Pitfalls in the CCDF System Mississippi’s policies make it difficult for qualified families to receive assistance with child care costs. MISSISSIPPI LOW INCOME CHILD CARE INITIATIVE MISSISSIPPI CENTER FOR JUSTICE Based on research gathered Summer, 2007

503 Surveys Conducted Central Mississippi PDD: 117 East Central PDD: 43 Golden Triangle PDD: 46 ICS: 130 North Central PDD: 30 Northeast Mississippi PDD: 6 South Delta PDD: 33 South Mississippi PDD: 90 Southwest Mississippi PDD: 8 Data Collection

58% of daycare centers in the survey said they serve children who currently are on the waiting list for CCDF assistance Waiting List for Childcare Subsidies * Based on 434 daycare centers who answered the question.

These centers report a total of 1,827 children waiting for subsidies. Waiting List for Childcare Subsidies

Paperwork gets lost and parents get put on waiting list. The waiting list is too long. When a spot does come open, the parents have either moved or dropped out of daycare because they can't afford childcare on their own. Parents are continually told there are no funds available. Districts don’t communicate with parents on waiting list. Some parents think the system is trying to get rid of them by making the waiting list so long. People on the waiting list a long time lose their jobs because they don’t have needed assistance for child care. Waiting List Issues

60% of daycare centers said parents of children in their center have been denied subsidies Parents Who Were Denied Childcare Subsidies * Based on 421 daycare centers who answered the question.

These centers report a total of 2,473 parents whose applications were denied. Applications Denied

Not Enough Funds Available Fulltime students have to work 25 hours to have high enough priority for certificates, and they can't handle workload as well as a job and a baby Difficult to schedule 25 hours of work Income slightly over limit Applications lost Child Support Application not submitted. Reasons for Denial

Recently, a mother with three children was taken off work because of pregnancy. She couldn't afford day care by herself, but she was turned down for certificates because she wasn't working at that time. Reasons for Denial

In one case, a mother was murdered, and the certificate was taken away. The children’s grandmother filled out the forms on the children's behalf but she could not get a certificate. In several instances, certificates were denied when the father was in jail because he was not contributing child support. Teachers lose certificates when school is out and have trouble getting back on the program when school starts back because of lack of funds. Reasons for Denial

70% of daycare centers said mothers of children in their center haven’t applied for CCDF assistance because they don’t want to apply for child support Mothers Declining to Apply * Based on 390 daycare centers who answered the question.

These centers report a total of 1,509 mothers who haven’t applied for CCDF assistance because they don’t want to file for child support Mothers Declining to Apply

Many mothers have informal arrangements with fathers and don't want to "rock the boat." Some also say they've heard DHS treats the fathers like dirt. Father is in the home, and mother doesn’t want to put him on child support. One mother who isn't applying because of child support is in high school. Her parents are paying for daycare and she doesn't want to get the father in trouble. Many mothers don’t know where the fathers are-- One woman’s father paid child support because she couldn’t find the child’s father Why not file for child support?

Some people try to apply for child support but run into complications with DHS (rude, hassle, given run- around, only available one day a week until 4:00) Some mothers prefer not to have the fathers in their children’s lives. Attempts to get support are often unsuccessful. Mothers don’t want to share child support money with State when formal child support case is filed. Why not file for child support?

DHS used to allow a parent to sign an affidavit stating that the father was contributing to the support of the children, obviating the necessity of filing a formal action. Alternative to Child Support Case

70% of daycare centers said parents of children in their center haven’t applied for CCDF assistance despite meeting the income requirements Eligible Parents Who Haven’t Applied for CCDF Assistance * Based on 430 daycare centers who answered the question.

These centers report a total of 1,602 parents whom they believe meet the income requirements for CCDF assistance but have not applied Eligible But Don’t Apply

Besides a reluctance to file for child support, there are other barriers : Parents feel that application would be futile--poor working parents submit applications, but the district runs out of money and asks for paperwork again. Many parents don’t know about the program, or they don’t know if they’d qualify. Some parents aren’t working and need child care while they look for work. Parents are wary of red tape, hassle, unfriendly district employees. Parents can’t take time off work to complete the paperwork. Parents are constantly told there’s no money available and the waiting list is long, so they needn’t apply. Why don’t Qualified Parents Apply?

44% of daycare centers said mothers of children in their center dropped out of the program when the child support requirement was added in 2004 Mothers Who Dropped Out of the Program Due to the Child Support Requirement * Based on 396 daycare centers who answered the question.

These centers report a total of 1,310 mothers who dropped out of the CCDF program when the child support requirement was added in 2004 Mothers Who Dropped Out of the CCDF Program

Coordination Between Childcare and Head Start 308 out of 489 (63%) Centers reported that they provide services for Head Start children Only 16 have received any money from Head Start for these services 64 attempted to partner with Head Start Only 1 reported a successful partnership

Put state money into certificate program to serve more people. Eliminate Child Support Requirement for CCDF certificates. Improve communication between districts and parents about process and requirements. Put fulltime students in the first priority category. Solutions