Chickasaw Nation Child Care Stabilization Grants

Program Details

The child care stabilization grants offer financial relief to eligible child care providers within the Chickasaw Nation service area to help offset unexpected business costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and to help stabilize operations so services may continue.

Grants are available to cover a range of expenses, such as:

Cleaning and sanitization equipment
- Sanitation wands
  - $3,000 for licensed centers
  - $1000 for licensed homes
  - $500 for relative providers
- PPE Kit
  - $2500 for licensed centers
  - $1500 for licensed homes
  - $750 for relative providers
- Health and safety kits
  - $600 for centers
  - $300 for licensed homes
  - $250 for relative providers
- Air Purifiers
  - $2500 for licensed centers
  - $750 for licensed homes
  - $300 for relative providers
- Zono Machines
  - $24,600 (approved after monitoring visit)
  - Funds provided to vendor
  - Zono Machine shipped to provider
Hazard pay
- Available for providers on contract with the Chickasaw Nation that remained open during the pandemic. The amount is based on licensure level, total capacity and the number of children attending who are receiving Chickasaw Nation child care assistance.
- One Time Hazard Pay Relief Grants (Max three months):
- Relative Providers: $1,000
- Licensed Homes:
  - Children on assistance: 1-6 children; Grant Amount: $2,000 per month Max $6,000
  - Children on assistance: 7+ children; Grant Amount: $4,000 per month Max $12,000
- Licensed Centers:
  - Children on assistance: 1-4 children; Grant Amount: $5,000 per month Max $15,000
  - Children on assistance: 5-9 children; Grant Amount: $7,500 per month Max $22,500
  - Children on assistance: 10+ children; Grant Amount: $10,000 per month Max $30,000
- Licensed Centers (non-contracted): $2,500
- Licensed Homes (non-contracted): $1,000
Operational costs
- Must submit:
  - Three most recent statements.
  - Copies of the three most recent utility bills, internet, mortgage/rent, insurance and pay roll.
- Amount distributed will be determined by the average of the statements multiplied by three months.
Provider training
- $250 training voucher for each child care employee.
- The voucher is for training offered through the Center for Early Childhood Professional Development (CECPD).
- Check request mailed to CECPD for training vouchers.
Early intervention services
- Providing a strong network of support services ensures that parents and caregivers are supported in meeting the needs of children and families by engaging their child(ren)’s growth and development. Assists providers and families to ensure a nurturing environment and overcome stressors that impair effective quality of care and parenting. Family support staff play a critical role in fostering the healthy development and school readiness of young children. Additionally, family support is a crucial early intervention strategy for children who are at risk or those with special needs.
- Early intervention services work to establish a system of staff support for working with and providing information to families on engaging in their child(ren)’s learning. This includes helping families gain access to the tools and resources that will not only meet basic needs, but also give them the opportunity to be the best advocate for their child(ren). Early intervention staff focus on cultivating relationships with families that support family well-being, strong parent-child relationships, meaningful collaboration with teaching staff and providers, and effective communication and ongoing learning and development. Early intervention staff will also work to empower families by developing goals together for each child as well as the whole family through visits and a Family Partnership Agreement. This process offers parents and families a time to identify their own strengths and determine what resources are needed to make progress towards successful outcomes.
- Early intervention services:
  - Increase the strength and resilience of families.
  - Support parents as they meet the needs of their children.
  - Ensure all children are thriving developmentally and receive early intervention.
  - Help families make critical connections to resources in the community.
  - Provide individualized, family-driven support that respects family culture, values, and preferences.
- Early Intervention must include program staff, resources, resource development, family engagement opportunities, transportation, early intervention services (including contracting for more intensive services), collaboration with teachers and providers, as well as full- and/or part-time staff with benefits to provide supports for families.
- A family support network may focus efforts on:
  - Promoting family engagement within the home and in the child care setting;
  - Helping establish family goals and giving them the tools and encouragement needed to achieve those goals;
  - Addressing comprehensive wellness for children and families, providing a space for early identification of health needs and concerns;
  - Connecting families to resources and helping them navigate resources available to them to address family needs and ensure the overall health and well-being of the family unit; and
  - Assessing children’s progress towards developmental milestones and helping families understand the milestones. Also, provide assistance on how to support their own children’s progress.
- Early Intervention Specialist: Chickasaw Nation Child Care will contract an early intervention behavioral specialists and assign to qualified providers (an extension of our early intervention team). The specialist will assist children enrolled with a qualified/approved provider.
- Early Intervention Social Emotional Curriculum and supplies:
  - $2,000 for homes: kit mailed to provider
  - $5,000 for centers: kit mailed to provider
- Early Intervention Screenings: The Chickasaw Nation Early Intervention Manager will establish screening dates with the Oklahoma Early Access Team to provide testing on site for each provider or in a local area for providers. Testing includes:
  - Oklahoma Autism Screening
  - Hearing
  - Vision
  - Brigance
Early intervention classroom
- Eligibility determined by monitoring visit, available space and agreement to continue implementation of early intervention classroom.
- Child Care Centers interested in establishing an early intervention classroom are eligible for:
  - Complete classroom set-up
  - $27,000 per year (reimburse monthly up to one year)
Car seat services
- 10 car seats per provider once an employee completes the CPS certification.
- Car seat communication material
- Car Seat Technician Certification for provider and attendance incentive ($100 each)
- Will be provided onsite, once training is scheduled.
Health and safety costs
- Costs may vary
- Funds may cover, but are not limited to the following:
  - Playground upgrades
  - Fence for outdoor space
  - Smoke detectors
  - Fire alarms
  - Other health and safety equipment
- Approved based on need and justification
  - Family homes: $15,000 max
  - Licensed homes: $50,000 max
  - Licensed centers: Amount to be determined based on justification
  - Non-contracted providers: Amount determined by licensure and star rating
Employee wage incentive
- Documentation of employee salaries required.
- Incentive offered to each child care employee of contracted providers to help meet the difference of the average cost of child care salaries.
- $150 per employee multiplied by three months.
QRIS Incentive (Reaching for the Stars)
- Reaching for the Stars is the quality rating scale for the Oklahoma child care tier payment system. The goal is for each center to improve the quality of care provided. The system allows programs to reach goals while improving care and education services.
- One-star centers and homes are required to meet minimum licensing requirements. All qualifying programs begin as a one-star rating and must apply to advance to the next level. Centers must complete requirements to meet the next level star within one year to be eligible for the grant to maintain the new star level.
- First year ARP Grants for centers to improve to the next star level:
  - One Star Grant: $2,500
  - Two Star Grant: $3,500
  - Three Star Grant: $4,500
- Second Year Grants to maintain star level:
  - One Star Grant: $1,000
  - Two Star Grant: $2,500
  - Three Star Grant: $5,000

