Food Program And Your Own Children

[missheather]

Hello,
I am in the process of opening up my Small Home Day Care in Central California. I am hoping to open in January 2014.
My question in that I also will have two Foster Care children who will be in the home during Day Care Hours. Will I get reimbursed for their meals as well once I am on the Food Program?
Thank so much!

[butterfly]

Foster children are counted as your own children. If you qualify to get reimbursed for your own, then Yes you would get paid for the foster children too.

[missheather]

Yes I know they are counted just like they were my own children... so I guess my real question is... Do you get reimbursed for your own children's meals as well? :confused:

[snbauser]

The only way you get reimbursed for your own kids is if you qualify you family financially. You have to fill out the financial forms and depending on how much your family makes will determine if your kids qualify.

[butterfly]

The only way you get reimbursed for your own kids is if you qualify you family financially. You have to fill out the financial forms and depending on how much your family makes will determine if your kids qualify.

And they will only reimburse if the children are present during meal times and if you are still within your capacity numbers by having them there during daycare hours - even if they don't count in your licensing numbers.

[GrannyJ]

I am also located in Central CA. I know that if you have a daycare in CA the food program will reimburse you for your children as long as there is at least one daycare child at the meal. It does not matter how much money you make. But your foster children will count in your ratio.

Good luck in your new adventure.

[Blackcat31]

The only way you get reimbursed for your own kids is if you qualify you family financially. You have to fill out the financial forms and depending on how much your family makes will determine if your kids qualify.

In my state, ANY providers children count as long as daycare children are ALSO present when the meal is served. There are NO financial guidelines.

ONLY up to age 11 though.

[missheather]

I am also located in Central CA. I know that if you have a daycare in CA the food program will reimburse you for your children as long as there is at least one daycare child at the meal. It does not matter how much money you make. But your foster children will count in your ratio.

Good luck in your new adventure.

Awesome! Thank you so much! I appreciate this!

[Margarete]

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/cc/daycareeligmat.asp Look at the eligibility scales for California. Reimbursement for your own children is income based in California, but foster kids will automatically qualify for tier 1 reimbursement regardless of what your income is.

[snbauser]

Considering this is a federal program, it irritates me beyond belief that the rules can be so different. I do know that when I lived in CA my own preschool aged kids counted in my licensing numbers but I was not reimbursed for their meals on the food program.

[SunflowerMama]

I don't get reimbursed for my own children but we're in Texas.

[Unregistered]

My foster child is automatically reimbursed at the higher tier (as are the other foster kids who are not mine that I provide care for). It may vary from state to state, but here, foster kids are high tier automatically (I would never qualify for it, myself).

[Crystal]

It is not income based. You are eligible to receive it until age 10. The only income based portion is if you qualify for tier 1 or tier 2. If you live in a zip code with a large proportion of families living in poverty you will qualify for Tier 1 automatically. Otherwise it is based on income if you are 1 or 2

[nanglgrl]

In Iowa we're only able to get reimbursed for our own children if we meet the income guidelines (which are the same guidelines for free/reduced lunch through the schools). I don't get reimbursed anything for my children but I do have to enroll them in the program because they count in my numbers. Some of my daycare clients are Tier 1 and others are Tier 2 so I get paid different amounts for them. I think that there are some providers that don't qualify to get reimbursed for their own children because their income is too high but if they live in a neighborhood that qualifies as a low income one they automatically get reimbursed the higher rate and get reimbursed for their children.