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Child Care Reporting--Service Reason


Reason for Receiving Child Care Services

The Reason for Receiving Child Care Services information field indicates the primary reason that subsidized child care services through an agency’s contract are needed by the family. This is the primary reason used to determine “need” for services.

Where to Find It

  • On the California Department of Education (CDE) ELCD-9600 Form or California Department of Social Services (CDSS) CCD 26 Form, determine the primary reason from the boxes checked in Section II: Reason for Needing Service or

    Note: Section II: Reason for Needing Services is not applicable to Part-Day CSPP or CHAN. See Rules and Guidelines below.

  • On the CDE Notice of Action (CD-7617 Form) or CDSS Notice of Action (CCD 7617 Form), determine the primary reason from the boxes checked in “Basis for Family Need for Services.”

    Note: Check to see if the family has a subsequent Notice of Action on file (not the initial notice) that applies to the report period (i.e., completed on or before the report period, as indicated by the effective date of action). If a Notice of Action is on file and the reason has changed, enter the updated information.

Rules and Guidelines

This information field is required.

For Reason Codes A – H, the choices are as defined in Funding Terms and Conditions, Section XIII. Eligibility Certification, Eligibility and Need Requirements for Full-Day CSPP, Need Criteria. Reason Codes J, Q, R, S, U, and V are used for families who are eligible for specific subsidized child care services for other reasons.

Possible Choices for the CDD-801A

If the child is a recipient of protective services or is at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, select the reason below:

  • A – Child Protective Services (CPS) or At-Risk (child is a recipient of protective services or is at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation)

If the primary reason below applies to the parent(s) and any other adult counted in the family size, select one of the following:

  • B – Parent/Caretaker Incapacitated
  • C– Experiencing Homelessness
  • D – Employment
  • E – Education/Vocational Training (participating in vocational training leading directly to a recognized trade, paraprofession, or profession)
  • F – Both employment and Education/Vocational Training
  • G – Seeking Employment
  • H – Seeking Permanent Housing (seeking permanent housing for family stability)

The following reasons apply to families where all children in the family only receive services in part-day CSPP or CHAN:

  • J – Handicapped Program
  • Q – Part-Day CSPP (this reason must be selected when all children in the family receive only part-day CSPP services and the family's eligibility is based on income, not CPS or Homelessness)

The following reasons apply to families where all children in the family only receive CSPP services and do not qualify for any other reason:

  • R – CSPP No Need
  • S – CSPP Neighborhood School Eligibility
  • U – CSPP Early Enrollment
  • V – Means-Tested Government Program

Note: If more than one reason applies to a family, use the following to determine which choice to select:

  • When a family has two reasons from A – H, Q, R, or S, and one of those reasons is A, select A.
  • When a family has two reasons from B – H, Q, R, or S, and one of those reasons is H, select H.
  • When a family has two reasons from B – G, Q, R, or S, select the reason that provides the most hours subsidized child care services to the child(ren) in the family.
  • When a family has children in Part-Day CSPP and a program type other than CSPP (except for CHAN), choose only from reasons A – H.
  • When all children in a family are in part-day CSPP and CHAN only, select J.

Possible Choices for the CDD-801B

If the child is a recipient of protective services or is at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, select the reason below:
  • A – CPS or At-Risk (child is a recipient of protective services or is at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation)

If the primary reason below applies to the parent(s) and any other adult counted in the family size, select one of the following:

  • D – Employment
  • E – Education/Vocational Training (participating in vocational training leading directly to a recognized trade, paraprofession, or profession)
  • F – Both Employment and Education/Vocational Training
  • G – Seeking Employment

Error Messages and Solutions

  • Invalid “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services.” [801A Electronic File Transfer only]

Problem: The “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” is not a valid choice.

Solution: Confirm that a valid “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” is entered.

  • The “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” is required. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit], [801B]

Problem: No “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” is provided.

Solution: Enter the “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” information.

  • The “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” cannot be “J” unless all children in the family are only in the CHAN program or only CHAN and part-day CSPP programs. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]

Problem: Reason “J” is selected as the “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” when not all the children in the family are indicated as receiving services from CHAN. Reason “J” can only be selected for a family when all children in the family are only in CHAN or in CHAN and part-day CSPP. The allowable program code and reason for receiving child care services combinations are listed in the Rules and Guidelines above.

Solution: Verify that the correct “Program Codes” and “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” are selected.