Child Care Providers

Eligible child care providers must be:

Open and available to provide child care services, or
Closed due to public health, financial hardship or other reasons relating to the COVID-19 public health emergency, and
Licensed, regulated or registered prior to March 11, 2021.

Eligibility

Center-based child care, group home child care, family child care or other providers of child care services for compensation that:
- Are licensed, regulated or registered under tribal or state law; and,
- Satisfy the tribal, state and local requirements, including health and safety requirements outlined in the CCDBG Act.

Documentation

The following is a basic list of documents you may need to provide when applying. Applicants may be asked to complete additional forms or provide additional documentation to demonstrate their eligibility. In order to keep your information safe, the application will time out after 60 minutes. Please ensure you have all required documentation available to complete the screening and application within the allotted time.

Copy of Department of Human Services license and/or tribal child care assistance agreement
W9
Operational Costs:
- Utility bills, electric, gas, water, sewage,
Mortgage statement/lease agreement
Financial Reports
- Payroll
- Check Stubs
- Bank Statements
- Other examples: Quicken, Quick Books, etc.
Copy of Star Level of facility
Justification for health and safety needs:
- Description of need
- Itemized lists of requested items to purchase with cost estimate
- Example classroom items with cost and where estimate was obtained (Walmart, Lakeshore, Staples, Kaplan Inc., etc.)

If providers need assistance filling out the application, they should reach out to Chickasaw Nation Child Care. A team member will be able to assist with questions regarding the grants and application process.

Chickasaw Nation Child Care Stabilization Grants

Chickasaw Nation Child Care Stabilization Grants

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