in a letter to Mr. Eric Blanchette of the Office of Child Care, Region IV: “The Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) program which is purported to promote higher quality child care appears to instead penalize and costs so much that it excludes the participation of African-American owned and operated child care facilities.”
Recommendations included allocating funding to support child care facilities in low-income areas, and reviewing the effectiveness of evaluation criteria for child care facilities and its ability to predict improved developmental outcomes for children of diverse communities; and creating written policies and guidelines regarding factors that define quality in child care.
Regardless, Dec. 7, 2016, SECAC presented a very rigorous process of maximizing funding and services to families and child care programs by utilizing a Family-Based Unified and Integrated Early Childhood System:
“Each year centers will go through an initial eligibility process and subsequent annual redetermination processes. Any center that fails to meet the basic requirements for its designation will be given six months to successfully implement a corrective action plan. The corrective action plan will be developed by an external evaluator in consultation with the child care center director and technical assistance coach. Failing to reach goals outlined in a corrective action plan will result in loss of designation at the end of the current annual eligibility term.”
“Once eligible, centers must engage in continuous quality improvement based on a scale that assesses the extent to which a center should engage in additional technical assistance for maintaining and improving quality”.
“Scale scores will help centers maintain eligibility to redeem vouchers.”
Unfortunately, the scale to maintain eligibility to continue to serve low-income children has not yet been identified or provided by SECAC.
SECAC has explained that because HHS has required quality, the proper Administrative Procedures Law to adopt and implement a Family-Based Unified and Integrated Early Childhood System is not required.
The Mississippi State Department of Health (also funded in part by the CCDF) has a long history of implementing Q.R.I.S. standards by circumventing Administrative Procedures Law which are most punitive and possibly financially devastating to a particular type and class of child care provider.
For more on the findings of the USCCR, contact the federal CCDF monitor:
Eric R. Blanchette
Program Manager
Office of Child Care Region IV
Suite 4M60, 61 Forsyth Street
Atlanta, GA 30303-8909
eric.blanchette@acf.hhs.gov
Posted: March 19, 2019 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: "Race to the Top", Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Advisory Council, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Licensing, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Mississippi Building Blocks, Mississippi Health Department, Mississippi State University, MS Department of Health, MS Department of Human Services, NAEYC, NSparc, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, School Readiness Mississippi, SECAC, SECAC Mississippi, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Uncategorized | Tags: "Race to the Top", Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Licensing, child care licensing Mississippi, child care Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, proposed amendments to the regulations governing child care, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi |
A Proper Economic Impact Statement Should be Required. To Act Otherwise is Irresponsible.
“Whenever I walk in a room, everyone ignores me.”
§ 25-43-3.109. Contents, style and form of rule.
(3) An agency may incorporate, by reference in its rules and without publishing the incorporated matter in full, all or any part of a code, standard, rule or regulation that has been adopted by an agency of the United States … if incorporation of its text in agency rules would be unduly cumbersome, expensive or otherwise inexpedient. The reference in the agency rules must fully identify the incorporated matter with an appropriate citation.
Because HHS does not require Standard and Comprehensive Centers, SECAC/MDHS should include 658G(a)(2), the code that is available in the federal statute mandating the choice of 1 out of 10 quality activities from which SECAC/MDHS were to have allowed a proper (and not manipulated) Mississippi needs assessment to determine:
- Training and professional development.
- Improvement of early learning guidelines.
- Implementation of a quality rating system.
- Improving the supply and quality of infant and toddler care.
- Expanding resource and referral services.
- Facilitating state licensing compliance.
- Evaluating child care programs’ effectiveness, including positive impacts on children.
- Supporting voluntary accreditation.
- Supporting quality health, physical activity and nutrition standards in child care settings.
- Any other quality improvement activity that can be measured.
The quality determined by SECAC, is written to allow for the annual elimination of small business service providers (most of whom are members of a protected class – the other elephant in the room) who do not demonstrate ongoing and ever more…and still more…costly national standards over time without mention of the fact that those to be most impacted receive only 75% of 2015 market rates enacted in 2018 – the first increase in as much as 15 years and possibly the last one for 15 years more.
