2013 ABC Summer Care Program

Dear ABC Coordinators:

We are happy to announce the continued summer partnership with CCDF. What does this mean to you?  Through CCDF funding, our ABC programs will be able to continue serving current ABC children during the summer months! Please carefully read the following important information, including new conditions for participation. In order for your program to be considered, all of the following conditions must be met. 

• Facility must be a current (2012-13 school year) ABC Agency.
• Agency must agree to accept CCDF Summer Care funding only for children who:
• participated in ABC during the 2012-13 program year –AND-
• have at least one parent who works full time, attends school full time or a combination of the two.
• Full time work = 30 hours per week
• Full time school = 6 hours
• Agency must be open for a minimum of 7-10 hours per day.
• Agency must provide a lead teacher who has a Bachelor’s degree.
• Agency must complete a child care participant agreement which includes a mandatory online training.
• Agency must agree to enter attendance by the close of business every Friday. Attendance will be pulled weekly for payment.  This year, agencies will be paid for 5 absentee days per child. If attendance is not entered by the close of business on Friday of the attendance week, the Agency will not be paid until the following payment cycle after attendance has been entered.
• Agency must submit initial child roster by April 22, 2013 using the attached form.
• An updated roster must be submitted whenever a child is dropped or added. Eligibility verification information must be submitted for each child added during the Summer Care Period Eligibility. Approval of children added shall then be determined by DHS, and the Agency will be notified whether the child is eligible to be served or not.
• DHS is not responsible for payments for children not approved prior to the child’s enrollment date.  DHS agrees to start enrollment date on the date that an updated roster and its eligibility verification information are received.
• Agency must maintain eligibility verification information for each child requesting Summer Care on site for review. DCCECE employees will begin reviewing information through site visits starting the first week of May 2013.  Eligibility verification information must consist of one of the following:
• Pay stubs for employment for the last 30 days
• A copy of parent’s  1040 tax form, to include Schedule C if self-employed
• School schedule showing enrollment for Summer Semester
• School transcript showing enrollment for Summer Semester

If you are interested in participating in the ABC Summer Care program, a response to this email including the information below and the attached completed, initial child roster must be received by April 22, 2013 at 4:00 p.m.  Please email all information to our new ABC Administrative Assistant, Lynda Lee at lynda.lee@arkansas.gov. 
 
Please Note: The rate of pay will be $27.30/day per child.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or Ivory Daniels.

Sincerely,

Important Notice

Attention: The ADE Rules Governing the Arkansas Better Chance Program has been revised and approved. The new Rules became effective October 26, 2012.

Overview

The Arkansas Better Chance program is funded through an appropriation in the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) Public School Fund budget. ADE contracts with the DHS Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education to administer the program. The Division is responsible for all operational duties associated with ABC. The State Board of Education is the final authority for approval of rules and grants. The Division gives regular reports and updates to the State Board of Education, as well as an annual report to the Joint Legislative Committee on Education.

Act 49

Regulation Clarifications

Pre-K Alignment with Common Core

The AR Framework Benchmark Summary Table has been revised to better align with national Common Core Standards that were adopted by Arkansas in July, 2010. Extensive research has taken place to assure that these standards are appropriate for developmental stages of pre-k children as well as aligned properly with the Common Core Standards.

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