Family Start Date (CDD-801A only)
The Family Start Date information field indicates the original date on which a family began receiving subsidized child care services through an agency’s contract with the Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD).
Where to Find It
The documentation for when a family began receiving subsidized child care services through an agency’s contract with the ELCD should be in the family’s file. This date can be found on the ELCD-9600 under the “Initial Subsidized Service Date,” which is located in a box in the upper right-hand corner of the first page.
Rules and Guidelines
- This information field is required.
- Enter the date (month, day, and year) the family began receiving subsidized child care services.
- This date must be before or during the report period.
- If the services for all children in the family were interrupted for less than three months because of reasons such as illness or vacation, select the original date the family began receiving subsidized child care services through the agency’s contract with the ELCD, not the date services resumed.
- If the services for all children in the family were interrupted for three months or more, select the date when the family resumed receiving subsidized child care services through the agency’s contract with the ELCD, not the original date of assistance from the agency.
Example 1: The Kim family has one child, Mary, receiving subsidized child care services through an agency’s contract with the ELCD. Mary did not receive any services in June, July, or August 2018 because of summer vacation. Mary returned to receiving services at the same agency on September 1, 2018.
In the September 2018 CDD-801A, enter September 1, 2018 for the Family Start Date as that was the date the family resumed receiving services after a break of three months.
Example 2: The Smith family has two children, Joan and Mark, receiving subsidized child care services from the same agency. In June, July, and August 2018, Mark did not receive any services because he spent the summer with relatives in another city. Joan continued to receive services during this time. In September 2018, Mark resumed receiving services with the same agency.
In the September 2018 CDD-801A, do not change the Family Start Date as at least one child in the family did not have a break in receiving services.Error Messages and Solutions
- The Family Start Date must be on or before the report month/year. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]
Problem: The Family Start Date entered occurs after the report period, which indicates that the family is being reported for a report period that has not yet begun.
Solution: Confirm that the Family Start Date is entered correctly
- Invalid Family Start Date. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]
Problem: The Family Start Date is invalid or missing.
Solution: Enter a valid date.
- The Family’s Start Date is required. [801A Electronic File Transfer]
Problem: The Family Start Date is blank.
Solution: Enter the Family Start Date.
- The Family’s Start Month is required. [801A Input/Edit]
Problem: No month was selected from the dropdown list.
Solution: Select the month from the dropdown list (January – December).
- The Family’s Start Day is required. [801A Input/Edit]
Problem: No day was selected from the dropdown list.
Solution: Select the day from the dropdown list (1 – 31).
- The Family Start Year is required. [801A Input/Edit]
Problem: No year was selected from the dropdown list.
Solution: Select the year from the dropdown list.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I don’t know the Family Start Date. Where can I find it?
For a new family, the ELCD-9600 will have the date in the box “Initial Subsidized Service Date.”
For a continuing family, the most current ELCD-9600 will not have the original Family Start Date; agencies must check the family’s file for an earlier ELCD-9600. Unless it has been purged from the family’s file, the first ELCD-9600 for that family should have Family Start Date. Agencies may also look on the original Notice of Action given to the Head of Household (HoH) when eligibility for subsidized child care services was first determined.
- Do I ever change the Family Start Date?
Typically, the Family Start Date will never change. The only exception would be if there was a break in service of three months or more. See the examples provided in the Rules and Guidelines.
Return to Appendix A: Data Definitions