Child Care Assistance Program Application 2018

May 22, 2018

 

To:  Potential Child Care Assistance Program Applicants

From: The City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services

Re:  Process for Applying and Contracting with DFSS for Child Care Assistance Funding

Date:  May 22, 2018

 

The City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) receives a grant from the State of Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Bureau of Child Care and Development to administer the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) within the City of Chicago.  DFSS contracts with child care agencies that provide services to children eligible under the CCAP eligibility criteria established by the State.  Under these delegate agency agreements, DFSS performs the family eligibility determinations on behalf of the child care agencies and reimburses agencies for the eligible child care services as determined by the policies established by IDHS

 

For the State fiscal year starting July 1, 2018, DFSS will require that all agencies who wish to participate in DFSS’s CCAP program complete a DFSS-CCAP grant application.  The completion of this application will be necessary for current DFSS-CCAP funded agencies and for new agencies wishing to receive funding from DFSS under the CCAP grant.

 

The application can be found on the DFSS website at https://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/fss/supp_info/ChildrenServices/CCAPGrantApplication2018.pdf in the Children Service Division section under CCAP Application.  This application is a fillable pdf that should be completed and emailed back to DFSS at CCAPgrantapplication@cityofchicago.org with the Subject Line: XXXXXX (agency name) Grant Application Submission.  Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the application is received by DFSS and will be contacted once the application has been reviewed.

 

In the application, agencies will be asked to confirm the following:

  • EIN, DUNS, and SAM Cage Code for the organization
  • Contact information for both the person completing the application and the programmatic contact at the agency
  • That the organization is a licensed day care provider through the State of Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (IDCFS) (copy of license will need to be attached when emailing the application to DFSS)
  • That the organization is a licensed day care provider through the City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (copy of license will need to be attached when emailing the application to DFSS)
  • That the organization is registered as a vendor with the City of Chicago in the City’s iSupplier portal (supplier code will need to be provided)
  • That all directors and teachers at the organization have completed at least Level 1 Tier 1 training module per the IDHS Child Care Policy as it relates to Heath, Safety, and Child Development (IDHS Policy 05.05.01) (iLearning Membership Number will need to be provided and Gateways to Opportunity Certification Report will need to be attached when emailing the application to DFSS)
  • That the organization is certified through the State of Illinois Child and Adult Food Program (CAFP) for the sites that will be administering CCAP activity funded by DFSS (most recent CAFP audit including sites will need to be attached when emailing the application to DFSS)
  • Community areas, sites, number of teachers, number of classrooms, and number of children expected to be supported with DFSS CCAP funding
  • That the organization completes criminal background checks on all employees and volunteers

 

If you have questions about these requirements or need assistance in obtaining anything listed above, please reach out to DFSS at CCAPgrantapplication@cityofchicago.org with the Subject Line: Inquiry regarding application in your email, as you complete the application. 

 

The first application phase will open today and close on June 15, 2018.  Completed applications must be received by June 15, 2018.  Please be advised that a failure to complete the application by June 15th may result in an interruption of services.  All applications that meet the requirements in the application will be contacted by DFSS to begin the contracting process for the period that will begin July 1, 2018.  If the demand for funding across all approved applicants exceeds the funding available on the grant, DFSS will distribute the funding across the eligible agencies by contracting with all agencies at an equally reduced percent of the requested funding by each agency.

 

DFSS anticipates that available funding will exceed the demand during the first application phase.  If this is the case, DFSS anticipates that it will open the application process again and allow agencies to apply on a rolling basis during the course of the program period.  Agencies will receive funding on a first come, first serve basis during the rolling phase.  The rolling application phase will be closed if available funding is fully awarded across CCAP provider agencies.

 

Agencies that are unable to meet the requirements during the initial application phase will be eligible to re-apply during the rolling application phase should it occur.  No provisional eligibility can be extended to agencies that are not able to meet all requirements.  Agencies unable to meet all the requirements of the application may contact DFSS for assistance. However, it is the agency’s responsibility to meet the requirements.  Requests of support can be directed to CCAPgrantapplication@cityofchicago.org, please include the Subject Line: Inquiry regarding application in your email.

 

Child Care Assistance Program Application Memo

Child Care Assistance Program Fillable PDF Application