Lesson 2
Family Data File
Lesson 3
Attendance
Lesson 4
Parent Involvement & Education
Lesson 5
Health & Social Services
Lesson 6
Site Licensure & License Exempt
Lesson 7
Staff-Child Ratios
Lesson 8
Classroom Assessment System
Lesson 9
Nutritional Needs
Lesson 10
Desired Results Profile & Data
Lesson 11
Qualified Staff & Director
Lesson 12
Staff Development Program
Lesson 13
Refrain from Religious Instruction
Lesson 14
Inventory Records
Lesson 15
Annual Evaluation Plan
Lesson 16
Fiscal
Lesson 17
CDMIS 801A & 801B Reporting
Compliance
Indicator
Families with children enrolled in the program have met eligibility requirements, and the required documentation is complete.
A family data file has been established for each family, including a completed application for services, supporting documentation, and a completed family language interest survey. Except as otherwise specified in EC Section 8208 or pursuant to participation in an applicable approved plan adopted in a pilot county, the eligibility duration meets legal requirements applicable for the type of program and program year.
For part-day CSPP, once certified a child shall be deemed eligible for the remainder of the program year & for the following program year, as long as applicable age-eligibility requirements are met
Regulations/Reference
EED Program Instrument: I. Family Files EED 02
Education Code: 48000(h-l), 8205, 8208–8209, 8213, 8217, 8223, 8224, 8232, 8273, 8281.5, 8283, 8289, & 60910
Title 5: 17700, 17705, 17729, 17730, 17743, 17745, 17749–17753, 17755–17762, 17770, 17771, 17773, 17774 & 17822
Monitoring Review Evidence
Application for Services & Information Verification
Records of Eligibility, Residency & Family Size
Reporting, Data Submission & Monitoring
Records of Verification of Eligibility Information
Dual Language Learners
Watch Video Lesson ❯
Sample Forms/Tools ❯
Eligibility Forms
File Checklists
Parent Enrollment Checklists/Tools
Parent Handbook
Review Sketch Pad Notes ❯
Eligibility
Once a family establishes eligibility, they will remain eligible & receive services for up to 2 program years as long as applicable age-eligibility requirements are met. With that said, it’s very important to ensure you “get it right from the get-go” when it comes to determining a family’s eligibility for services, or you could find yourself living with a file error for a very long time.
Eligibility Criteria
According to the regulations, eligibility is based on either child or family eligibility.
Child Eligibility
Child protective services
At-risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation
Exceptional needs child (5% of funded enrollment)
Early Enrollment Child (school district or charter school w/TK)
Family Eligibility
Homelessness
CalWORKs Cash Aid Recipient
Receiving Benefits from Certain Governmental Program
Neighborhood School
Income Eligible (100% SMI)
Income Eligible (up to 15% above 100% SMI) not to exceed 10% of funded enrollment
What this might look like in a program:
Family provides documentation of eligibility in 1 or more category
Agency representative reviews documentation to determine if it meets eligibility requirements
Duration of Eligibility
For part-day CSPP, once certified a child is eligible for the remainder of the program year AND for the following program year, as long as applicable age-eligibility requirements are met
What this might look like in a program:
Example #1:
Family establishes eligibility & is approved to start services in September
Child remains eligible & receives services for the remainder of the program year AND for the following program year
Example #2:
Family establishes eligibility & is approved to start services in November
Child remains eligible & receives services for the remainder of the program year AND for the following program year
Alternating Residence
According to the regulations, when a child’s residence alternates between the homes of separated or divorced parents, eligibility must be determined separately for each household in which the child is residing during the time child development services are needed.
Photo Example:
Child lives at mom’s house every other week & dad’s house every other week
Since the child alternates between both mom & dad’s house eligibility would be determined separately for each family (2 separate family data files with separate applications & supporting documents)
Foster Parent/Guardian
According to the regulations, when a child & his or her siblings are living in a family that does not include their biological or adoptive parent, “family” shall be considered the child & related siblings.
Photo Example:
In this household there are 3 different families
First family: Unrelated foster child
Second family: Married couple with one child
Third family: Two siblings that are foster children
In this example, if all children were enrolled from this household, eligibility would be determined separately for each family (3 family data files with separate applications & supporting documents)
Documentation of Eligibility
Child Protective Services
Children receiving Child Protective Services (CPS) through the county welfare department may receive child care & development services if referred by a county child welfare services worker.
Referral Letter must include:
County CPS letterhead
Date
Statement certifying that the child is receiving child protective services & that child care & development services are a necessary component of the child protective services plan
Name & birth date of each child being referred
Frequency of needed child care services that includes the number of days per week & number of hours per day child care is needed
Probable duration of child protective plan
Name, address, phone number & signature of the person making the referral
Sample: CPS Referral Letter >
At-Risk
Children at-risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, & referred from a legally qualified professional in a legal, medical, or social services agency, a local educational agency liaison for homeless children & youths, a head start program, or an emergency shelter may receive child care & development services.
