Child Care Advisory Committee

Catholic Charities

September 12, 2018

Members Present:

Members not Present:  

Others Present:

• Meeting Notices:
• The Agenda and Meeting Notice were posted  06/07/2018 on publisher@ecapitol.net  with a  list of all CCAC meetings for 2018 previously submitted to the Secretary of State on 12/06/2017
• The Meeting Notice was posted at Catholic Charities on 09/11/2018

• Call to Order:
• Jason Charles called meeting to order at 10:04 am

• Reflection:
• Lesli Blazer provided words of reflection

• Introductions

• Approval of Minutes:  
• June 13, 2018 minutes approved

• Standing Membership Subcommittee Report:
• The subcommittee did not meet last quarter
• Recommendations for appointments:
• Audra Haney to replace Shannon Lee from ODMHSAS
• Jennifer McKay to replace Sharon Morgan from Dept. of Education
• Mark James to replace Sara Vincent from OCCY
• Still working on recommendations to fill the following:
• Rural Family Child Care Homes
• A private citizen
• ECAO and part-day programs
• Orientation was attended today by:
• Audra Haney
• Jennifer McKay
• Ashley Ousley

• Standing Subcommittee Reports:
• Child Care Facilities (centers) Standing Subcommittee
• No report
• Family Child Care Homes Standing Subcommittee
• Mitzi Lee provided report
• Subcommittee had a conference call on June 28, 2018

• Four members attended – that included the Chair and two Child Care Services staff
• Two topics were discussed:
• Review the changes in the licensing law and look at meeting the membership needed for the standing subcommittee group
• Considerations to bring forward to the CCAC for a rural family child care home member 
• Anticipate another conference call in the fall or early spring 2019           

• QRIS Standing Subcommittee
• The subcommittee did not meet last quarter
• The calendar has been reorganized so that the subcommittee will now meet after every CCAC meeting at the same location
• Residential Standing Subcommittee
• The subcommittee did not meet last quarter
• The next meeting will be sometime during OKCare Fall meeting which is scheduled for Nov. 1-2
• Residential Revision Subcommittee
• Family style addendum becomes effective Nov. 1

• Legislative Update:
• Linda Whaley provided report and handout
• Three interim studies CCS is watching:
• House interim study 18036 by Rep. Russ
• Related to DHS and how they allocate federal funds – referred to Children, Youth and Family Services committee
• House study related to general poverty in Oklahoma and how that affects children – referred to Children, Youth and Family Services committee
• Senate – related to the ACEs study and follow-up on it – referred to Health and Human Services committee

• Licensing Sanctions Report:
• Kristi Simpson provided report and handout

• Old Business:
• The co-chairs for the Child Care Centers Standing Subcommittee will be Tammy Maus and Gayla Ham
• Amy Cornelson provided an update for the Office of Background Investigations
• Currently working 3 – 4 weeks behind but are almost fully staffed and working on getting the new staff trained
• Lesli Blazer – new child care rates – DHS received additional funding from the federal Office of Child Care that came out in the congressional omnibus bill in February.
• Brought child care provider rates up to the 65^th percentile of the market rate – cost between $20 – 22 million – which passed during a public hearing and the rates were effective August 1

• At the hearing there  was a lot of public comment from the 3 star programs saying they felt like their rates needed to be raised higher – the feds recommend that their rates are the 75^th percentile of the market rate – DHS agrees and plan to have another rate hearing in order to do that and we also want to give an add-on rate for non-traditional care (meaning children that are in care after 6 pm and prior to 6 am)

• Around $10 million was left so we are looking at the co-pay eligibility schedule that has not been revised in many years – analysis has been run and we would like to bring those scenarios before some child care providers and get input what is the best scenario to go with and put that in place – we hope to have that done by the first of the year

• New law that went in to effect for when we reduce a star level of a child care program and they appeal they have an administrative review and there are three people currently on that review – the law states that we need one more from the CCAC to serve on that committee, a person that is either an owner or operator of a child care program who would be willing to serve. The commitment is once a month – 2^nd Monday of every month
• Rachel Proper volunteered and Gayla Ham will be the back-up
  
   

• New Business:
• A volunteer is needed to do the reflection for the quarterly CCAC meetings – Brent Thackerson volunteered
• Child Care related interim studies will be on Wednesday October 24 at 8 am
• Lesli Blazer – The Child Care Development Plan that we are required by the Feds to do every 3 years was just submitted to them and will become effective in October – it is on the Child Care Services website
• Debra Andersen – the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness has been designated by Governor Fallin as the lead agency for the pre-school development grant – to help improve our system of mixed delivery services for children birth to five years old in the state – a big piece will be improving quality and increasing access, especially for kids that are struggling or have more difficulty when entering school – everyone will be invited to a stakeholder meeting on September 28, location is to be determined in OKC area

• Public Comments:

• Paula Koos provided handout and information about OK Shared Services – rollout will be January 2, 2019 – OKSharedServices.org
• Jason Charles – Tulsa Boys Home is celebrating their 100^th anniversary next month

• Meeting adjourned at 10:45 am

• Next Meetings:
• Wednesday, December 12, 2018 – Catholic Charities