Bredesen Announces Child Care Scholarship Recovery Act Program
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | 07:17am
NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen and the Tennessee Department of Human Services this week announced the creation of a time-limited child care scholarship program for low-income, working families through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). Providers at all licensed child care centers and homes across Tennessee are eligible to participate in this one-time, $42 million program.
“This scholarship program is designed to help working families provide their children safe, quality child care,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “The Department of Human Services has created an excellent program to use our valuable child care Recovery Act dollars to reach as many eligible families as quickly as possible.”
Letters are arriving in the mailboxes of all 5,100 licensed child care providers in Tennessee and area Boys & Girls Clubs. The child care agencies will identify families that are not eligible for existing child care assistance programs and have the greatest need to participate in the scholarship program. Providers will have to submit an application and supporting documentation for currently enrolled children or accept newly enrolled children into their programs. They can begin signing up children starting this week.
“We know that the cost of child care is a significant expense for hard-working families,” said DHS Commissioner Gina Lodge. “Many are struggling to make ends meet — to pay the mortgage or the rent, the utilities, and their daycare. This program should help make things a little bit easier for those hardest hit during these tough economic times.”
To be eligible, a family’s gross income may not exceed the following monthly limits:
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2 person household
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3 person household
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4 person household
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5 person household
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6 person household
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$2,897/mo
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$3,579/mo
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$4,260/mo
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$4,942/mo
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$5,623/mo
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Child care centers will be allowed to request scholarships for up to three children, group homes up to two children and family homes can request a scholarship for one child. Depending on the number of providers that participate in the program, additional scholarships may be available in the future. The program will end when the Recovery dollars allotted for it have been utilized.
DHS licenses 3,300 child care agencies across the state, including centers and family and group homes. The Tennessee Department of Education licenses 1,800 agencies.
For more information on child care services, visit: http://www.state.tn.us/humanserv/adfam/cc_main.html.
For more information on the Child Care Recovery Scholarship program, visit:
For more information on implementation of the Recovery Act in Tennessee, visit www.tnrecovery.gov.
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