City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JANUARY 22, 2014
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of a Request from the Children, Youth and Family Collaborative Commission for Permission to Submit Comments on Proposed Changes in State Child Care Policy.
BODY
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ISSUE: Request from the Children, Youth and Family Collaborative Commission (CYFCC) for permission to submit comments on proposed changes in Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) Child Care Policy.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council approve the submission of comments by the CYFCC regarding the impact of proposed changes in VDSS child care policy.
BACKGROUND: The VDSS submitted a revised child care policy for public review at the Virginia Regulatory Townhall in November, 2013. The CYFCC voted on January 8 to request the approval of City Council to allow the Commission to submit the comments on the impact of the policy changes that are included in the attached letter (Attachment I).
DISCUSSION: The comments of the CYFCC regarding the proposed child care policy changes mirror exactly the City's position. The requirement that applicants for child care services be eighteen (18) years of age will severely limit the ability of teen parents to quality for child care which allows them to continue their education. If the teen's parent has to be the applicant, their income will have to be counted and, if the teen's parent does not work, the teen would not be eligible. The limit of 72 months (six years) will be a barrier to employment and eventual self-sufficiency for many parents and will be a threat to the safety of school age children who may be left at home, unsupervised, during after school hours. The third proposed revision requires child care applicants to apply for child support, which we support so long as local agencies have the flexibility to exempt applicants who can document that they are at risk of domestic violence if they file for support.
FISCAL IMPACT: If teen parents are not eligible for the Child Day Care Fee System, localities may have to identify other resources, including local dollars, to ensure that teen parents are able to complete their education.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment I - Letter dated January 9, 2014 from the Children, Youth and Family Collaborative
Commission, requesting the permission of City Council to submit comments on
proposed VDSS child care regulations.
STAFF:
Debra R. Collins, Deputy City Manager and Interim Director, Department of Community and Human Service (DCHS)
Suzanne T. Chis, Deputy Executive Director, DCHS
Deborah Warren, Director, Center for Children and Families, DCHS
Carol M. Farrell, Chief, Early Childhood Division, DCHS