Child care may be authorized for families who need child care only on school release days and for families who need additional care on school release days. Do NOT authorize or pay for more than 120 hours of child care assistance per child every two weeks.

Describe how child care is authorized in case notes. When authorizing child care for school release days, it is important that there be communication between families, providers, case workers and billing workers. For example, the comment section on a Service Authorization, a special memo or conversations (with case notes to document) between parents, providers and staff are recommended methods to communicate how care is authorized in relationship to school release days.

Methods of authorizing child care

Each agency identifies the method(s) that they use in their County and Tribal Child Care Fund Plan. There are three acceptable methods to authorize child care for school release days:

OR

OR

Agencies may develop standards for use of more than one of the above methods. For example, an agency may determine that for all children who ONLY need care on school release days, one hour of care will be authorized. For children who regularly need care and require additional care on school release days, they may authorize the highest number of hours needed.

Changes during the 12-month eligibility period

Once care is authorized, the provider is expected to bill only for the time that care is scheduled and authorized. If the family’s schedule changes and less care is needed, the provider is still eligible to bill for the hours initially authorized for school release days if care is scheduled during that time. Child care hours authorized for before and after school and school release days cannot be reduced as a result of changes in the parent’s work schedule during the 12-month eligibility period. See Chapter 9.12 (Authorization Changes During the 12-Month Eligibility Period).

Legal authority

Minnesota Statutes 142E.11
Minnesota Rules 3400.0110, subp. 2a