Early Education and Support Division
Subject: Continuity of Services Provision - Transferring Family Enrollment Between Contractors
Number: 09-14
Date: July 2009
Expires: Until Rescinded
Authority: California Education Code (EC) Section 8263 (c)
Attention: All Child Care and Development Funded Contract Programs
Purpose
The purpose of this Management Bulletin (MB) is to inform all Early Education and Development Division (EESD) contractors of their ability to transfer the enrollment of a family enrolled in an EESD program whose services would otherwise be terminated because the family no longer meets the program income, eligibility, or need criteria. In order to ensure that children currently served in contracts do not lose necessary child development services, it is extremely important that child development contractors work together to implement EC Section 8263 (c) that provides for the continuity of services. This option provides flexibility for contractors administering their programs while promoting a collaborative process to respond to the comprehensive needs of children and families.
Statutory Authority
Chapter 2 of the EC authorizes the California Department of Education to administer a number of child care and development programs to provide a comprehensive, coordinated, and cost effective system of child care and development services for children. The following section, EC Section 8263 (c), permits transfer of families within and between agencies in order to promote continuity of services:
"(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in order to promote continuity of services, a family enrolled in a state or federally funded child care and development program whose services would otherwise be terminated because the family no longer meets the program income, eligibility, or need criteria may continue to receive child development services in another state or federally funded child care and development program if the contractor is able to transfer the family's enrollment to another program for which the family is eligible prior to the date of termination of services or to exchange the family's existing enrollment with the enrollment of a family in another program, provided that both families satisfy the eligibility requirements for the program in which they are being enrolled. The transfer of enrollment may be to another program within the same administrative agency or to another agency that administers state or federally funded child care and development programs.”
Policy Directive
When a family’s circumstance has changed and they no longer meet program income, eligibility, or need criteria they may have their child care and development services continued if the contractor is able to transfer that family’s enrollment to another program. Per the provisions of EC Section 8263 (c), transfers:
- shall occur prior to the date services are terminated.
- require that the family meet the admission criteria for the program to which they are being transferred.
- may be made to another program within the same administrative agency or to another agency that administers an EESD funded program.
- may be made to an EESD program either within or outside the county.
When a family transfers into another program that family is not required to be placed on the Centralized Eligibility List nor are they required to be prioritized according to enrollment priorities pursuant to EC Section 8263 (b).
Contractors may exchange the family's existing enrollment with the enrollment of a family in another program, provided that both families satisfy the eligibility requirements for the program in which they are being enrolled. These families that exchange existing enrollment with other families are not subject to enrollment priorities pursuant to EC Section 8263 (b).
In addition to the above, children served by the California School Age Families Education Program are also eligible for the provisions contained in EC Section 8263 (c).
If you have any questions regarding this MB, please contact your assigned EESD Field Services Consultant at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/assignments.asp or call the EESD at 916-322-6233.
This Management Bulletin is mandatory only to the extent that it cites a specific statutory and/or regulatory requirement. Any portion of this Management Bulletin that is not supported by a specific statutory and/or regulatory requirement is not prescriptive pursuant to California Education Code Section 33308.5.