[bettynme]

Does anyone know if there is a program to help working foster/preadoptive parents with the cost of before & afterschool care. Our CW is fairly new and seemed confused and dumbfounded by the question. School will be in before we know it and I am trying to weigh our options. Any experience with this? What have others done?Thanks...

[arubagirl]

contact the Childrens Home Society I know they pay for preschool/ daycare for some foster children maybe they can help you out.

[bettynme]

Thanks aruba, I will check it out. For clarity sake let me add that the boy is 8

[vernellinnj]

Pretty sure they will not pay for this but let us know what you learn.

[bettynme]

I think the state has changed stance on helping with school aged child care. CW informed me that there was some kind of voucher program that she had to do paperwork on. I will let you all know how it pans out and the details of the program when I get them. I meet with the cw friday.

I also spoke with someone from the office of children's services in my county and she confirmed that there was assistance available, but that dyfys had to initiate it with her office.

details will follow....

[fosterparent76]

These are the rates I was quoted a few weeks ago for the voucher program. Your local Catholic Charities can tell you who accepts vouchers, whether it's an actual daycare or registered home provider.

Full Time - Less Than 2.5 Years Old - Day Care Center
695.00/month
Full time - Greater Than 2.5 Years Old - Day Care Center
573.00/month


Full Time - Registered Home Provider - Less Than 2.5 Years Old
582.00/month
Full Time - Registered Home Provider - Greater Than 2.5 Years Old
$457.24/month

Part Time In Home Provider - $228.62/MONTH

Part Time Day Care Center - $286.65/MONTH

Full time is considered 30 hours per week or more. Part Time is 29 hours per week or less.

We used for the summer a Catholic Charities home provider. I hate to say this, but we had to inflate the # of hours we used on paper a bit to go from the part time rate to the full time rate. Luckily it worked out and day care for the summer was completely covered by the program.
30 hours is considered full time.

[bettynme]

Yep..They have changed their stance on this. Your child's worker has to write a referral to the county agency and they will send you the packet. It was not based on our income. Mail it back in and you are set. EIRC handled the our voucher(camden). It will be different in your county...


Contact your sw and good luck...be persistant, at first our worker did not know what I was talking about, but did her due diligence and found the right info. One of the good ones.....

[marcav]

Hmmm . . . I get post-adoption subsidy as well as day care because my little guy is considered special needs. I was under the impression that this stopped once he was in elementary school, but do you think this would cover him also for after school care once he starts?

[bettynme]

I don't want to say for sure, but our guy is 8yrs and will be attending a before and afterschool program. I was told by my case worker to request continued services post adoption when we begin with the subsidy paperwork.... She did mention that this was a recent shift in policy. It's worth researching....
Good Luck...Be mindful..we are in NJ

[marcav]

Just a word of warning: when I was in the adoption process, my first caseworker told me Nicko was not elegible for day care subsidy. I was pretty sure he was so I pressed his second caseworker who told me that, yes he was; and if I filled out the paperwork she would submit it along with all the rest of his stuff. I didn't give it another thought until 6 months after the adoption was finalized. The day care director then approached me and told me she hadn't been paid for 6 months!!! When I contacted DYFS, I was told that I was supposed to have submitted the paperwork within 90 days of the adoption, and because I didn't, it was my tough luck!!!!

Well of course I was hopping mad, and found out that the form I had filled out for his case worker was not the correct one, and who knows what ever happened to it anyway. To make a long story short, DYFS finally caved and paid for the preceding months and I resubmitted the correct one so we're back on track. Just so you know, don't accept anything you're told unless you check it out yourself.