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DCCA limits application for child care program
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Posted on Feb 01 2009
The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, the agency that handles the government’s child care program, is limiting the issuance of application forms for the program to ensure it has enough funding for eligible families.
“The child care program needs to be mindful of its expenditures as we don’t want to end up with too many families eligible for the program and not enough funds to support the child care service needs of these eligible families,” Celes said Friday in an email to the Saipan Tribune.
The child care program was transferred to the department from the Public School System last year. It has an approved $5.1 million three-year grant from the federal government, or $1.8 million annually.
However, Celes said CNMI does not receive its funding in a lump sum and is usually provided in a quarterly basis.
Since a couple of weeks ago, the department has posted in its offices notice of non-availability of forms for the program.
The department secretary said the applications are per household basis.
She cited that an application for one household may have two children while some households may have five children.
On top of this, the ages of the children range from 0-12 years old.
“In essence, if all 50 families who picked up an application form and becomes eligible, it could possibly mean 75 to 100 children with different ages between 0-12 years being eligible for the program. It is for these reasons that the program will need to limit the applications,” she said.
However, the secretary said that once monthly expenditures are reviewed and see a “surplus” on the funds, they will open the program for additional families.
She explained that for those who were able to get an application and submitted all the required documents, the Child Care program will process them.
These families, she added, will either qualify or not.
For those wanting to apply and were not able to get an application, she said they will have to wait for the next announcement for the opening of the program which will be made public.
“The CNMI does not maintain a wait list for the child care program,” the secretary said.
Celes said that as of Thursday, they registered 19 center-based providers for the program.
