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Providers will not attest to staying open through the 2021-22 school year, as the school year has now closed. Instead, providers will attest that if they close their license before the one year grant period is over, they will return any unspent grant funds to DCYF.
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Licensed Child Care Providers:
This includes licensed family home, child care centers, school-age care, outdoor nature-based care, and certified. Providers must have an open license in good standing at the time of application and the time of award. Providers with an open license experiencing a temporary closure of up to two weeks (per occurrence) due to COVID-19 may also apply.
Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN):
License-exempt FFN providers who have served at least one child on subsidy in four of the last six months, or two of the last three months, and claim for subsidy through the Social Service Payment System (SSPS) at time of application.
DCYF will process batches of grant applications once per month during the application period.
The application period ends June 30, 2022.
Providers will receive a grant payment in one lump sum. Please understand that electronic payment processing and the U.S. Postal Service may take several business days, impacting the exact date that providers receive payments. On the second Monday of each month, DCYF will pull a report. Applications in that report are reviewed and, if approved, processed for payment at the end of the month.
Application Submission Date | Expected Payment Process Date |
---|---|
Before 8am on the 2nd Monday of the month | Payment processes last week of the same month. Payment may be received several business days later. |
After 8am on the 2nd Monday | Payment processes last week of the FOLLOWING month. Payment may be received several business days later. |
DCYF will process payments through SSPS. If a provider currently or has previously received payments from SSPS, they will receive the DCYF Child Care Stabilization Grant payment in the same way. Providers who have not received payments through SSPS will receive payment via the U.S. Postal Service. Payments will be mailed to the address associated with the SSPS number.
Licensed providers will log into the WA Compass Provider Portal, navigate to the Grant Information tab, select Current Grants, and select the DCYF Child Care Stabilization Grant application. The provider will answer a series of questions and then submit the application. More information on how to use the Grant Information tab is available in the Application Step-by-Step Guide.
FFN Providers can access the application here, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The provider will answer a series of questions and then submit the application. More information on how to apply is available in the Application Step-by-Step Guide.
Providers who are temporarily closed for up to two weeks (per occurrence) due to COVID-19 may apply for the Child Care Stabilization Grant.
No. Child Care Stabilization Grants are awarded to a specific licensed facility/site, not to a larger organization. Providers with multiple licensed locations will need to submit one application for each licensed site that qualifies for a grant.
Yes. Grant funds are considered income. DCYF will send out a 1099 in January for tax purposes. The 1099 includes all DCYF funds provided in the tax year period.
Providers may choose to use DCYF Child Care Stabilization Grant funds to reimburse themselves for allowable expenses incurred after January 1, 2021.
Licensed family home facilities with no other employees must use the workforce amount to increase their own compensation. This may include compensation for health care benefits, Individual Retirement Account, etc. For further clarification, please consult your accountant or financial adviser.
Technical assistance is available in both 1-on-1 or small group sessions.
These sessions can be delivered in-person, virtually, or over the phone.
Technical assistance is available to support you in your preferred language.
Technical assistance can:
DCYF will require providers agree to and comply with the following attestations:
When open and available to provide child care services, the provider will implement policies that follow local/State guidance and to the “greatest extent possible” implement the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) guidelines;
The provider will pay employees full compensation, including benefits if applicable, as of the date of application and will not take any action that reduces weekly compensation or the compensation rate below “full compensation,” including involuntary furloughing at time of application and submission; and
The provider must use the workforce amount portion of the grant award for compensation increases to employees working at the provider’s facility.
The provider attests that they have reviewed their workforce information in MERIT, and that the information is up-to-date.
The provider will provide relief from fees for enrolled families to the extent possible, and prioritize families who are struggling to pay when providing such relief.
The provider will stay open and able to care for children through the 2021-22 school year calendar of their local school district, and will make every effort to continue to serve children past that time.
The provider will keep all receipts from purchases made with the grant funds for five years, and may be asked to submit receipts to DCYF. If the provider is unable to submit receipts, they may be required to return part or all of the funds to the State of Washington.
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