Plain English Breakdown
Checked against official source text during the last sync.
Moving Unused Childcare Money to Help More Families
This law requires the state to find leftover money from childcare programs and move it into a special fund so more families can join alternative payment programs.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the Department of Social Services to check for unspent or projected unused money in subsidized childcare programs at least once every three months.
- Moves identified unspent funds into a new account called the Alternative Payment Program Enrollment Fund, as allowed by federal and state law.
- Sets aside all money in this fund specifically to enroll more eligible families in alternative payment programs for childcare.
- Requires the department to tell local planning councils whenever money is found that will be moved or redirected.
Who It Names or Affects
- The State Department of Social Services
- Local contracting agencies and planning councils involved in childcare services
- Eligible families seeking enrollment in alternative payment programs for children from infancy to age 13
Terms To Know
- Alternative Payment Programs
- Programs that reimburse childcare providers for providing care to eligible children.
- Continuously appropriated fund
- A special account where money is automatically available for a specific purpose without needing new approval each year.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill only moves funds that are allowed to be redirected under current federal and state laws.
- The text does not specify the exact dollar amounts of unspent money or how many additional families will be enrolled.