|
Office of Early Childhood & Out-of-School Learning |
|
Review Pay by Enrollment Updates
Excessive Absence Policy Changes Begin This Week
The Excessive Absence Policy will be changing this week from 45 occasional absences to 40 in an enrollment year. This applies across all programs attended by children with vouchers in an enrollment year. Vouchers will be terminated when a child reaches 40 occasional absence days (or 20 consecutive absence days). If a child already has 40 or more absences, their case will be terminated and their family must wait 90 days to reapply for the waitlist. Please remind families about the importance of consistent attendance and how it benefits children and programs.
Information on 1099s for 2024 Taxes
If your child care program accepts Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) or On My Way Pre-K (OMWPK) vouchers, you will receive two 1099s for 2024 taxes if you worked the entire year. This is because Indiana transitioned payment vendors in 2024.
One 1099 will be from Conduent (previous vendor, will show a phone number) and one will be from Tyler Technologies (current vendor, will not show a phone number). You can distinguish between the two vendors based on a phone number being present. You must file both 1099s with your taxes. These 1099s were mailed and should have arrived to providers by January 31.
Back-up Attendance Requirements
You should keep a back-up attendance method in addition to what is submitted in the portal. This can be done through your Child Care Management System (CCMS), another electronic tracking system, or paper attendance sheets. Food program menus cannot be used as your back-up method.
These records must be recorded or signed by the parent and must match what is submitted in the portal. State auditors have started contacting providers to review submissions. If you are contacted, they will request your back-up attendance records. Make sure you are checking your submissions carefully and immediately reporting any errors or overpayments to the State.
Get Pay by Enrollment Help
For more Pay by Enrollment provider support, call the SPARK Help Desk at 1-800-299-1627 or visit indianaspark.com. Families can get support by calling Indiana 211 or their local eligibility office.
|
|
|
Use Nimble to Share Open Jobs on Social Media
Indiana's early learning and out-of-school time providers have access to the Indiana Educator Job Board, a birth-to-grade-12 talent marketplace. You can post jobs, hire top talent, and streamline your hiring process through the Nimble Job Board.
Recently, a child care provider hired for five open roles — including four lead teachers. They even hired a candidate within seven days of posting the job. Nimble's social media sharing tool allowed them to easily share their roles on Facebook to increase visibility and attract more candidates.
|
|
Explore SPARK's Group Coaching Opportunities
SPARK Learning Lab's Group Learning Coaches are ready to meet you where you are and provide coaching for your program's needs. Register for a Group Coaching opportunity with Coach Claire, Coach Jennifer, or Coach Izzy. Work on professional development in areas including Paths to QUALITY™, Infant Toddler, Active Supervision, and more.
Mark your calendar for these upcoming opportunities (all times in ET):
-
Active Supervision for Facilities: Tuesdays at 10 a.m. from February 11 to March 25
-
Supervisión Activa (en Español): miércoles a 4 p.m. 12 de febrero a 26 de marzo
-
PTQ Nivel 3 (en Español): jueves a 6 p.m. 13 de febrero a 27 de marzo
-
Infant Toddler for Facilities: Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. from February 20 to March 20
-
PTQ Level 3 Advancement for Homes: Mondays at 1:30 p.m. from February 24 to March 31
-
Infant Toddler for Homes: Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. from February 25 to April 1
-
PTQ Level 3 Advancement for Facilities: Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. from February 25 to April 8
-
Active Supervision for Homes: Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. from February 27 to April 3
|
Build Stronger Communities with the CCRR Network
CCRR agencies work within the communities they serve to build awareness of the
importance of early childhood education. They help develop partnerships with coalitions and task forces to ensure the needs of families and early childhood programs are considered in local regional planning efforts. CCRR agencies also provide training for community agencies and organizations.
- Increasing awareness of the importance of quality child care and its effects on the broader community
- Supporting businesses in developing work-life policies and programs that support the child care needs of their employees
- Building partnerships with other family- and youth-serving organizations to drive
positive outcomes for families and communities
- Tracking and sharing data on local and regional child care trends to identify gaps
and solutions
|
Relieve Anxiety with Calm
Anxiety can come with uncertainty, and SPARK is here to support you.
SPARK and the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning (OECOSL) are proud to partner with Calm, our mental health ally, to offer premium subscriptions to the Calm app.
Within the app you can work towards overcoming stress and anxiety with practical tools like grounding exercises, breath work, meditation, and other resources.
Take it from one of SPARK's Calm app users — "It provides a quick way to catch my breath and calm down in stressful situations. Even if I don't have time to pull up a breathing exercise, I remember one enough that I'm able to do one when needed."
Catch your breath with Calm. Visit IndianaSpark.com/calm to learn how you can access your premium subscription.
|
Attend Upcoming SPARK Learning Lab Trainings
Explore upcoming training opportunities through SPARK Learning Lab. See a full list of upcoming face-to-face training, live webinars, and live resources, plus read training descriptions and find registration instructions at IndianaSpark.com/training.
|
|
|
|
|
