Originally Posted by footprintsfamilychildcare:
I work with a childcare agency/voucher system. They require me to ensure that my private rates are higher than the ones they pay me for the voucher families. That’s fine. They then proceeded to tell me however that if I wanted to charge one of my private families $10 a day to help them out of the kindness of my heart that it is illegal because it is less than the voucher rates even if I only had all private pay families. Is this true!!?!?!?! I really can’t charge charitable prices if I want to? This is MY business. The question is this; Can the EEC really regulate my rates?
If I understood this correctly, they may be correct:
http://www.eec.state.ma.us/docs1/New...her_manual.pdf
Upon the CCR&R or EEC’s request, but no less than once per year, Providers/Systems must submit
their public or private pay rates that they (or their affiliated providers) charge for early education and
care services before they can receive payment. Providers/Systems and System-affiliated providers
must not charge/bill the CCR&R and/or EEC a higher rate for families receiving early education and
care subsidies than they charge for private paying families for the same type of care, unless the
Provider/System has sufficient restricted revenue to offset the difference between the
Provider/System’s voucher reimbursement rate and the lowest rate charged to any of its privately
paying families (multiplied by however many contract/voucher/grant slots the Provider/System
holds). The revenue must have been restricted in writing by the donor specifically for the purpose of
offsetting privately paying parents’ rates for child care prior to the period in which such funds are
being used. The Provider/System must include any information about scholarships/discounts that
may be offered to private paying parents, including, but not limited to, discounts for early payments
with the submission of private rates. The Provider/System must maintain records to document the
off-set available for any years where discounted rates are charged to private paying families or
scholarships are offered.
The CCR&R and/or EEC may implement rate increases and/or decreases depending upon the
availability of funding.