{"id":38314,"date":"2023-07-28T12:33:19","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T20:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.threadalaska.org\/?post_type=thread-blog&p=38314"},"modified":"2023-09-21T14:40:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T22:40:29","slug":"ccpo-broadcast-child-care-relief-funding-update-provider-town-hall-follow-up","status":"publish","type":"thread-blog","link":"https:\/\/www.threadalaska.org\/thread-blog\/ccpo-broadcast-child-care-relief-funding-update-provider-town-hall-follow-up\/","title":{"rendered":"CCPO Broadcast: Child Care Relief Funding Update, Provider Town Hall Follow-up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alaska Division of Public Assistance, Child Care Program Office<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Broadcast 07\/28\/2023<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Child Care Program Office (CCPO) held their quarterly Provider Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. The following is information we shared regarding relief funding and upcoming surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stabilization and Relief Funds Updates<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for responding to our Phase 1 & 2 reporting surveys. Your answers to these surveys will provide important information for required federal reporting and will help us better serve child care providers in Alaska. Your individual responses will be used for official reporting purposes only. A Phase 3 survey will be sent your way some time in August. McKinley has put together reports for Phases 1 and 2, but are waiting until phase 3 to create a comparative analysis. For more information on Phases 1-3  please visit: https:\/\/www.threadalaska.org\/thread\/covid19-resource-center\/stabilizing-child-care-for-thriving-alaska\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Phase 3, $30.8M Stabilization Grants were distributed to 380 programs throughout Alaska. An additional $5M was awarded as part of the Workforce Initiative, which 281 businesses opted into. These funds impacted the support of over 10,734 children in Alaska. Additional information about Phase 3 and updated details related to the three main documents referenced by CCPO will be sent out in a broadcast in August. For the latest information on Stabilization and Relief Funds from the CCPO, please visit our website for recent Broadcasts and updates: https:\/\/health.alaska.gov\/dpa\/Pages\/ccare\/broadcasts.aspx<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monitoring & Tracking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As we work through the process of completing the ARPA Stabilization grant, we are implementing the tracking, monitoring, and auditing go along with it. We have been working with our federal oversight agency and internal state quality assurance team to discuss what that will look like for providers who received stabilization grants. As noted, we have requested in all phases of ARPA stabilization that you keep track of expenses, receipts, numbers, etc, in the case of an Audit. Audit season will be coming up, addressing all Phases of stabilization, spent and unspent. Monitoring may occur monthly with a random sample of providers being chosen and we will ask for receipts on purchases to ensure they were within allowable use categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are working with federal Technical Assistance providers to go over monitoring and audit requirements for ARPA. CCPO is working with Quality Assurance Unit within our Department and will be putting together an audit strategy and finalizing the auditing process over the coming months. We work on this process with several goals in mind, which include accountability measures for both federal and state requirements, while also being mindful of the level of burden on providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This process is not fully developed yet, and when it is we will share the information and guidance with you in our regular ways: town halls, broadcasts, FAQs, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a reminder, the Stabilization Grant spending categories can be found here: https:\/\/childcareta.acf.hhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/arpastabilizationgrantsuseoffundsst.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Child Care Happenings in Alaska<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are currently several initiatives occurring throughout the State in the Child Care sector. An overview of the different focus areas and responsibilities is below, and a more detailed document can be found here: https:\/\/ddaalaska.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Snapshot-of-early-childhood-activities-6.27.23-FINAL.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n