SchoolChange

Questions and answers are listed below. Submit questions using the form at the bottom of this page. 

Beginning with date of service January 3, 2016, caretakers will only be responsible for swiping the child care benefit card to record the child in at the time of drop-off and out at the time of pick-up. Caretakers will no longer have to swipe their child care benefit card to record the time the child left for school and returned from school. The Ohio Electronic Child Care (Ohio ECC) system will automatically deduct from the provider payment a standardized amount of hours from the child’s service day based on the categories below.

Read the Provider Letter here. Frequently Asked Questions here.

* Most children need two swipes daily; at the time of arrival and at the time of departure.  Either or both may be backswipes. Exceptions may be made for other breaks in care.

* The statewide standardized deduction of hours for school age children is based on the school category assigned (full day, am only, or pm only).

* Swipes must be for actual care hours.

* Pay adjustment are only required when the category of payment (considering school-age deductions) does not equal the category of care provided.  (Ex: received PT payment for FT care provided)

* Providers may never possess swipe cards or complete swipes on the consumer behalf.

Submit questions using the form at the bottom of this page. 

Changes to School-Age Process

Q&A

Q:     Where can a provider find the school hours that are being deducted for each child?

A:     On the child’s authorization profile in the provider PWeb.

Q:     Can providers submit pay adjustments before the payment is processed if we believe the payment will be wrong?

A:     No. Please do not submit pay adjustments until you’ve confirmed the payment is incorrect, based on the hours of care. If you submit before the payment is processed, the adjustments will be returned to you.

Q:     How will you know if the school-agers are off like for a snow day. Will we get paid for whole day?

A:     Parents do not need to call to report snow days or in-service days. They should swipe for the actual care hours on those days. If these additional care hours would change the provider’s payment category, you may request a pay adjustment. Note in the comment field on the pay adjustment the reason for care during school hours. We can confirm school closures. If the additional hours do not change the pay category, no adjustment is required.

Q:     What box should be checked under Reason for Request on the Payment Adjustment form?

A:     Check the box for swipe error. In the description for the request, note the reason care was provided during school hours.

Q:     How do we get paid if a child only uses care on snow days or school holidays?

A:      Parents should swipe for actual care hours on these days. If the school-age hours deducted on these days makes a difference in your payment category, you may submit a pay adjustment.

Q:     Can a provider call HCJFS to correct a wrong school hours, if the school hours being deducted are wrong?

A:     No. Parents must contact HCJFS Child Care at 946-1800 or click on “Report a Change” at the Child Care page of HCJFS.org, to update their child’s school hours.  Adjustments in pay for incorrect hours will be honored from the day of the reported change and going forward.

Q:           If the automatic deduction of school hours results in a change in my payment category for a child, can I change the swipes to simplify paperwork? 

A:            A provider may not bill for a period when the children are not in care. A better approach would be to make sure you provide enough care during the service week to meet a particular payment category. All swipes must reflect actual care hours.

Q:           Should swipes reflect actual care for holidays, snow days, other breaks and/or summer?

A:            There are occasions, such as teacher in-service days or calamity days, when a child will not be in school.  Caretaker swipes should be for actual care hours. However, the standardized definition of school hours will still be deducted because these days are not uniform across the state of Ohio. When a child is in attendance at the child care program for one of these events, the Ohio ECC system will still deduct the standard school hours for that child’s day. Programs should monitor payment information on the PWeb for these instances and submit a JFS01292 “Publicly Funded Child Care Request For Ohio ECC Payment Adjustment” for that service week as an underpayment if the adjustment reflects a change in payment category.

Q:           Will back swipes work the same?

A:            Yes. But school age children, like all other children, only need two swipes daily, unless there is an non-school break in care, such as a doctor’s appointment.

Q:           If a child arrives for half day afternoon, how/when do they swipe in?

A:            They swipe in when they arrive at the facility and out when they leave.  Most children need two swipes daily; at the time of arrival and at the time of departure. Head Start children may be an exception as they are not school age, but may still leave and return to the provider (requiring four swipes daily).

Q:           If I know the pay will not be right due to a local school schedule change (in service day, snow day, early dismissal, etc), can I adjust for that ahead of time?

A:            No. Pay adjustments can only be done after the payment is made to ensure there is actually a difference in payment based on actual care hours.

Q:           Can I hold on to a child’s card and swipe for them?

A:            No. Providers may never possess swipe cards or complete swipes on the consumer behalf.

Q:           What are the standard school hours?

A:           Full day: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Kindergarten a.m.: 9 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Kindergarten p.m.: 12:45 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Q:           What if a child’s school starts and ends at times other than the standard school hours above?

A:            Some schools start later than 9 a.m. and some end prior to 3 p.m. PFCC providers are paid within categories of hourly, part-time or full-time. The provider letter provides scenarios that illustrate when a start or end time is not 9 a.m. or 3 p.m. and shows where the hours, after the school day deduction, still fall within the same category of payment, thus having no effect on the provider’s payment.

Q:           What can I do to make sure I receive proper payment?

A:            It is important to have the caretaker report accurate information about the child’s school and grade when they  complete the JFS 01138, “Application for Child Care Benefits”, or the JFS01124, “Re-determination Application for Child Care Benefits”, or any time there is a change in their child’s school information. Failure to provide accurate information could result in inaccurate payments to providers.  Providers can review a child’s standard school hours in the PWEB and confirm the accuracy with the caretaker. If the school hours are incorrect, the caretaker should call 513-946-1800 to report the change.

Q:           How is the payment category determined?

A:            Families are determined approved for a number of care hours of care based on the parent’s work or school activity. Each child is authorized to an authorization category of care (full-time, part-time or hourly). The system calculates a payment category based on usage and deductions for school, full-time, part-time or hourly. In most cases, the category of payment and the category of authorization will remain the same, but if the deductions for school age cause a child to utilize care for less than their category of authorization, the payment category will be less.

The examples below provide an explanation of the calculations:

Authorization and Payment Categories:

Hourly: Up to seven hours

Part-time: Seven hours and less than 25 hours

Full-time: 25 hours up to 60 hours

If you have additional questions please contact Hamilton County Child Care at 513-946-1800 or your Home Provider Specialist (if applicable).  Or submit them using the form below.