1. Board of Early Education and Care
EEC Centralized Waiting List for Financial Assistance
January 8, 2008

2. EEC Centralized Waiting List for Financial Assistance -- Background
In December 2005, EEC centralized more than 400 waiting lists into a single on-line system
In June 2006, the EEC Board adopted new consistent policies for EEC financial assistance across all funding streams, including
Income eligibility;
Activity requirements; and
Priority access for certain populations

3. EEC Centralized Waiting List for Financial Assistance: Priority Populations
Current priority populations with immediate access to EEC financial assistance include:
Child Priority
Access Status
Current # (Sept. 07)
Department of Social Services Referral
Immediate
DSS WL
Department of Transitional Assistance Referral
No WL
Child of Foster Care
107
Child of Homeless Family 79
Child of Military Personnel 9
Child of Teen Parent 88
Continuity of Care: Sibling, Supportive, Teen Parent, Non-Traditional Hours, Homeless, and Geographic Relocation
1601
Continuing the expansion of the supportive population and policies to enable children to have consistent access to care regardless of funding stream, the 10% increase may not allow access for low-income working families
Italics: current statutory requirement Bold: EEC discretion

4. Number of Children Waiting*
EEC Centralized Waiting List for Financial Assistance: Priority Populations
The families listed below can only receive EEC financial assistance, IF:
Contract opening, after priority populations are served;
Community Partnership Council opening for a three to four year old, after priority populations are served; or
Additional budget expansion.
Child Priority
Number of Children Waiting*
General Priority
18,722
Child with Special Needs
981
Parent with Special Needs
566
Grandparent/Guardian Family
362
* September 2007

5. EEC Centralized Waiting List for Financial Assistance: Discussion
Impact of waiting list policies with current resources:
Access limited to families with identified top priorities
Programs serving larger numbers of at-risk children
All children in classrooms are affected, as well as teachers, directors and parents
Need for additional quality supports is made even more clear- programs do not have sufficient resources
May further limit interest in serving children with EEC financial assistance

6. EEC Centralized Waiting List for Financial Assistance: Discussion
Long term planning:
Advocate for additional resources for greater access, affordability, and quality
Explore options for greater coordination with communities, schools and other state agencies on system-wide strategies to maximize services and resources
Information Technology capacity
Meanwhile, questions for short term action:
Continue current policy?
Return to first come/first serve policy?
Limit or change current priorities?
Alternate “general priority” working families with current priority families?
Consider other options?

7. EEC Centralized Waiting List for Financial Assistance: Ideas for Short Term Action
Based on Discussion with Advisory Team and EEC Staff:
Continue to raise awareness of $30M FY09 expansion request to address EEC's 24,000 child waiting list
Develop new policy that would providing more limited priority access from waiting list/allow some access for general priority families
Recruit new providers willing to accept children receiving EEC financial assistance
Review special education regulations to provide guidance on optimal ratios for children with special needs in inclusive settings
For children with special needs, provide access to working families first
Develop enhanced referral mechanism to public schools and to MFN/PCHP (where available) for all young children with special needs
All proposals would need further policy development and could
be implemented independently or in combination.

8. EEC Centralized Waiting List for Financial Assistance: Ideas for Long Term Planning:
Based on Discussion with Advisory Team and EEC Staff:
Study and develop new approach to linking additional funding to specific needs of child and family [e.g., $200K funding for "add on" study included in FY09 budget request]
Develop Quality Rating System (QRS) to provide more guidance to parents in enrolling children in program that best suits their child's needs
Monitor length of waiting list stay and impact of lack of access by age group