I am so torn between Contracting with DHS to offer childcare assistance or avoiding it like it's the plague. Any advice would be welcome and appreciated! Thank you :*)

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^I'm wondering the same thing right now.

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My thoughts too! I do know providers in my community who dhs clients are working out well for them.

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I think the answer would vary depending on your state. In Iowa it's not so bad. We bill online and the money is direct deposited. We get 4 days a month that we can bill if the child is supposed to be in attendance but doesn't come. Really the biggest problems here are the reimbursement rate, abuse of the program and waiting for approval.
Our reimbursement rate is between aprox. $105 for school agers (during school breaks) to aprox. $125 for children under 2. The average rate in our area is $125 no matter what the age of the child but quite a few providers have raised their rates to $150. Most providers here charge the same regardless of age and with the CCA rates you end up making less the longer you watch a child.
The abuse of the system is ridiculous because there seems to be very little oversight. Too many clients bring their children when they are off of work and so many of them can afford to get their hair/nails done and have their children wear all name brand clothes but they pay nothing for their daycare.
I make CCA clients pay out of pocket until I get notice from CCA and then I pay the client back any overlap after CCA pays me. CCA has 30 days to approve someone and they often take even longer. Paperwork gets lost or entered incorrectly all of the time so when they are up for renewal I make them do the same thing. There have been several cases in our area of people saying they have been approved and the provider not requiring payment only to find out later (when they leave and can't be found) that they were never approved or worse that they never even applied.

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Thank you for the replies. DHS sounds like a mess. I am so scared to offer the DHS assistance, but I am sure there is a need for it in my community. I don't know what I am going to do :/

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It really depends on your state. I have one client on it and won't take any again.

Here are my complaints from my experience

1) they pay AFTER you have cared for the child and its 1 1/2 month lag
2) last year they ran out of funding and the lag went to 3-4 months. But they strongly encouraged you to continue offering childcare
3) they pay 28/day, our average around here is 50/day.
4) they send you lots of letters asking you to not charge the parents their copay and to charge less
5) I still haven't been paid for January
6) they charge me a processing fee of 16 for each check I get

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Yes...it's so different in each state. Utah pays in advance with direct deposit. Providers can charge what they like and the parent has to make up any difference.

The parents have to fill out a review with the state every 6 months to see if they are still eligible. Problems sometimes arise with parents being lazy and forgetting to send paperwork in on time and then getting mad when you refuse care until funds are available.

Lots of pros and cons. I would prefer to NOT take state as (and I don't care if this seems cruel), but state parents tend to be the worst clients (not ALWAYS...but for the most part) The "I'm entitled" mentality is not a nice one to deal with.

But, there is a need here. I tend 16 children and 5 of them are state. It has been a higher ratio in the past.

You might want to contact other providers in your area and see if they will be brutally honest with you and give you their opinions.

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We got state funded care for 2 years while I was in school. I turned in my stuff on time every bloody time. The state would misplace stuff, decide they suddenly needed more info or would be so backed up that they couldn't even get to our stuff for months. I really wish people here would stop looking down on people who need/ previously needed aid.

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I didn't mean to offend you.

I have had many state clients who have turned in paperwork on time, been great clients etc. Yes....I have known the state to lose paperwork a few times too.

But I have been at this for nearly 3 decades now. MANY, MANY, MANY times I have had parents admit that they just didn't turn in their paperwork. They just shrug and tell me "it's coming" when I ask for money....as if that should be good enough and I should keep watching their kids until then. They get mad when I tell them "no pay/no stay". I have to explain to them that "it's coming" doesn't work from the self-pay parents and it doesn't work from them either. THEY are responsible to make sure I get paid. Too many of them have the opinion that everyone is supposed to work with them regardless and that they should have no responsibility at all.

These same parents expect me to magically provide diapers if they don't bring them.

These same parents "can't find" their kids shoes in the morning and then have a hissy fit that their child doesn't get to go to the park that day....as if I am supposed to provide shoes.