Regardless, all are expected to transition from a Standard Center to a Comprehensive Center which SECAC has recommended be staffed with caregivers who hold Master’s degrees – a huge investment for any small business that will likely be passed on in increased child care fees to young, middle income parents who are just starting to build careers but do not qualify for state subsidy.
SECAC/MDHS implemented this CCDF State Plan without identifying or providing the rules by which centers will be determined eligible to continue to serve low-income children.
Further attempts to redress this again would likely not be any less exhausting or any less heated than it was when I first raised this primary concern with policymakers.
In fact, it would likely just be said, as it is usually said by state actors, academia and others when we dare to question, that self-employed child care providers do not care about children. We are only interested in making money.
“I can rise from the ashes like a phoenix only so many times.”
After five years of effectively defunding the Program through no new enrollment for low-income parents entering the work force and other SECAC/MDHS patterns and practices, (coupled with heavy-handed adoptions by the Mississippi State Department of Health Child Care Licensing/BOH), I liken the needed child care provider ”buy in” of this CCDF State Plan as nothing short of a suicide pact.
Demoralizing child care providers while financially defeating small businesses providing LICENSED child care services will NEVER sufficiently serve the needs of work force development or bring about quality child care or school readiness in Mississippi and has not justified any one competing early learning model, quality grant, technical assistance team, or agency as ”THE most worthy of CCDF quality funding” or as ”THE leading edge of leadership”.
More than two years in, I have not seen that this leadership can administrate a cost prohibitive quality rating system with any more expertise and success than the QRIS previously in place. Costs to low-income providers are still costs! Unstable CCPP funding is still unstable! More bias, prejudice and contempt for self-employed providers serving low-income children is, no less, bias, prejudice and contempt whatever the reigning early learning model!
What I have seen is that such conduct and conflict has driven state actor personal agenda and ambition, fostered a hostile and disruptive work environment for CCPP providers and low-income families, violated the privacy rights of private citizens working for private companies and prevented any meaningful discussion of reasonable policies and assurances needed for expanding quality resources in the existing small business infrastructure developed by the CCDF to provide LICENSED child care services to low-income children.
Just weeks ago, SECAC asked a legislator to sponsor a bill to abolish the SECAC and replace it with a Children’s Cabinet which would remove child care representatives completely from the policy making ROOM and thus, take away all Program ownership – a quest I see as more so for power than for vested quality and improvement.
Fortunately, it died on the calendar.
Given the level of contempt and disrespect all leadership has demonstrated for CCPP child care providers and small businesses over the years, it is no wonder that costs and sustainability of QRIS activities and the huge burden to providers and economic impact QRIS causes them to realize has always been the elephant in the room!
For state actors to continue to ignore costs and consequences without regard for those who are to be adversely impacted and to implement underfunded national standards/SECAC mandates without proper adoption and without a proper economic impact statement – without the tools and input needed to make sound decisions – is reckless to the stability, availability, and affordability of ALL LICENSED child care, reckless to an industry embedded in small businesses, and reckless to work force development in rural communities.
These facts are why national standards were NOT adopted when the CCDFBG was enacted.
”Houston! We’ve got a problem! What have we got on the spacecraft that’s good? We just lost the moon.” Apollo 13
Click here to see the number of facilities (24) in Mississippi that pass muster in the accreditation of NAEYC standards which are embedded as the child care center evaluation in the SECAC/MDHS Standard Application. Ten percent, (10%) of child care programs across the nation hold NAEYC accreditation. Note that most have more stable funding sources other than the CCDF. Further note that providers accepting Mississippi Certificate’s of Payment receive less than 1/3 the funding of a comparable Head Start Program.
Also see QRIS Rating Systems Do Not Improve Learning or Social Development of Children.
Posted: November 21, 2017 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), HHS ACF Office of Child Care, MS Department of Human Services, NSparc, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, SECAC Mississippi, 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 Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), equal access, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi child care, Mississippi licensed child care, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, SECAC Mississippi |
UPDATE: THE SYSTEM IS BACK UP!
May be Down Again!
BY REQUEST
Providers began to report MDHS system failure again just one day after DECCD issued new deadlines for uploading data to complete the required online Standard Child Care Center Application.
