2020 -- H 7584 | |
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LC004373 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- CHILD CARE - STATE SUBSIDIES | |
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Introduced By: Representatives Diaz, Caldwell, Slater, Casimiro, and Blazejewski | |
Date Introduced: February 13, 2020 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 40-6.2-1.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-6.2 entitled "Child |
2 | Care - State Subsidies" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 40-6.2-1.1. Rates established. |
4 | (a) Through June 30, 2015, subject to the payment limitations in subsection (c), the |
5 | maximum reimbursement rates to be paid by the departments of human services and children, |
6 | youth and families for licensed childcare centers and licensed family-childcare providers shall be |
7 | based on the following schedule of the 75th percentile of the 2002 weekly market rates adjusted |
8 | for the average of the 75th percentile of the 2002 and the 2004 weekly market rates: |
9 | LICENSED CHILDCARE CENTERS 75th PERCENTILE OF WEEKLY |
10 | MARKET RATE |
11 | INFANT $182.00 |
12 | PRESCHOOL $150.00 |
13 | SCHOOL-AGE $135.00 |
14 | LICENSED FAMILY CHILDCARE 75th PERCENTILE OF WEEKLY |
15 | PROVIDERS MARKET RATE |
16 | INFANT $150.00 |
17 | PRESCHOOL $150.00 |
18 | SCHOOL-AGE $135.00 |
19 | Effective July 1, 2015, subject to the payment limitations in subsection (c), the maximum |
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1 | reimbursement rates to be paid by the departments of human services and children, youth and |
2 | families for licensed childcare centers and licensed family-childcare providers shall be based on |
3 | the above schedule of the 75th percentile of the 2002 weekly market rates adjusted for the |
4 | average of the 75th percentile of the 2002 and the 2004 weekly market rates. These rates shall be |
5 | increased by ten dollars ($10.00) per week for infant/toddler care provided by licensed family- |
6 | childcare providers and license-exempt providers and then the rates for all providers for all age |
7 | groups shall be increased by three percent (3%). For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, |
8 | licensed childcare centers shall be reimbursed a maximum weekly rate of one hundred ninety- |
9 | three dollars and sixty-four cents ($193.64) for infant/toddler care and one hundred sixty-one |
10 | dollars and seventy-one cents ($161.71) for preschool-age children. |
11 | (b) Effective July l, 2018, subject to the payment limitations in subsection (c), the |
12 | maximum infant/toddler and preschool-age reimbursement rates to be paid by the departments of |
13 | human services and children, youth and families for licensed childcare centers shall be |
14 | implemented in a tiered manner, reflective of the quality rating the provider has achieved within |
15 | the state's quality rating system outlined in § 42-12-23.1. |
16 | (1) For infant/toddler childcare, tier one shall be reimbursed two and one-half percent |
17 | (2.5%) above the FY 2018 weekly amount, tier two shall be reimbursed five percent (5%) above |
18 | the FY 2018 weekly amount, tier three shall be reimbursed thirteen percent (13%) above the FY |
19 | 2018 weekly amount, tier four shall be reimbursed twenty percent (20%) above the FY 2018 |
20 | weekly amount, and tier five shall be reimbursed thirty-three percent (33%) above the FY 2018 |
21 | weekly amount. |
22 | (2) For preschool reimbursement rates, tier one shall be reimbursed two and one-half |
23 | (2.5%) percent above the FY 2018 weekly amount, tier two shall be reimbursed five percent (5%) |
24 | above the FY 2018 weekly amount, tier three shall be reimbursed ten percent (10%) above the FY |
25 | 2018 weekly amount, tier four shall be reimbursed thirteen percent (13%) above the FY 2018 |
26 | weekly amount, and tier five shall be reimbursed twenty-one percent (21%) above the FY 2018 |
27 | weekly amount. |
28 | (c) [Deleted by P.L. 2019, ch. 88, art. 13, § 4]. |
29 | (d) By June 30, 2004, and biennially through June 30, 2014, the department of labor and |
30 | training shall conduct an independent survey or certify an independent survey of the then current |
31 | weekly market rates for childcare in Rhode Island and shall forward such weekly market rate |
32 | survey to the department of human services. The next survey shall be conducted by June 30, |
33 | 2016, and triennially thereafter. The departments of human services and labor and training will |
34 | jointly determine the survey criteria including, but not limited to, rate categories and sub- |
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1 | categories. |
2 | (e) In order to expand the accessibility and availability of quality childcare, the |
3 | department of human services is authorized to establish by regulation alternative or incentive |
4 | rates of reimbursement for quality enhancements, innovative or specialized childcare and |
5 | alternative methodologies of childcare delivery, including non-traditional delivery systems and |