These same parents can't find one single penny to pay me while they wait for state funds to be processed, but will show me their new I-phone a day or two later

Yes....I am jaded.

I am thankful for state parents, who, like you....have used the help and been grateful and made sure they did whatever they needed to do.

But for everyone of those, there are 10 who couldn't care less.

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Any time someone talks about assistance you seem to take offense.

I don't think anyone is looking down on the individuals who need or have needed aid or government assistance.

What I do have issues with is the way the system works....NOT necessarily the folks who have needed it and used it properly.

My state works like Meeko's with families on assistance. I get paid direct deposit, the parent makes up any difference in rate and I am notified in advanvce if someone's case is going to be suspended or closed.

I have had parents upset with me for not allowing them to continue receiving services after their case has been suspended but it is all just part of the business and only one of a hundred different reasons I have had a parent upset.

I have NO issues with my state's child care assistance program.

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I am very big on "paying it forward". That being said; I have had my new license for 6 months and the only turnover I have had is from the 3 dshs clients I have taken in. One promised she was going to the store to get my money that was past due and never came back (she still hasn't paid me and probably never will), one had a new boyfriend every week and would leave her son with them for them to bring him to my daycare (virtual strangers to the child) and he was a mess when he would come in with them because he was scared, and one refused to give me her work schedule which varied from week to week so I never knew what days I could get paid for and she lied to me at the time of enrollment (said she needed full time care but once I agreed to watching her child it ended up being less than one day per week). BUT... I'm a big softie and agreed to another dshs that is still with me. So far the only downside has been that mom wanted full time but the state will only pay 3 and a half days per week. That means I make $77 per week off of a spot that others pay me up to $150 for. It just seems like a lot of hassle that isn't worth it to me but it is good karma.

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I don't look down at the parents on the program at all. It is meant to help families and it does. For me as the provider, it's really not worth it.

I think it's a great program but there are a lot of things that are screwed up and allow parents to take advantage of good providers. The parent signs the form stating the days I watched the child, BUT I only get paid if they were actually at work those days (meaning my check can be shorted). The parent can lose their job and not tell the provider, who in good faith is watching the child and them doesn't get paid the right amount because they weren't working.. Too much opportunity to get burned.

That being said - I love the family that I have that is on assistance. The mom is amazing and always updates me. All of the hiccups on payment error were NOT her fault, but it sucked not getting paid, then spending hours getting it corrected. She appreciates everything I do and always tells me, she brings me coffee, had volunteered here for reading times, and always gives me good faith payments when she finds out they are behind schedule on paying.

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Do you have to be licensed to contract with them?

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Because the people on this board seem to hate people who need food stamps, who need childcare assistance or who are in a bad place financially. People are judged solely on their financial merits. Almost all of the people I know who need assistance are educated, two parent households. People talk about wanting to cut programs that assist these people but don't seem to want to offer any strategies for people to become self sufficient. There is such a high level of disgust for daycare clients in these type of situations. Do any of these providers think about how heartbreaking it would be for their clients to hear/read the way providers talk about them?

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I don't take it, for me it has nothing to do with a prejudice or "looking down" on people that get assistance. It's just more paperwork and headache for me than it is worth. Plus I had very negative experiences with it when I was a center director and that's also a major part of my unwillingness as well.

I'm sure it varies from state to state but in mine you don't have to be registered/certified, you just have to take a DHS class.

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Not too bad in MO they pay far to little but I can charge the rest to the parent EXCEPT for kids in foster care They pay a little more but I have to accept it as total payment.

There does seem to be a black hole of paperwork so I do tell parents when they take papers to their caseworker make a reciept and have them sign and date it give them a copy for the file and the parents keep one. It seems to speed up the paperwork problems.

I have learned to make the parents pay until I get the letter stating they are covered and WHAT the state will pay.

They do get 5 absenses a month but that includes any holidays so I remind them they owe for any more.

got to say I enjoy those that the parents are going to school, or working hard to move up in a job. There have been a few that were lazy and ended up leaving with no notice. I said it was for the best and replace them.