At the Child Care Academy Curriculum Training Session held today in Hinds County, the CCA trainer explained that DECCD had acknowledged problems with uploading data and that DECCD described such system failure as a computer ”glitch”.
Regardless, today, DECCD continued to issue redetermination deadlines and NSparc continued to contact providers directly to encourage them to submit their data.
There has been no known courtesy call, notice or explanation of any system failure or computer glitch from DECCD or NSparc to any affected provider who may be working in vain to submit their data at this time.
If you experience problems and fear missing your deadline, call DECCD or the Office of the Governor for assistance.
Posted: October 31, 2017 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, Business Ethics, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, Clarion-Ledger, DECCD-MDHS, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), Excel by 5, Head Start, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Kellogg Foundation, Mississippi Legislature, MLICCI, MS Department of Human Services, NAEYC, NSparc, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, SECAC Mississippi, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Uncategorized | Tags: 2003 Market Rates, Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), equal access, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi |
CCPP Provider Redetermination
REMEMBER… THIS IS UNOFFICIAL ADVICE. THIS GUIDANCE IS BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE AND EXPERIENCES SHARED BY CCPP PROVIDERS.
FOR OFFICIAL RESPONSES AND LINKS, CONTACT DECCD.
The Standard Application required in order for you to be considered as a continuing CCPP provider was Emailed to providers in sets of alphabetical order.
If you have not received yours, first check the SPAM box in your Email account before contacting DECCD. That may save you some time.
You are encouraged to attend the trainings and orientation on how to complete the application and discuss curriculum samples provided by your Child Care Academy.
For additional technical assistance or to review other curriculum, visit your Child Care Academy!
A WEBINAR providing guidance on the Standard Application is required and made available to you with your application. The webinar, like the application requires Internet access.
You may view the webinar on your smart phone, ipad, lap top or desk top computer. Any device you choose to view the webinar is okay with MDHS.
If the MDHS system crashes on you as some providers have reported, send an Email to Candice Pittman or DECCD. (Develop a draft copy of your work just in case the system cannot recover it following a system crash.)
I have never seen a Comprehensive Application, so I do not know what the rules will be and it is not included in the CCPP Policy Manuel, but I think you have to first register as a Standard facility.
It has been my experience that the rules are being somewhat disclosed to providers as they are developed via Email so check your Email every day!
I do not know how or when the applications submitted will be scored or considered so I cannot answer those questions but you may call DECCD or visit the web site for more information as/when it becomes available.
GOOD LUCK!
Posted: June 19, 2017 | Author: Debbie Ellis | 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, Office of the Attorney General, SECAC Mississippi, Uncategorized | Tags: 2007 Market Survey Rates, Administration for Children and Families, child care Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, Mississippi Child Care Resource and Referral, QRS Mississippi, SECAC Mississippi |
DHS Adopts Standard and Comprehensive Centers Without the Governing Policy
There is no indexed Filing for June 14, 2017 listed in the Administrative Bulletin.
To find public notice of the June 14th final DHS adoption of Standard and Comprehensive Centers without the APL required governing Program policy, you must “walk backwards” all the way to the first Notice of April 12, 2017 in order to see it.
Under Color of Law, DHS has willfully and deliberately put forth the proposed amendments as only a minor action (alleged fraud) to replace terms such as “licensed” and “unlicensed” with the more appropriate term “CCPP-approved”, and insists that “designating” centers that meet all the additional requirements above licensing requirements to become eligible to redeem CCPP vouchers as either Standard or Comprehensive Centers is not a Significant Amendment.
No Economic Impact Statement has been provided.
The SECAC plan is scheduled to be effective July 14, 2017.
In the meantime, an open meeting of the Standard Application Workgroup is scheduled to meet Tuesday, June 20, 2017. The meeting will be held at MDHS in the 8th floor training room (Room 830) from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
The Workgroup will learn of some of the governing policy that has been developed by SECAC, NSparc and DHS thus far.
Rule-making for Comprehensive and Standard Centers is ongoing.