6 | collaborations. |
7 | (f) Effective January 1, 2007, all childcare providers have the option to be paid every two |
8 | (2) weeks and have the option of automatic direct deposit and/or electronic funds transfer of |
9 | reimbursement payments. |
10 | (g) Findings. The general assembly finds that: |
11 | (1) Working parents struggle to afford the cost of high-quality child care that promotes |
12 | the learning and development of young children before they enter kindergarten as well as high- |
13 | quality after school and summer programs for school-age children. According to data collected in |
14 | the 2018 Rhode Island Child Care Market Rate Survey, the average cost for full-time child care |
15 | for an infant in a child care center exceeds the in-state tuition for both Rhode Island College and |
16 | the University of Rhode Island. |
17 | (2) Young children need access to consistent nurturing care and high-quality early |
18 | learning opportunities starting in infancy and continuing through early childhood in order to |
19 | develop to their full potential. Children from low-income families often enter school behind their |
20 | more affluent peers. As of January 2019, only eight percent (8%) of infants and toddlers and |
21 | twelve percent (12%) of preschoolers in the Child Care Assistance Program were enrolled in a |
22 | high-quality program at tier (4) or tier (5) in the state's Quality Rating and Improvement System. |
23 | (3) School-age children also need access to nurturing care and enriching learning |
24 | opportunities after school and during the summer months to maintain and strengthen academic |
25 | skills, develop friendships, practice positive social skills, and explore their interests. As of |
26 | January 2019, only nine percent (9%) of tier (4) or tier (5) in the state's Quality Rating and |
27 | Improvement System. |
28 | (4) The rates the state pays child care programs to serve eligible children in the Child |
29 | Care Assistance Program affects the quality of the entire program for all children enrolled. It is |
30 | the intention of the general assembly that rates shall meet or exceed the federal standards for |
31 | equal access to child care and support quality improvement. |
32 | (h) Effective July 1, 2020, the reimbursement rates to be paid by the departments of |
33 | human services and children, youth and families for licensed child care centers and family child |
34 | care homes shall be tiered to promote quality improvement in the state's Quality Rating and |
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1 | Improvement System and shall meet or exceed the federal child care equal access provision |
2 | established in the bi-partisan Child Care an Development Block Grant enacted in 2014. Rates for |
3 | tier (1) providers shall meet or exceed the 25th percentile and rates for tier (5) providers shall |
4 | meet or exceed the 75th percentile of the most recent market rate survey. Rates for providers at |
5 | tiers (2), (3), and (4) shall incrementally increase between the tier (1) and tier (5) rates: |
6 | (i) Effective July 1, 2020, the minimum rates paid by the departments of human services |
7 | and children, youth and families for licensed child care centers shall be: |
8 | Age Category Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4 Tier 5 |
9 | Infant/Toddler $222.38 $226.83 $240.17 $249.07 $257.54 |
10 | Preschool $187.50 $191.25 $210.00 $221.25 $230.00 |
11 | School-Age $148.50 $151.47 $170.78 $185.63 $198.75 |
12 | (g)(j) Effective July 1, 2019, the maximum infant/toddler reimbursement rates to be paid |
13 | by the departments of human services and children, youth and families for licensed family |
14 | childcare providers shall be implemented in a tiered manner, reflective of the quality rating the |
15 | provider has achieved within the state's quality rating system outlined in § 42-12-23.1. Tier one |
16 | shall be reimbursed two percent (2%) above the prevailing base rate for step 1 and step 2 |
17 | providers, three percent (3%) above prevailing base rate for step 3 providers, and four percent |
18 | (4%) above the prevailing base rate for step 4 providers; tier two shall be reimbursed five percent |
19 | (5%) above the prevailing base rate; tier three shall be reimbursed eleven percent (11%) above |
20 | the prevailing base rate; tier four shall be reimbursed fourteen percent (14%) above the prevailing |
21 | base rate; and tier five shall be reimbursed twenty-three percent (23%) above the prevailing base |
22 | rate. |
23 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- CHILD CARE - STATE SUBSIDIES | |
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1 | This act would create the reimbursement rates to be paid by the department of human |
2 | services and the department of children, youth and families for licensed child care centers and |
3 | family child care homes which would be tiered to promote quality improvements in child care. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC004373 | |
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