  • “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” must be “J” when all children listed are only in the CHAN program. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]

Problem: All children in the family receive subsidized child care services from CHAN only; therefore, the “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” must be “J – Handicapped Program.”

Solution: Verify that the correct “Program Codes” and “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” are selected.

  • The “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” cannot be “Q” unless all children in the family received part-day care and are only in the CSPP program. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]

Problem: Problem: All of the children in the family are reported in CSPP; however, not all of the children are identified as receiving part-day care. Reason "Q" is not a valid choice for this family.

Solution: Verify that the correct information is inputted for the following information fields: “Program Codes,” “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services,” “Services Type and Length of Care.”

  • When all children in the family receive part-day care and are only in the CSPP program, the “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services” can only be “A – Child Protective Services”, “H – Seeking Permanent Housing”, or “Q – Part-Day California State Preschool”. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]

Problem: All of the children in the family are indicated as receiving part-day care in CSPP. The Reason for Receiving Child Care Services selected is not valid for this family.

Solution: Verify that the correct information is inputted for the following information fields: “Program Codes,” “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services,” “Services Type and Length of Care.” If all the information for the children is correct, select "Q - Part-Day California State Preschool Program" as the Reason for Receiving Child Care Services.

  • The "Reason for Receiving Child Care Services" cannot be "R" or "S" unless all children in the family receive care type 4 or 11 and are only in CSPP program. [801A Electronic File Transfer], [801A Input/Edit]

Problem: The selected Type of Child Care and/or Program Code is incompatible with the Reason for Receiving Child Care code “R – CSPP No Need” or “S – CSPP Neighborhood School Eligibility”.

Solution: Verify that the correct information is inputted for the following information fields: “Program Codes,” “Reason for Receiving Child Care Services,” “Type of Child Care”. For Reason for Receiving Child Care codes “R” and “S”, the Type of Child Care can only be "04 – Licensed center-based care" or "11 – License-exempt center-based care"; in addition, the input Program Code must be "CSPP: California State Preschool Program".

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What reason do we check for receiving child development services in the situation where grandparents or an aunt is the caretaker for a child? None of the reasons shown seem appropriate.

Each situation is different. Treat the grandparents or aunt as "Parent/Caretaker," and carefully consider why it was determined that the HoH needed subsidized child care services. For further guidance, an agency may contact their EED, Field Services Office consultant (consultant).

  • What reason do we use for receiving child development services in the case of a foster child?

Use the most appropriate reason for the situation. For example, if the foster parent is working, select the "employment" reason. For further guidance, an agency may contact their consultant.

  • Our agency has a CHAN contract. What reason do we select?

    • When a family has a child or children receiving services only in CHAN, select “J – Handicapped Program” as the Reason for Receiving Child Care Services.
    • When a family has a child or children receiving services in CHAN and part-day CSPP, select “J – Handicapped Program” as the Reason for Receiving Child Care Services.
    • o When a family has a child or children receiving services in CHAN and CSPP (answer to “Services Type and Length of Care” is “A – Direct Services Full-Day” or “C - Subcontracted Services Full-Day”), select the appropriate A – H reason as the Reason for Receiving Child Care Services.
  • Our agency only has a CSPP contract. What reason do we select?

    This depends on whether all of the children in the family receive part-day care or not. If all of the children in the family receive part-day care (“Services Type and Length of Care” is "Direct Services Part-Day" or “Subcontracted Services Part-Day” for all children) and the family's eligibility determination was based on income, not on a CPS referral and not because the family is homeless, then the following reason is selected: "Q – Part –Day California State Preschool Program".
    • Families enrolled under the reason codes "R – CSPP No Need" or "S – CSPP Neighborhood School Eligibility" may receive part-tday or full-day care. For further guidance on the eligibility requirements surrounding reason code "R – CSPP No Need" or "S – CSPP Neighborhood School Eligibility", an agency may contact their EED Field Services Office Consultant (consultant).
    • If none or not all of the children receiving care have been indicated as part-day (at least one child listed has “Services Type and Length of Care” as "Direct Services Full-Day" or “Subcontracted Services Full Day”), then select the appropriate A – H reason as the Reason for Receiving Child Care Services.

Return to Appendix A: Data Definitions

Questions:   CDMIS Office | CDMIS@cde.ca.gov
Last Reviewed: Wednesday, January 31, 2024
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