ENROLLMENT UP TO STATE CHILD-CARE PROGRAM

Parents receiving government aid and who want to go to work or to school while providing adequate care for their children now have better access to child-care assistance.

The Income-Maintenance Program offered by the Division of Family Services pays for a portion of child-care expenses for eligible parents while they are working, at school or pursuing other types of job training. The program, which once operated with an assigned number of slots per agency, now provides funding for eligible parents who apply for assistance.

"The income maintenance program enables the parent to feel secure in her employment because she does have adequate child care," says DFS income maintenance supervisor Linda Jones. "This program will become more important as we see more and more families becoming employed and self-sufficient, and we will continue to be there to provide assistance until such time as their income makes them ineligible."

Jones said local enrollment in the program is up as more parents are being weaned from the welfare rolls. As more legislation is passed and the demand for child-care assistance continues to grow, the program will also need to grow.

"We have 282 families currently receiving assistance through this program," she said. "This is higher than any we've had in the past due to the fact that we'd only have so many slots available before. Now there are no waiting lists, so the numbers are up."

Families applying for child-care assistance must meet certain income requirements and other guidelines to be eligible. They must have a need for child care, said Jones, which means the parent or parents living in the home must be working, going to school or enrolled in a training program. Families must also meet income guidelines, she said. Parents will be required to pay a portion of the weekly child-care bill.

"We have a sliding scale fee that the parent of the child would have to pay," said Jones. "The higher the income, the more the parent would be required to pay."

The program allows parents to choose three different types of providers: Licensed contracted day care centers, licensed family or group homes, and registered providers. The first two groups are state-monitored, but the third allows parents to choose a more traditional "baby sitter."

"Registered providers don't have to meet the state licensing requirements," Jones said. "Parents can register a grandparent, or a neighbor or a good friend who has cared for the child in the past, and that person will be a registered provider who receives payment for their services."

Jones said legislation has been introduced recently to provide more requirements on unlicensed providers. This would allow the state to require a more strict screening process for those providers, she said, and the state would be more informed about them, also.

A hearing will be held Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State University to get the public's views on the legislation and other issues surrounding child care and early education. The hearing will be held in Robert A. Dempster Hall, Room 105, from 7 to 9 p.m.