To review Notice of the Final Adoption of the rule, however, click on the red link below:
Mississippi Administrative Bulletin
Back to Search
Previous Page: 1 of 1 Next
Search Results:
Agency: MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Compilation: No
Proposed Date: 5/8/2017 Final Date:
Effective Date: Withdrawal Date:
Rule: NOTICE OF HEARING – Part 17-Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) Policy Manual, system number 22601
Summary: Amended Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) Policy Manual pursuant to Amendments of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) regulations at 45 CFR 98 and Miss. Code Ann. §43-21-353.
System Number: 22699 |
Notice N/A N/A |
Agency: MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Compilation: No
Proposed Date: 4/12/2017 Final Date: 6/14/2017
Effective Date: 7/14/2017 Withdrawal Date:
Rule: Part 17-Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) Policy Manual
Summary: Amended Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) Policy Manual pursuant to Amendments of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) regulations at 45 CFR 98 and Miss. Code Ann. §43-21-353.
System Number: 22784 |
Click here. Notice N/A Full Text |
Posted: May 31, 2017 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, DECCD-MDHS, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, MLICCI, MS Department of Human Services, SECAC Mississippi, Uncategorized | Tags: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, child care Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, Market Survey Rates, MDHS, Mississippi CCDF State Plan, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi |
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV): MDHS makes proposed changes to Child Care Policy Manual
“Tuesday they held a public hearing to discuss the proposed changes. Officials said most of the adjustments are to the Child Care Payment Program Policy Manual.
However, before finalizing the policy manual, the Mississippi Low-income Child Care Initiative believes the two organizations should tell centers first what is required to become designated as a standard and a comprehensive center.”
http://wjtv.com/2017/05/30/mdhs-makes-proposed-changes-to-child-care-policy-manual/
Note: Required Public Notice includes particular guidance on any changes in the process for parent redetermination, designation as a CCPP provider, and more and by the state’s own admission, the applications and processes for designating Standard and Comprehensive centers are not complete.
Regardless, DHS stealthily filed an amendment to adopt SECAC’s Standard and Comprehensive centers without a public hearing, without an economic impact statement and without notice to workgroups reviewing the application processes.
However, following 10 (ten) or more written requests from advocates and child care providers knowledgeable in Administrative Procedures Law, a public hearing was scheduled at the MDHS State Office and held on May 30, 2017.
Policymakers representing NSparc and SECAC Committees did not attend.
Posted: May 22, 2017 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, Clarion-Ledger, DECCD-MDHS, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, MLICCI, MS Department of Human Services, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, SECAC Mississippi, 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 Mississippi, child care quality rating systems Mississippi, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, equal access, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi |
SECAC Meeting Thursday.
The May meeting of the Governor’s State Early Childhood Advisory Council (SECAC) is on for Thursday, May 25, 2017, at 10:00 AM, Woolfolk Building, 501 North West Street, Jackson, MS 39201.
The SECAC adopted A Family-Based Unified and Integrated Early Childhood System in December, 2016, and the proposal to embed and enable the implementation of the plan into the Child Care Payment Program Policy Manuel was to have been final on May 12, 2017, but was delayed when met with objection from Child Care Provider Groups.
The SECAC discussion and recommendations for the process of revising MS Quality Stars dates back to August, 2015, beginning with “Listening Sessions” presided over by NSparc. (Click here.)
In December, 2015, SECAC published its “Summary of Recommended Next Steps” stating:
“There is an immediate need for clear, written guidance in the form of policies and procedures – providers need to be fully informed of the program’s requirements, assessors need to be well trained and consistent, and in general, transparency and communication need to be improved.” (The link to Executive Summary & Analysis: Mississippi QRS Reports can be found by clicking here.)
Since that time, the Email contact information for the policy makers has been removed, and the make-up of membership of SECAC committees determining policy is no longer available for review…communications and transparency has greatly deteriorated!
Further, rather than meet with provider groups, as we requested, to provide or develop written guidance in the form of policies and procedures in order to fully inform providers and those to be impacted by the Program’s requirements (following NSparc’s eye-opening, work group exercise on the Standard application), MDHS, chose to file a Notice to adopt language allowing for the implementation of the Program without a hearing, without an economic impact statement and without any known notification of the proposal to amend the Policy Manuel to work groups or interested persons!
