DCCA to use other daycares

The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs is standing firm, saying that if child care providers withhold services to recipients of child care certificates, the department will have no choice but to “promote referral of affected parents to other child care providers who also meet the standards.”

At the same time, DCCA Deputy Secretary Melvin L.O. Faisao said it is not their intention to make it hard on anyone but if the daycare centers want to be paid on time, they should comply with the new requirements.

“We’re not trying to put anyone in an impediment. We just want to have a transparent and accountable record, and we want it to be consistent. That is all,” said Faisao. “We are not trying to give anybody a hard time.”

This came about after some 16 daycare centers complained Monday about not being paid by DCCA for about two months now. They threatened to withhold services to child care certificate holders until they are compensated for services already rendered.

In a letter to DCCA acting secretary Melvin LO Faisao, CNMI Daycare Association president Masina Leuta stated that “provision of childcare services allows for a narrow margin and any delay between provision of services and payment for said services places us in vulnerable position,” he said.

Fairsao, however, disputed the two-month arrears. “First of all, clarification needs to reflect that DCCA does not owe the childcare providers a two-month service,” he said.

He explained that when a childcare service is done, the request for payment is processed in 15 working days. The first three working days of the month is when childcare provider must submit invoices. The department then reviews it for consistency and accuracy within two working days. The department then prepares Purchase Requisitions to be submitted to Procurement and Supply so that Purchase Orders can be generated. After the Purchase Order goes to the Department of Finance, it goes to the Division of Treasury.

Faisao said that because the department is on a transition period, all vendors must comply with the requirements: submission of W-9 Form/Tax Identification Number and an updated business license.

He said they implemented this new set of requirements because they have noticed that there have been many individuals who had been abusing the childcare program.

“We have seen that there were some who were claiming services for children beyond 13 years of age. We have also seen that some have come in as single parent but in their 10-40, they are actually considered joint and income is above the threshold. Even if it’s just by three or four dollars, we have to comply with that threshold,” Faisao said.

He said the new requirements are also a way of capturing data if and when the new lead agency should submit valuable information back to its grantor.