Child Care Facilitated Enrollment Project

Oct 30, 2008 4:14 PM

“Helping Working Families Afford Quality Care”

Funded by: New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)
Developed by: The New York Union Child Care Coalition, a committee of the NYC Central Labor Council and the New York State AFL-CIO
Administered by: The Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) in coordination with the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS)

FACT SHEET

The New York Union Child Care Coalition has developed a pilot project for working parents to increase access to child care subsidies and quality care in New York City for children up to 13 years of age within qualifying incomes (e.g. under $56,788 for a family of four). Over the past five years, over 45 million dollars has been allocated to serve families in the Bronx, Brooklyn, lower Manhattan and most recently Queens.

The goals of this project are to:

• Improve working families’ access to child care assistance by exploring ways to make it easier for families to apply, e.g. simplifying the application, offering evening enrollment hours and allowing applications to be faxed or mailed.
• Expand access for subsidized care to moderate income families (see chart below), particularly those families who are generally less likely to receive child care assistance in comparison to lower-income families.
• Help parents to afford licensed, quality childcare and after-school programs.

Who is eligible?

• For the Queens Project: Families with children under 13 years of age who live or work in one of the following zip codes:

• Hollis: 11423	• Queens Village: 11427, 11428, 11429
• Jamaica: 11418, 11432, 11434	• Ridgewood: 11385
• Maspeth: 11378	• South Ozone Park: 11420
• Ozone Park: 11416, 11417	• St. Albans: 11412
• Woodhaven: 11421

• NYC Residents: Families must reside within one of the five boroughs.
• Working Families: Each parent residing within an eligible household must work at least 20 hours per week.
• Families with Qualifying Gross Incomes: Families must fall within income guidelines that differ by their family size. Size of family unit is based upon the number of children under 18 years of age and their parent(s) residing within an eligible household. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and siblings over 18 years of age cannot be used in the calculation of family units.

Income Eligibility Guidelines for Child Care Subsidies
Size of Family Unit	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Maximum Yearly Income	$38,500	$48,400	$58,300	$68,200	$78,100	$88,000	$97,900

Sample Scenarios of How This Project Can Help Working Families:

Please note that the following figures are approximations and estimates. Calculations for child care subsidies are based upon each applicant’s family size and income and as a result vary for each family.

Size of Family Unit (Includes Parents and Children Residing within a Household)	2	4
Gross Monthly Income	$2,941	$4,435
Weekly Child Care Costs Before Subsidy	$150	$200
Weekly Child Care Costs After Subsidy(Parent Co-Payment)	$64	$80
Total Annual Savings	$4,472	$6,240

What does an eligible family need to do to apply?

• Applicants must be determined eligible to apply for this project. If a family is found eligible, they can receive applications at child care events, work-site enrollment events, at the program office and via mail.
• Applicants can submit their application materials by mail, fax, and also can make conveniently scheduled appointments in the evenings. Families can receive help completing the application from program staff over the telephone or in person.
• In addition to an application, applicants must submit the following documentation:
1. Proof of Income: Copies of their most recent pay-stubs (1 month's worth if their gross remains the same or 3 months' worth if it varies) or submit the “Employee Income Information” form which may be obtained only from the project office.
2. Verification of Birth: Copies of either birth certificate(s), passport(s) or baptismal certificate(s) for each child under 18 years
3. Proof of Address: A copy of a utility bill, lease agreement, etc.

Applicants can select any child care, after school or informal care provider that they choose, as long as their designated provider is willing to accept payment for the child care subsidy through the ACS voucher system.

For more information about the Queens Child Care Facilitated Enrollment Project, contact us:

Phone: (212) 929-4608
Fax: (212) 414-41256

or visit

275 7th Avenue 18^th Floor, between 25th & 26th Streets, New York, NY 10001

During the Following Hours:

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Wednesday
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday

For help finding and choosing quality child care near where you live or work contact:

Child Care Inc.
(212) 929-4999, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday

To set-up an outreach event at your worksite or in your community, contact:

(212) 558-2276 for Jocelyn Mazurkiewicz or
(212) 558-2245 for Awilda Valdez