TITLE
Title
HHS-DSS UPDATE ON SUBSIDY CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE (SCCA) PROGRAM
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SPONSOR
Sponsor
Sharon Barlow
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BACKGROUND
Background
The need for childcare in North Carolina is an economic necessity for many families. This need is especially significant among low-income households, where access to high-quality, affordable childcare services is often limited due to financial constraints. Many families face risk factors that can negatively affect healthy child development, making early childhood education and development programs critical to promoting school readiness, academic success, and long-term positive outcomes.
Over the years, the childcare subsidy program in Guilford County has evolved to address increasing service costs and the growing number of families requiring assistance. Recent state policy changes have also altered the eligibility determination process for childcare subsidies. In response to these challenges, Guilford County has developed collaborative partnerships with several community organizations. Together, these agencies work to identify and serve the county’s most vulnerable and at-risk children and families, ensuring greater access to essential childcare and early education services.
New Policies - The North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education has issued several administrative directives encouraging counties to provide childcare subsidy services to eligible families without regard to spending limitations. As a result of these directives, Guilford County successfully cleared its childcare subsidy waiting list as of May 2026. This achievement has significantly improved access to childcare assistance, allowing eligible families to receive services needed more quickly and without the delays previously associated with placement on a waiting list. The clearing of the waiting list represents a major step toward increasing access to affordable childcare and supporting the needs of working families throughout the county.
Community involvement - Strong partnerships and community involvement continue to play a vital role in the success of child care services within the county. Collaboration with key community stakeholders, including the Partnership for Children, Guilford County Schools, and the County's Work First and Children's Services Division, has been essential in supporting families and ensuring access to quality child care services. These partnerships promote the sharing of resources, information, and referrals, allowing agencies to work together to address the diverse needs of children and families. Through ongoing communication and coordinated efforts, these community partners help strengthen service delivery, increase awareness of available resources, and improve outcomes for children and their families.
Local Policy - Local policies, including the Child Care Wait List Policy, are reviewed and updated at least every two years or whenever program changes require amendments to local policy. Recent updates to our policy have established priority criteria to determine the order in which children are served, ensuring that available child care subsidy resources are distributed fairly and effectively to families with the greatest need.
In addition, procedural improvements, such as courtesy reminder calls to families approaching their eligibility redetermination dates, continue to support ongoing participation in the program. These efforts help reduce unnecessary case closures, maintain services for currently enrolled families, and create opportunities to serve additional families seeking child care assistance.
Conversion - All subsidized child care cases and provider payments have continued to be processed through the NCFAST system since August 2017. Ongoing system updates have enhanced NCFAST, making it more accessible and user-friendly for determining eligibility for subsidized child care assistance.
Providers have access to important information within the system, including vouchers, payment details, and rosters. This increased access has improved communication and collaboration between the county and child care providers, resulting in more efficient service delivery and information sharing.
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BUDGET IMPACT
Budget Impact
NO ADDITIONAL COUNTY FUNDS REQUIRED
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REQUESTED ACTION
Requested Action
Receive HHS-DSS departmental update on the Subsidy Childcare Assistance (SCCA) program and approve the Guilford County local waiting list prioritization policy.
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