Referral Letter must include:
Date
Statement by a legally qualified professional that states: The child is at risk of abuse & neglect & that child care & development services are needed to reduce or eliminate that risk
Name & birth date of each child being referred
Frequency of needed child care services that includes the number of days per week & number of hours per day child care is needed
Probable duration of the at-risk situation
Name, address, phone number & signature of the person making the referral
Sample: At-Risk Referral Letter >
Child with Exceptional Needs
5% of CSPP funded enrollment must be reserved for children with exceptional needs.
Only the child(ren) in the family who have exceptional needs may be enrolled under this eligibility criteria.
Any other child in the family without exceptional needs must meet one of the other Eligibility criteria's.
NOTE: Self-Certification of income is collected for the purpose of determining enrollment priority (not for the purpose of eligibility)
Child under 3 years of age:
Age eligible child who has been determined to be eligible for early intervention services
These children may have a developmental delay or established risk condition, or who is at high risk of having a substantial developmental disability
File must contain an active Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)
Child 3 years or older:
Age eligible child who has been determined to be eligible for special education & related services by an individualized education program team
File must contain an active Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Early Enrollment Child
A school district or charter school that offers TK, may enroll an early enrollment child in a CSPP:
Either alone or as extended day learning and care
Regardless of income
After all other eligible children have been enrolled
Families choosing to enroll their early enrollment child in a state preschool must provide proof that the child turns four years old between the third of June and the first of September, inclusive, preceding the school year.
Homelessness
The definition of homelessness aligns with the definition of "homeless children" that is in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children & youth as "children that lack a fixed, regular & adequate nighttime residence.” And includes one of the following sub parts:
Sharing housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
Living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or camping
Emergency or transitional shelters or abandoned in hospital
Primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
Living in car, park, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings
Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above
Either a written parental declaration that the family is experiencing homelessness OR written referral from an emergency shelter or other legal, medical or social services agency is needed to document eligibility of homelessness.
NOTE: Documentation of monthly income is collected for the purpose of prioritization
Sample: Parental Declaration of Homelessness Form >
Sample: Homeless Referral Letter >
Current Aid Recipient
If the basis of eligibility is a current cash aid recipient, the parent must provide documentation of CalWORKs cash-aid, unless the contractor has other means of obtaining verification.
Examples of documentation may include:
Notice of action from the welfare department
Receipt of CalWORKs Cash Aid
Verification of Benefits
NOTE: Documentation should be for the month proceeding certification or recertification
Receiving Benefits from Certain Governmental Program
A family is categorically eligible to receive child care & development services if a member in the household meets either of the two following criteria:
Member of the household has been certified as eligible to receive benefits or services from one of the following:
CalWorks
Medi-Cal
CalFresh
California Food Assistance Program
California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
The Federal Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
Head Start
Early Head Start
Contracting agency has determined a member of the household eligible for Head Start or Early Head Start
Documentation that demonstrates family is certified for a governmental program:
Enrollment Documentation in any of the means-tested governmental programs referenced above (Example: Notice of Action | Receipt of Aid | Verification of Benefits) AND
Copy of Governmental Program Application OR
If not available, a Self-Declaration of Income indicating that they do not have access to the application, and to the best of their recollection, the income declared on the governmental program application
NOTE: Income declared on governmental program application is used for the purpose of prioritization
Neighborhood School
If a child is enrolled within enrollment priority Family Resides in an Approved Neighborhood School Boundary, the family data file must contain current documentation.
Acceptable documents include:
Utility bill
Property tax bill
Voter Registration
Employment pay stub
Government agency letter
Rental or lease agreement with Landlord’s information
Any documentation that a contractor reasonably relies upon to prove a family’s residency
NOTE: Self-Certification of Income is required for the purpose of prioritization
Site Approval Information:
Initial Approval: For initial CSPP Neighborhood School Site verification, contractors must complete the Site Verification Form.
Annual Reverification: For each program year after initial approval, contractors seeking to continue to enroll children under the CSPP Neighborhood School Eligibility provision must complete the Annual Reverification Survey.
Income Eligible
To document income eligibility, a parent must provide a copy of their gross “Total Countable Income” from all sources for all individuals counted in the family size.
Biological/Adoptive Parent: Parents Total Countable Gross Income minus verified child support payments paid-out by the parent is used to determine eligibility
Guardian/Foster Parent: Only Countable Income received for the child & related siblings is used to determine eligibility
The Countable/Non-Countable Income Reference Sheet is a great tool to assist both staff & parents with determining what is countable & non-countable income
When determining income eligibility, if a parent is paying out VERIFIED child support for one of their children, it can be deducted from their countable gross income.
