SRJC CHILDREN'S CENTER APPLICATION
SRJC Children’s Center offers subsidized full-day child care and preschool services to SRJC students who are income eligible AND meet the need criteria. If all SRJC student applicants have been exhausted, community placement may be considered.
We continuously accept applications for child care services. The link to the application is:
SRJC Children’s Center Application
How to Complete a Family Application (Instructions)
An application for child care does not automatically enroll your family in the program. Your application will be placed on a waitlist until an enrollment opening becomes available. Spaces are filled from the eligibility list according to a priority system. We maintain a waiting list for services in accordance with admission priorities based on family size and income determined by the California Department of Education and California Department of Social Services. The center will not deny services nor assign a lower priority to a family that needs less than full-time services. The center cannot identify a family’s position on the wait list as this may change daily.
For further information on admission priorities, visit the linked document: Enrollment Priorities Information Link
Families will be contacted when an opening is available for child care. It is important we have current contact information for your application. Please contact our office if you have changes to your phone number or email.
If families determine that the Children’s Center is not a good fit for the family, we will offer resource and referral information that may benefit the child and family.
After families are notified of an opening for child care or preschool services, families must complete the Enrollment Process before services can begin.
ENROLLMENT INFORMATION FOR CHILD CARE
All families must go through a formal enrollment and orientation process before care begins. Additionally, families need to be certified for care by providing proof of eligibility and need. The center is required to verify information provided by the family.
The enrolling adult is responsible for providing all documentation required to the satisfaction of the administrative staff at the scheduled enrollment time. Failure to complete enrollment requirements in a timely manner may result in the loss of child care services.
- When the center has an opening for your child, you will be contacted by phone and email.
- You will be asked to reply within 24 hours to verify you want care.
- You will receive an email to confirm your acceptance and to provide instructions on the enrollment process using Hubbe.
- You will be assigned items in the Hubbe account you created to submit your application. Items may be uploaded to Hubbe or you may make an appointment to come to the center to submit documents.
- Once all paperwork is submitted, you will be contacted with information about the hours of care you qualify for and if there is a family fee for your childcare services.
- Please contact the office if you need more time to supply needed documents, need help with uploads or technology, or need any help with the enrollment process.
ELEGIBILITY FOR CHILD CARE SERVICES
To be eligible for SUBSIDIZED child care, a parent must:
- Be a student who is:
- Enrolled in 9 or more units at SRJC.
- Enrolled in 6 or more units at SRJC AND employed for 20 or more hours during the Children’s Center hours of operation.
- Enrolled in 3 or more units at SRJC AND employed for 40 hours during the Children’s Center hours of operation and
- Maintain enrollment for fall and spring semesters for duration of services and
- Be income eligible and/or
- Referred by a legal, medical, or social service agency stating that the child is at risk of abuse or neglect and that child care services are needed to reduce the risk.
Family size is defined by the number of adults such as biological parent, stepparent, adoptive parent, foster parent, caretaker relative, or any other adult living with a child who has responsibility for the care and welfare of the child plus the number of children under 18 living in the household.
The family must provide supporting documentation regarding the number of children in the family including at least one of the following for all children in the family: Birth Certificate/birth record, child custody orders, adoption documents, foster care placement records, school or medical records that include parent and child name, county welfare records or other reliable records indicating the relationship of the children to the enrolling adult.
When a child’s residence alternates between the homes of separated or divorced parents, eligibility, need, and fees will be determined separately for each household in which the child resides. We will make provisions for the care of a child already enrolled under one of the eligibility criteria during the time they are in the care of the non-eligible parent. Fees for the non-eligible parent will be determined based on their income.
NEED CRITERIA & REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Need for child care must be established by the family before subsidized child care can be offered.
- The center must document that each adult in the family meets a need criterion, which may be education, work, seeking employment, and incapacity that precludes the provision of care and supervision of the child for some part of the day.
- The center must document that at least one of the parents is participating in vocational training leading to a recognizable trade, paraprofessional or profession.
- The center must independently verify work hours for families using work as a need for care.
Failure to provide certification information or providing fraudulent information may result in denial or termination of services.
- During enrollment, families will be required to submit documentation to determine child care need. The child’s scheduled hours of care will be based upon the family’s determined need.
- Families are certified for enrollment for two (2) years from the date of certification.
- Scheduled hours will not be changed unless requested by the enrolling adult. Changes in scheduled hours must be cleared by the office by completing a change request form in the office. Hours will be determined by the Site Supervisor or Director
DURATION OF ELIGIBILITY AND NEED
Once services have been approved by means of a Notice of Action (NOA), duration of certification is 24 months from the date of certification or the end of the fiscal year (preschool). Duration may be affected by space limitations for children transitioning from one program to another (i.e. infant to toddler or toddler to preschool).
