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professionalmom 09:24 PM 07-05-2010
Wow, I guess it is different for each state. I interviewed 3 different agencies/programs before I joined one. They were all basically the same because they are all funded through the USDA. However, one program did not have the option to submit things online. One program was online only. I chose the one that allowed either way because I wanted to have the option to submit everything via the mail IF my internet went down for some reason.

I have the option of planning menus in advance or just entering the foods and attendance at the end of the day. Even with the planned menus, I can change oranges to grapes when I do the paperwork (computer work) at the end of the day. So if they show up and see grapes, I just tell her that I planned for oranges, but we changed our minds and I will make the proper adjustment when I enter everything in the evening. No problem and I still get reimbursed. But I have a really awesome sponsor who is very laid back and used to be a home daycare provider. So maybe that helps, having a sponsor who understanding that flexibility is a necessity in home daycare. If we end up serving lunch at 11:45 instead of 12:00 on the dot, I can change that too. So I’m not LOCKED into the foods I serve or the times. I just make the proper adjustments when I record it at the end of the day. I’m not sure about preparing a meal or snack and doing a picnic elsewhere. From the way I understand it, the reimbursement is based on the fact that I am providing the food, paying for it, and serving it. Also, I get reimbursed for feeding infants even if the parents provide the formula. I have to “offer” a brand of formula, but if the family uses another brand (which has always been the case for me), they sign a waiver, then I get reimbursed. It was explained to me that since we have to take the time to actually hold the baby and feed him/her (instead of propping up the bottle) and also preparing the bottle, it is just as time consuming as preparing a meal for older children and therefore, it’s worthy of reimbursement. As for calling them if we will be out of the house, I don’t see a problem with this. After all, I hate going to see someone and find out they are not there and I wasted my time and gas. So, I see it as a respect thing. I would feel awful if my sponsor showed up and I wasn’t here.

Also, for the first year, I got reimbursed for my DD because our income was low enough. Then we got “kicked off” of claiming our DD because my husband got a raise and I got more clients, which increased our income, making us ineligible. Now, when our twins are born in Nov., we will probably be able to starting claiming the twins and DD since we will jump to a family of 5, with a higher income eligibility cut-off. Also, I am in Tier 1, the highest tier. So this will be a HUGE benefit. The only rule there is that I can only claim the meals that I serve my kids if I am also claiming at least 1 DC kid for that meal/snack. And I'm still limited to 2 meals and a snack OR a meal and 2 snacks per day.

But I think the biggest benefit to the food program is the record keeping. I upgraded to Minute Menu Pro, which has a lot of features. I log in each DCK’s sign in and sign out times each day. It will calculate my time-space percentage based on my actual hours of operation. I can also record all my expenses. Then at tax time, it will print out reports showing how much I spent for various categories, such as office supplies, toys, or advertising (to name a few). There is even a mileage calculator where I can enter the miles I use to run to the bank to make deposits, trips to the grocery store, field trips, etc. Then it calculates a time-space percentage for my car mileage, so I can deduct some of my car insurance, fuel, and upkeep. Basically, it makes tax time MUCH less painful and a LOT more organized for me. I can also print out all my tax reports for all my families at the end of the year in less than 5 minutes. I do my invoices to the parents and print those out in record time. These are just a few of the amenities of that program. I absolutely love it and would be lost without this software that is specifically designed for home daycare providers.

Can it be a pain in the neck to log everything in all the time? Sure. But it sure beats the full day, mind-numbing, migraine-causing nightmare of adding everything up on my own at tax time. And it will need to be done, whether I am on the food program or not. I just adore the fact that the program does so much of the calculations, forms, and recording for me. At tax time, I just print some reports, plug the numbers into my tax software, and I’m done.

But, it appears that the different agencies in different states have different rules, so check with your sponsors. Also, check with the different agencies to see who you like more.
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