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I don't generally have any issue with people receiving dhs assistance for daycare. I provide all the forms when interviewing clients if they feel they are eligible and let them know they MUST turn them into the offices right away in order for dhs to pick up the costs as soon as posible.

My state pays on time, every time but it can take a couple months to receive the first payment...which I don't mind because it's a nice big lump sum. I have not charged parents up front when they are dhs clients because my opinion has always been that if they need the assistance to pay for the child care, then they aren't exactly rolling in money (yes, I know there are some who go around in designer clothes, etc).

However, that policy has just changed this week. Fortunately I had a single mom who just separated from her husband and is getting divorced. She's moved in with her mom and insisted on paying up front. I didn't reject the idea and now I'm glad I didn't because last week she told me her caseworker told her they didn't have the paperwork...not sure if she didn't turn it in, or if dhs lost it, but either way had I not accepted her payments up front, we'd have both been in trouble.

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I am glad that most of the people you know on benefits are educated, two parent households. You are very lucky. I HAVE had truly wonderful daycare clients just like that.

But like I said....for every one of those, there are 10 others who think they should be given the world on a platter and that no effort should be necessary on their part whatsoever.

I have one like that right now...and she isn't the first by any means.

Seven children....a variety of fathers....all out of wedlock.....all filthy most of the time. They only get washed if I do it. CPS spends waaay to much of their time at her equally filthy house.

She has money for fancy phones, getting her nails done and lots of partying. But just can't seem to find the $11 she owes me for her co-pay. She will "forget" to do her state review, but it's MY fault for making her life difficult by refusing care until she does.

No responsibility. No respect. Just an attitude of "Gimmee". (She even called me last week and demanded to know her children's SSN's and got mad at me when I told her I didn't have that information! She needed them for her taxes)

She has also called in the past and asked me if I knew her boyfriend's birthdate!!!!!!!!!!!! I was having a bad day and told her to look it up on the county arrest website. She found it there

I have warned her several times in the last few weeks that her kids need shots. They will be overdue and I will turn them away on Thursday if she doesn't have the paperwork to show they had them. I am 100% sure it will be MY "fault" that she's going to miss work....

And yes...whether people want to hear it or not...she is in the MAJORITY not the minority. I have had many, many state clients over the past 28 years.

I love their kids and that's why I do this. They need SOME stability in their lives because they don't get it from their parents most of the time.

I am sure I sound very judgemental. But it's hard to be anything different after all these years. I love being surprised, but it sadly doesn't happen very often.

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I agree. I live in a college town so a lot of my clients are single parent college students looking to better themselves. They are usually on assistance and are usually great clients. However, the majority of the clients I've had in the last 10 years that have been on assistance have been irresponsible and entitled. I finally made the decision to only accept CCA if they are in school or have been at their current job for at least 6 months among other things.

I've neve understood why the state pays for daycare for 7 children of the same family....here that would be between $2000-3000 per month. If the parent stayed home, didn't work and had to take care of their own child and got food stamps, medical, etc. it would probably cost the taxpayers less. Not saying I don't think they should work but I sure wish there was an alternitive.

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Unfortunately I agree with Meeko. I admire the state paid parents who are going to school and trying to better their lives for themselves and their children. Those are few and far between though. Most of the state paid parents I have had show up late, don't get their paperwork in (meaning I don't get paid,) don't show up for a week and then show up as if all is well, or just stop coming with no word (and a balance due.) I rarely ever take a state paid client anymore. I know it's harsh but I have to look out for myself and my family.

Like I said if they are trying and truly in need then I am fine with them getting assistance temporarily, it is the ones (and there are a lot) who are taking advantage. For example my son works with a 24yo man who has 5 kids. His wife does not work and he works only 2 days per week. They are on assistance and each day when he buys his lunch he jokes to my son that "the state paid for this.....hahaha.")

Makes me kind of bitter when I work 50+ hours per week, my hubby has 2 jobs, I have already paid $10,000 in taxes this year and I am going to have to come up with another $3400 for taxes on April 15th. I don't freaking have it!!

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