What to Collect Based on Frequency of Pay
REGULAR & STEADY INCOME
Total countable income from either month of the 2-month window immediately preceding certification
For income eligibility, use any 4 weeks within the preceding 2 months Weekly - Pay is received once per week (need 4 check stubs)
Every Two Weeks - Pay cycle is usually 14 days. Example: Every other Friday (need 2 check stubs)
Bi-Monthly - Usually 15 days or longer. Example: Pay received 5th and 20th (need 2 check stubs)
Monthly - Pay is received once per month
FLUCTUATING OR INCONSISTENT INCOME
Average the parent’s income from preceding 12 months
Migrant
Agricultural
Intermittent Income
Inconsistent or unstable employment or self-employment
If no documentation is available for any time period within the 12-months, have parent complete a Self-Certification of Income to ”fill-in” each of the gaps
NOTE: If there is a source of regular/steady income AND a source of fluctuating/inconsistent income calculate the different income sources separately then add them together
What to Collect Based on Income Type
NON-VERIFIABLE INCOME
If the income cannot be independently verified, assess whether the reported income is reasonable or consistent with community practice for the employment.
Self-Certification of Income is allowed only if documentation is not possible.
Common examples include the following:
Employer refuses to provide employment documentation
Contact of an employer would adversely affect parent’s employment
Non-employment income that is informal
Guardian who receives zero income for care of the child
Parent receives zero income
Parent has fluctuating income & no documentation is available for specific time periods within the 12-months (fill-in the gaps)
GUARDIAN/FOSTER PARENT
A foster parent or guardian’s income is not counted. For the purpose of determining income eligibility, only the child’s & child’s related siblings income will be used to determine income eligibility
NOTE: If the child has zero income, the guardian can complete a Self-Certification of Income form declaring that they receive no income to care for the child
Examples of Child Income:
CalWORKs cash aid
Child disability benefits that are not SSI/SSP benefits
Child support, if received by
the guardianSurvivor benefits
Foster care grants, payments or clothing allowance (non-countable income)
Financial assistance received for the care of a child living with an adult who is not the child’s biological or adoptive parent
EMPLOYMENT INCOME
STEP 1: Employed parents MUST provide a written authorization to release employment information. The release CAN NOT be generic. It must include the specific employer’s name, address, telephone number & usual business hours
STEP 2: Employed parents MUST provide proof of employment income, such as:
Payroll check stubs, or
Independently drafted letter from the employer
Other record of wages issued by the employer
STEP 3: Once parent has provided a release for authorization AND proof of income, move forward with the verification. As applicable, verify wages, rate of pay, potential for overtime, tips or additional compensation, hours & days of work, pay periods, rate of pay & start date
NOTES:
Authorization to release information is typically included on an agency’s Employment Verification form
In addition, Staff typically document how income was verified on the Employment Verification form
SELF-EMPLOYMENT INCOME
STEP 1: Parent provides a combination of documentation necessary to establish income, including business revenue & expenses.
STEP 2: Staff must verify documentation provided to ensure the business is legitimate. This may include, but not limited to reviewing a parent’s advertisements or if appropriate contacting clients.
STEP 3: Staff calculate self-employment income
Regular & steady revenue: Total revenue minus business expenses from either month of the 2-month window immediately preceding certification
Inconsistent revenue: Average the total revenue minus expenses from preceding 12 months
NOTE: Wage draw is NOT an expense (Business owner takes funds out of business for personal use)
What this might look like in practice:
Knowing what documentation is required for a self-employed parent can be overwhelming as there are many differences from one business type to another.
The Declaration of Self-Employment/Income form is a great source to determine what a parent should provide based on their type of business.
Step back & think, for this type of business what should I request in order to verify the following:
Legitimate business
Records of revenue
Records of expenses
Examples:
Income Calculation Worksheet
In addition to documentation of income, the file must contain an income calculation worksheet
Worksheet must specify the frequency & amount of pay for each source of income
Income Thresholds
For initial & ongoing State Preschool program eligibility, a family’s adjusted monthly income must be at or below 100% of the State Median Income (SMI) threshold, adjusted for family size
In addition, for State Preschool programs there is an admission priority that allows programs to enroll a family whose income is not more than 15% above the income threshold (100% of SMI). The number of children enrolled in this priority is limited to 10% of funded enrollment
NOTES:
For other programs, such as General Child Care, State Migrant or Alternative Payment, the income threshold is at 85% of the SMI
See the “Family Selection” section for additional information on the Enrollment Priorities, including the entire Income Ranking Chart
Complete Knowledge Check ❯
After reviewing the video lesson & sketch pad notes, it’s time to check for understanding by completing a Knowledge Check. Note that Individual Knowledge Checks will conclude with a Certificate.