Child Care Grants Available NOW!
Licensed child care centers and home providers in Autauga, Bullock, Butler, Chilton, Covington, Dallas, Elmore, Lowndes, Montgomery, and Wilcox Counties should apply NOW!
Please follow the links below to the application for funding that may be available for your child care program to pay stipends/bonuses to all of your staff. These bonuses will be paid quarterly and can be up to $12,000 per year for full-time staff and $6,000 per year for part-time staff. Your work during the pandemic is appreciated, and as we try to get everyone back to work, your work is critical.
The Alabama Partnership for Children in collaboration with The Alabama Department of Human Resources is accepting applications for Child Care Workforce Stabilization (CCWS) Grants. The purpose of the CCWS Grants are to assist child care providers in attracting and retaining a qualified and skilled workforce in the aftermath of the pandemic. The CCWS Grants are funded with Child Care Stabilization Funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.
Email ccws@apcteam.org for additional information or assistance and to submit an application.
Call the Alabama Partnership for Children and ask for assistance with the Child Care Workforce Stabilization grants (866) 711-4025 or (334) 271-0304.
For other counties in the state:
Call (256) 362-3852 ext. 31 or
Email ccws@tcrchildcare.org.
FAQs
Grants will be awarded to eligible child care providers contingent upon availability of funding. In order to be eligible to apply for the CCWS Grant, a child care provider must meet the following criteria:
-Have a license to operate a child care facility from the Department as of March 11, 2021, the date the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law (per the Alabama Child Care Safety Act of 2018, only licensed providers are eligible to receive state and/or federal funding);
-Have no current adverse action imposed by the Department, including probation, revocation, or suspension;
-Serve private-pay children, children participating in the Child Care Subsidy Program, and/or children enrolled in the DHR Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Program (programs that exclusively serve children funded by First Class Pre-K, Head Start, or Early Head Start are not eligible);
-Be currently open and operating as of the date the Child Care Workforce Stabilization Grant Application is submitted;
-Continue to remain open and operating for a period of one (1) year from the date of receiving the grant award. This requirement does not include temporary closures consistent with the ordinary course of business (i.e. – weather, illness, holidays). Child care providers must seek the Department’s approval for any permanent closures for which they are seeking to be exempt from repayments due to mitigating circumstances.
The total quarterly grant amounts will enable a child care provider to pay each eligible staff person on the child care facility’s payroll a quarterly bonus for a period up to 2 years.
The quarterly bonus shall be $3,000 for each full-time staff person employed by the child care facility and $1,500 for each part-time staff person employed by the child care facility. For the purposes of the CCWS Grant. Full-time is considered work performed an average of more than 25 hours per week and part-time work is an average of 16 to 25 hours per week at the same child care facility during a month. Substitutes are eligible for the bonus however eligibility is exclusive to one employer. The substitute must work a minimum of 16 hours per week for one employer to be consider for the bonus.
The following calculation will be used to determine the grant award.
Number of Full-Time Employees x $3,000 quarterly bonus = A
Number of Part-Time Employees x $1,500 quarterly bonus = B
A + B = Total Grant Amount
EXAMPLE: DHR Child Care Center has 12 full-time employees and 3 part-time employees.
12 Full-Time Employees x $3,000 = $36,000
3 Part-Time Employees x $1,500 = $4,500
$36,000 + $4,500 = $40, 500
Therefore, DHR Child Care Center is eligible to receive a grant award of $40, 500.
CCWS grant funds must be used to pay quarterly bonuses to each eligible staff person employed at the child care facility on the facility’s payroll. This includes, but is not limited to, directors, teachers, caregivers, assistant teachers, assistant caregivers, floaters, cooks, custodians, receptionists, substitutes, and van drivers. A staff person who is considered a volunteer and is not on the child care facility’s payroll is not eligible for the bonus.
The bonus shall be paid in addition to regular wages and fringe benefits. For each eligible staff person on the facility’s payroll, the child care provider must continue to pay at least the same amount of weekly wages and maintain the same benefits (such as health insurance and retirement) for the duration of the CCWS grant. The child care provider shall not furlough paid employees from the date of the submission of the CCWS Grant Application through the duration of the subgrant period.
Each staff person that is on the facility’s payroll that is paid a bonus shall have a complete record on file at the child care facility. Child care providers should refer to the Child Care Licensing and Performance Standards for Day Care Centers and Nighttime Centers and the Child Care Licensing and Performance Standards for Family Day Care Homes, Family Nighttime Homes, and Group Daycare Homes, Group Nighttime Homes for requirements regarding staff records. Staff must be employed for 30 days prior to the grant application.
The bonuses shall be paid to employees on a quarterly basis. Each approved facility will receive payment on or before the paid by date listed in the grant payout schedule. The employer will have 30 days to pay the funds to qualifying employees listed on the grant application. The grantee must provide payroll documentation within 2 weeks of the payment being made to staff
The quarterly bonus shall be $3000 for each full-time staff person employed at the child care facility. A person is considered full-time if they work more than 25 hours per week at the facility. The quarterly bonus shall be $1500 for each part-time staff person employed at the child care facility. A person is considered part-time if they work average of 25 hours or less per week at the facility. The applicant may use a monthly average for staff to determine full-time or part-time should hours fluctuate each week.
If an employee works at multiple sites operated by the same child care provider, an employee is only eligible to receive one (1) bonus per quarter. For example, Jane Doe works at DHR Child Care Center Site I for 10 hours per week and also works at DHR Child Care Center Site II for 10 hours per week. Jane Doe is not eligible for a $750 bonus from Site I and a $750 bonus from Site II. Because Jane Doe works a total of 20 hours per week at both child care facilities operated by the same child care provider, Jane Doe is considered part-time (she works 25 hours or less per week at both facilities combined) and is eligible to receive a total of $750 in bonus pay from the child care provider operating both facilities.
For when to submit an application, please see the payout schedule form.
Applications may be submitted via electronic submission, email, fax, mail or in-person. Information on where to submit an application can be found below.
Applications may be submitted via electronic submission, email, fax, mail or in-person. Information on
where to submit an application can be found below.
Point of Contact: The Alabama Partnership for Children
Email: CCWS@apcteam.org
Fax: (334) 271-0315
Mail: 2595 Bell Road Montgomery, AL 36117
In-person delivery: 2595 Bell Road Montgomery, AL 36117
Questions? – 334-271-0304 or 1-866-711-4025 and ask for Child Care Workforce Grant Assistance
Payments will be disbursed quarterly via the chosen method indicated on the grant application. If your chosen payment method is paper check, it will be mailed to the address indicated on the grant application.
Providers must submit the Child Care Workforce Stabilization Initial grant application (Form CCWS-A) and the Child Care Workforce Stabilization Grant Employee Roster (Form CCWS-E) for the first disbursement. Providers must submit the Child Care Workforce Stabilization Grant Supplemental Application (Form CCWS-B) and the Child Care Workforce Stabilization Grant Employee Roster (Form CCWS-E) to request funds for current employees each quarter after the initial grant application. Providers must submit payroll documentation as proof that disbursements were made within 30 days after the grant is awarded.
Documentation should be provided within 2 weeks of paying bonus to employees and may be accepted by email, fax or mail using the information provided above.
If the number of staff changes during the period of the CCWS Grant, the applicant will need to submit Form CCWS-B and Form CCWS-E to reflect changes in the number of staff. This form should be submitted when requesting additional funds for each quarter.
Yes, payments are taxable. The employer should deduct applicable taxes as with normal payroll. The employer cannot reduce the bonus to cover the employer’s payroll cost.