Absent Days/Hours (Reserve Days/Hours)- Unused Care - These are days when the child is not in care for full scheduled time, but provider is requesting reimbursement. There is a limit on the number of Absent Days per child that you can be paid.
All providers who have a contract which states they charge for Absent Days can be paid for absent days. We cannot pay for more than 10 consecutive absence days at one time.
Attendance - On billing form, fill in an "A" for any day the child is absent for all scheduled hours for that day or a "H" for any day you were closed for a holiday if the child was scheduled to be in care.
Background Checks (BCA) - A criminal background check is done on unlicensed providers and all household members 13 years or older. This can take about 30 days to complete. Once this background check is approved, then the service authorization notice is sent to you. Dakota County charges a fee for background checks.
Basic Sliding Fee (BSF) - BSF is for families who have incomes within program guidelines. BSF can help with child care costs for a combination of work, job search, and school or training.
Billing Form - You will receive a billing form for each family you provide child care for. The billing form should arrive by mail before the beginning of the billing cycle.
Case Aide - This is the Dakota County staff person who processes the Child Care payments.
CCAP - Child Care Assistance Program, Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program can help to make quality child care affordable for low-income families.
Contract - A contract is an agreement between the provider and your clients. It does not need to be formal or signed, but it does need to include, in writing, your policy for fees relating to absent days/hours, holidays, and other fees. It must also state that this policy applies to all clients that you do care for.
Co-payment – Some parents may have to pay part of their child care costs, called the co-payment, to the provider. This co-payment is based on the parent's income and is set by the state standard called the "Sliding Fee Scale." Child care providers collect the co-payment and inform the county if the co-payment was not received.
DIAL (Dakota Information Access Line) – is a telephone-based system for getting information about your case, to leave your worker a message, or for providers to check the status of their payments and to leave a message for a case aid or case worker. Call 651-438-4949, available 24/7.
EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) - You can have your money deposited directly into your bank account. To sign up for EFT, complete DHS 3552 form and mail to the county.
Eligibility Review form (E.R.) - The parent must report income, family size, and child care provider on this form every six months.
Financial Worker - This is the Dakota County staff person who determines the parent's eligibility for child care assistance and manages the case.
Full Day - More than 5 hours of care, up to 10 hours per day, is considered a full day.
Full-time care vs Part-time care - More than 35 hours of care is considered a full week.
Hourly Rate - Five hours of care or less per day is considered part-time and should be billed using the hourly rate.
Maximum Weekly - Fifty hours of care is the maximum that can be paid for a two-week period without prior authorization.
MEC2 - Minnesota Electronic Child Care Information System is a statewide system for administering the child care assistance program and payments.
Service Authorization - A notice authorizing the number of hours for each child's care is sent to both the provider and the parent.
Non-Standard Hour (NSH) - A non-standard hourly rate may apply for the hours 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday. When billing non-standard hours add allowed amount per each non-standard hour to your total. Not all Counties use a non-standard hour rate, but Dakota County pays NSH rates.
Scheduled Hours - The number of hours the child is scheduled to be in care for each day in the service period. The number of hours must be in full hours.
Transition Year (TY) - TY is a type of child care assistance that is available to families for a full year after their MFIP case closes if they are working or looking for work.
Warrant - You will be paid by warrant (check). Your warrant is mailed separate from the remittance advice.
Week - Sunday through Saturday.