Family fees have been waived by CDE and CDSS for the until September 30, 2023. Subsidized fees will be determined in accordance with the criteria and sliding fee scale established by the California Department of Education and California Department of Social Services each year. Subsidized fees are determined at enrollment and recertification; they are based on family size, income, and number of hours of contracted childcare per month. Fees are based on contracted days and hours and cannot be adjusted for either excused or unexcused absences.
- Parents will be billed in advance for the upcoming month.
- All fees must be paid in advance, typically the first of the month.
- Fees are considered delinquent if not received seven (7) calendar days after the due date.
- Families may request a payment plan to pay fees.
- If payment is not made by the tenth (10th) day of the month, a termination of services notice may be sent for delinquent fees.
- Failure to pay may result in loss of subsidized childcare services and a hold being placed on registration and transcripts.
- It is the parent’s responsibility to inform staff in the office of any problems regarding the payment schedule prior to the payment due date.
- Fees are to be paid to the campus accounting office in Bailey Hall.
- If the SRJC Children's Center cannot meet all of a family's child care needs for which eligibility and need have been established and another program is used for provision of child care, a fee credit equal to the amount paid to the other child care provider will be granted. Copies of receipts or canceled checks are required as verification.
- Family fees are not prorated for emergency closures, except as determined by our state contractors.
- Adjustments to assessed fees due to change in family circumstance cannot be made retroactively.
- Receipts of payment will be provided monthly and can be used for employer reimbursement. A statement of all fee payments for the previous year will be sent at the end of January and can be used for tax purposes.
On the first day a child attends school, the office must have in each child’s file:
- A signed Application and Admission Agreement
- All forms required by Community Care Licensing
- Child’s Preadmission Health Evaluation – Physician’s Report*
- California School Immunization Record
- Infant Needs and Services Plan, Toddler Needs and Services Plan, or Individual Developmental Profile
- Consent/Permission to Use Form
*A physical examination and evaluation, including a TB assessment or test is required of each child prior to, or within 30 days of enrollment. All children must be current in their immunizations prior to enrollment.
- Individual Infant Sleeping Plan
- Infant Feeding Plan
ADDITIONAL FORMS FOR CHILDREN REQUIRING MEDICATION
- Parent Permission to Administer Medication
- Physician’s Medication Administration Instructions
- Asthma Action Plan (for children with asthma)
- Diaper Cream/Ointment Authorization
ADDITIONAL FORMS FOR CHILDREN REQUIRING MEDICAL SERVICES
Blood Glucose Testing Consent/Verification (LIC 9222)
Nebulizer Care Consent/Verification (LIC 9166)
Gastronomy Tube Care – Physician’s Checklist (LIC 701A)
Gastronomy Tube Care Consent/Verification (LIC 701B)
PLEASE NOTE: We are required to have each of these forms in our files in order to maintain our license to operate. State law requires us to exclude from school any student whose files are incomplete until we have received their missing paperwork. We appreciate your cooperation.
Whenever the Children’s Center makes a decision about child care services, a Notice of Action (NOA) will be sent to the family. The NOA informs the parent of:
- What action will be taken, the reasons for, and the date on which that action will be taken, and
- Specify that a parent has the right to appeal the action on the NOA if there is disagreement with it and provide instructions for appealing.
The California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 18118 requires the following procedures to be put in place including changes to a child care services (for example, approving or denying services, changing the approved hours of care, or terminating child care services). The center must notify the parent by issuing a document called a “Notice of Action” (NOA).
There are two levels of appeal:
- A local hearing conducted by a hearing officer who is not involved with the decision; and
- A state review of the local hearing decision conducted by the California Department of Education (CDE) for preschool programs or the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) for infant or toddler programs. NOTE: A state review by CDE or CDSS may only be requested, if after going through the local hearing, and disagree with the decision of the agency (as noted on the decision letter from the agency).
The NOA will also contain all the instructions on how to appeal. When a request is submitted for a local hearing within 19 calendar days of the date the NOA was mailed, services will continue in accordance with the service agreement until the appeal process is completed or abandoned.
Subsidized recipients may receive childcare services for education purposes at SRJC Children’s Center for up to twenty-four semester units, or its equivalent, after the attainment of a Bachelor’s Degree.
For more information, contact the Children's Center Office:
Phone: (707) 527-4224
Email: childrenscenter@santarosa.edu