Background
Education Code section 8499.5(b)(2) requires Local Planning Councils (LPC) to assess local priorities by conducting a needs assessment that considers, among other things, waiting lists for all subsidized programs. Education Code section 8499.5(b)(8) requires LPCs to design a system to consolidate local child care waiting lists. Provision 7(d) of Schedule (b)(11) of Item 6110-196-0001 in the Budget Act of 2000-01 authorized $1.5 million to fund a Centralized Waiting List Pilot Program. The California Department of Education (CDE), Child Development Division (CDD) reserved $150,000 for an evaluation study of the Centralized Eligibility List Pilot Project.
In 2005, Education Code section 8227 authorized and provided funding for the alternative payment agency in each county shall design, maintain, and administer a countywide CEL. In a few counties with an existing CEL, the CEL is the administered by the local planning council.
What is a Centralized Eligibility List?
Traditionally a child care provider will keep a list of children waiting to enroll. Waiting lists are common to subsidized child care and development programs, to Head Start Programs, and to Alternative Payment Programs. The CEL is a system that combines all of these separate lists, eliminates duplicates, and allows subsidized child development providers in the system to access children that are eligible for their programs. The term "eligibility" is used because families are ranked by eligibility factors for subsidized care (income, size, and need), not just time on the list.
Benefits
A CEL enables families to have access to all programs for which they qualify, expanding their opportunity to access subsidized care. Providers can potentially pull from a wider net of eligible families. Communities and counties can plan better to address the demand for care. State and federal funding can be more focused to address the needs of eligible waiting families.
