American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA)
Board of Early Education and Care
June 9, 2009
ARRA Requirements Overlay
Existing Federal Law
ARRA Requirements
Federal Agency Guidance
on ARRA
Governor’s Office, ANF, State
Comptroller, and Legislature
EEC
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Principles for ARRA Expenditures:
EEC Board’s Fiscal and Budget Committee
Sustainability
Invest one-time ARRA funds thoughtfully to minimize the “funding cliff”
Accountability
Ensure transparency, reporting and accountability
Economic Impact
Spend funds quickly to save and create jobs
Collaboration
Develop cross-agency initiatives to maximize benefits to children
Reform
Use ARRA to promote reforms and cost saving initiatives that will provide a
foundation for future growth
Prioritization
Prioritize limited resources toward children with the greatest education and
care needs and multiple risk factors. EEC’s Strategic Plan emphasizes that the
Department values all children and all families. In a fiscally constrained
environment, the Strategic Plan also recognizes that children with the greatest
educational needs and multiple risk factors come first.
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Administration for Children and Families:
ARRA Guidance
CCDBG
EEC Award: $23.9 Million
$20.1 Million to Provide Access to Financial Assistance for Child Care For
Low Income Families
 $3.8 Million in Quality Set-Aside
 $1.1 Targeted to Infant Toddler Quality

Wampanoag Tribe Award: $4,716 (Not Administered by EEC)
Guidance
Assist those most impacted by the recession through the provision of
funds to expand services to additional children and families;
 Through targeted funds, improve the quality of child care to support the
health and well-being of children;
 Activities allowable must fall within EEC’s existing program
requirements, per State Plan.*

*Any changes to program requirements such as provider rates (e.g., provider rate increases), income
eligibility guidelines, and sliding fee scale require State Plan amendment and federal approval
which may delay implementation of ARRA programming.
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CCDBG ARRA Proposals
ACCESS
 Summer Learning Promotion Vouchers
Job Retention Policy for Existing Families
(Continuity of Care)
 Self Sufficiency Voucher for New Working Families of (2 Year
Only/Preschool Aged Children)
QUALITY
 Summer Learning and Literacy Promotion
 Incentive Grants to Facilitate Local Coordination of Family
and Community Engagement Programming
Statewide Initiative to Advance Existing Quality
Efforts/Support QRIS (e.g., assessment, UPK standards)
 Sponsorship for Literacy-Based or other ARRA Related
Training Opportunities
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Link Between Job Retention Policy and
ARRA Goals
 Research demonstrates that families with access to high
quality stable child care are more productive and less likely
to miss work.
Lack of stable child care has been identified as a barrier to
employment and a primary cause of absenteeism that may
lead to termination.
Access to regular and stable child care is associated with
greater job stability and retention for low income families.
Sources: Institute for Women’s Policy Research, University of WisconsinMilwaukee Employment and Training Institute, The Urban Institute, and
Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
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ARRA Investment: Job Retention Policy
(Continuity of Care)
Purpose: Support existing working families receiving EEC financial
assistance to retain and find work by providing continuity of care
for their children for up to 2 years only in the following
circumstances:
Summer-only care;
 A sibling of children already enrolled;
 A child “aging up” of a current program; and/or
 A family who loses their job or has a reduction in hours below current
minimum eligibility (extend child care provided during job search/
work hour reduction up to 26 weeks total);

Proposed Allocation: ~$5M
Method of Distribution: Revision to existing “Continuity of Care
Policy, ” and implemented through voucher for ARRA tracking
purposes.
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ARRA Investment: Job Retention Policy
Estimated Demand and Annual Cost
Continuity
Category
Infant/
Toddler
Pre-K
School Age
Need
Cost
Need
Cost
Need
Cost
Siblings
434
$4.23 M
74
$.56 M
260
$1.27 M
Aging Up
n/a
n/a
35
$.26 M
147
$.72 M
Job Search
FY 2009 Caseload ~ 520 children
(8 weeks $.7 M; 14 weeks $1.1 M)
73% remained eligible after job search period ended
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ARRA Investment: Job Retention Policy
How does this proposal relate to current access limits?
Priority Code
Department of Children and Families Referral
Department of Transitional Assistance Referral
Current #
(May 2009)
(Supportive Expansion Only)
Open
DCF WL
(~1200)
Open
No WL
Child of Foster Care
Closed
Child of Homeless Family
Closed
Child of Military Personnel
Closed
Child of Teen Parent
Open
Child with Special Needs
Closed
Parent with Special Needs
Closed
Grandparent/Guardian Family
Closed
Continuity of Care
General Priority
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Access Status
As of 11/03/08
(See Next Slide)
Closed
81
59
12
98
807
486
265
1822
12776
FY2010 anticipated funding levels for Income Eligible
Child Care will require maintaining these current
access limits throughout FY2010.
ARRA Investments: Job Retention Policy
How does this proposal relate to current continuity of
care policy?
Continuity of Care
Categories/Priorities
Proposed under ARRA
Job Retention Policy*
Closed, infants/toddlers in
contracts open
Open
Closed
Open
Supportive/Teen Parent
Open
n/a
Non-Traditional Hours
Open
n/a
Homeless
Open
n/a
Geographic Relocation
Open
n/a
Closed
n/a or could substitute for
extending job search
benefits
Aging-up
Siblings
Child Left within 3 Months
(e.g., approved break in service
or lost eligibility/regained
within 90 days of termination)
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Current Access Status
*One-time/time limited to ARRA funding period and allocations.
ARRA Investment: Job Retention Policy
Advisory Council, Operation Working Group and
Policy and Program’s Committee Comments


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To focus on most vulnerable in terms of job loss:
1. Prioritize children already in care (aging-up)
2. Prioritize families already in care (siblings)
3. Prioritize age-groups with highest waiting list
numbers (infants/school-age)
Job reduction support more important than job
search (still actually working); fund job search as
“break in service”
ARRA Investment: Job Retention Policy
Discussion questions/options
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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prioritize among categories;
prioritize specific age groups (e.g.,
infants) across categories
eliminate some categories;
fund up to allocation on first come, first
serve basis;
provide only part-time care for job
search/during work hour reduction
other?