New DECCD Director Candice Pittman, formally of NSparc, has twice distributed a CCPP Newsletter saying that regardless of the critical elements of a revised QRIS listed in the Executive Summary linked above which are clearly identified in A Family-Based Unified and Integrated Early Childhood System, it is not another version of QRIS.
She also states that the proposal to amend the words “licensed center” to “Standard center” is just mere housekeeping when in truth, that language would trigger implementation of the largest Significant Amendment to the rules ever in spite of incomplete application processes, market-rates, etc. (Click here to see the CCPP Newsletter.) (Click here to see pages 6-8 and Appendices on pages 10-21 of A Family-Based Unified and Integrated Early Childhood System.)
As for SECAC, it has talked the talk, but it has not walked the walk in the “process of revising MS Quality Stars”.
Attend the SECAC meeting if you wish, or rather, focus your time and resources on the upcoming May 30, 2017, MDHS public hearing scheduled due to provider requests in exercise of steps outlined in Administrative Procedures Law. (Click here for more information.)
Parking is often an issue at MDHS on State Street, so plan to do some walking. Consider requesting permission for parking from First Baptist Church or CVS or Walgreens, etc. BUT ASK FIRST! DONT GET TOWED, Y’ALL!
Posted: April 23, 2017 | Author: Debbie Ellis | Filed under: Administration for Children and Families, CCPP-approved Provider, Child Care Development Fund, Child Care Mississippi, DECCD-MDHS, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), General, HHS ACF Office of Child Care, Mississippi Building Blocks, MS Department of Human Services, NAEYC, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, SECAC, SECAC Mississippi, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Uncategorized | Tags: 2007 Market Survey Rates, Administration for Children and Families, DECCD, DECCD-MDHS, Early Childhood Education Mississippi, Early Learning Guidelines (ELG), Market Survey Rates, QRS Mississippi, Quality Rating System, Quality Rating System; DECCD-MDHS; CCDF Quality Improvement, SECAC Mississippi |
April SECAC Meeting Cancelled; Two Autism Screening Sites Relocated
The scheduled April 27, 2017, meeting of the Governor’s SECAC ( State Early Childhood Advisory Council) has been cancelled. (Click here.)
SECAC has adopted a plan to require QRIS (in what amounts to having and maintaining a costly star level of 3 or above as outlined in the former quality rating Program … and more) for all providers serving children receiving child care assistance Certificates of Payment through a simple play of words. That is to say, instead of calling it a quality “rating”, SECAC calls it an environmental quality “assessment score” to be determined annually, regardless of the recommendation of every three years put forth in the Frank-Porter Graham evaluation of Mississippi’s former program or the ongoing concern for potential disparate impact presented by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Despite valid objections and questions that were raised by providers and advocates at the March 23, 2017, SECAC meeting, DHS Executive Director John Davis, who serves at the pleasure of the Governor and whose agency is given the responsibility to implement the SECAC plan, filed proposed amendments to adopt the plan on April 12, 2017.
No economic impact statement including the impact to small business was included and no public hearing was scheduled.
Cancellation of the April 27, 2017, SECAC meeting means stakeholders will not have an opportunity to redress their concerns directly with the policy makers – members of SECAC – prior to the 30 days the proposed rules are scheduled to be in effect.
Further, contact information for individual members of SECAC and identity of the SECAC Committees on which they serve are also no longer available or accessible on the DHS (or new SECAC) website as they were throughout previous administrations.
However, child care providers and organizations are making written request to DHS Executive Director John Davis to ask that the agency provide a public hearing. Such requests must be mailed and/or attached by Email on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and submitted by May 1, 2017. They must include the name, address, telephone number and Email address for individuals making the requests. APL (Administrative Procedures Law) requires a public hearing be held if ten persons make a written request for a public hearing within twenty days of an agency’s filing with the Secretary of State. Click here for more information and instructions for requesting a public hearing which is published on the NOTICE FILING.
Please note the changes in previously scheduled site locations for Autism Screenings in this updated MECIC flyer and share as needed.
Delta Licensed Providers 
Recent Comments