Stabilization and Reopening Fund - APPLICATION NOW CLOSED

Have questions not answered on this page? Email CCRR@nebraskachildren.org or call 1-844-340-7002. Due to the high volume of calls, email will usually receive the quicker response.

Description of Stabilization Funds:

Child care stabilization funds are to help relieve some of the providers’ financial burdens caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Funds are intended to provide disaster relief for licensed child care providers who are currently open and providing care.
Funding is to reimburse child care providers for allowable expenses such as utility payments, facility rent/mortgage payments, staff salaries, cleaning supplies, personal protective gear and supplies to care for children. Receipts or other proof of payment will be required.
Family Child Care Homes I/II and Private Preschools: $3,500
Child Care Centers: $5,550

Eligibility - Stabilization Fund:

Providers must be:

must be open and operating within 30 days of the award.
a Nebraska Licensed Family Child Care Home I, Family Child Care Home II, Child Care Center, or privately owned Licensed Preschool. (You will need your facility license number to apply.)
in good standing with DHHS Subsidy and/or Children’s Services Licensing

Description of Incentive to Reopen Child Care Program Funds:

Incentive to Reopen Child Care Program Funds are intended to support providers with expenses to reopen.
Funding is provided to reimburse child care providers for allowable expenses such as utility payments, facility rent/mortgage payments, staff salaries, cleaning supplies, personal protective gear and supplies to care for children. Receipts or other proof of payment will be required.
Family Child Care Homes I/II and Private Preschools: $2,000
Child Care Centers: $3,000

Eligibility - Reopen Child Care Program Funds

Providers must:

agree to reopen within 30 days of award.
be a Nebraska Licensed Family Child Care Home I, Family Child Care Home II, Child Care Center, or Privately owned Licensed Preschool. (will need your facility license number to apply)
be in good standing with DHHS Subsidy and/or Children’s Services Licensing

THERE WILL ONLY BE ONE APPLICATION LINK FOR BOTH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES. YOU WILL NEED TO SELECT WHICH OPPORTUNITY YOU ARE APPLYING FOR ON THAT APPLICATION.

Q: Can I apply for both?
A: No, if you own only one child care facility, you are not able to apply for both. Use the listed funds descriptions above to determine which opportunity you qualify for then complete the appropriate application.
B: Yes, if you own multiple child care facilities, you will first need to determine which funding opportunity each facility qualifies for then complete the appropriate application for each facility separately.

Q. If I am not currently open, how much time will I have to be reopen and begin operating my child care?
A. You will need to be open and operating your child care within 30 days of receiving your award letter. For example if you receive your award letter on July 31, 2020 you will need to be open and operating by August 30, 2020."

Q: Am I eligible if I am a Licensed Public Preschool, Head Start/Early Head Start, School age only program?
A: No, you are not eligible to apply even if you are licensed.

Q: How do I find my child care facility license number?
A. Your childcare facility number is located on your license. It will start with letters: FI, FII, PRE, or CCC then a number will follow behind it. You will need to know all the letters and numbers of your license (for example: FI111, FII111, PRE111, CCC111). If you are unable to find your license number on your license you can access your name on the child care roster on the Children’s Services Licensing web page: http://dhhs.ne.gov/licensure/Documents/ChildCareRoster.pdf

Q. There are two different funding opportunities through this particular CARES Act funding. What is the difference between these opportunities?
A. Please see the chart below.

Q. Can a provider apply for BOTH the DHHS administered Healthy Places funding opportunity and one of the Nebraska Children administered funding opportunities (Stabilization and Incentive to Reopen)?

A. Yes, providers can apply for BOTH the DHHS administered Healthy Places funds and for one of the Nebraska Children administered funds: Stabilization or Incentive to Reopen fund. For more information regarding the Healthy Places fund (which has now closed), please see this link: http://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/COVID-19-Community-CARES-Healthy-Places-Grant.aspx or for other questions about the Healthy Places fund, you can call DHHS at (833) 220-0018.

Q: How will DHHS determine “In Good Standing?”
A. DHHS will be using the listed criteria to determine “In Good Standing.” They will be reviewing your current child care license status as well as your compliance with child care subsidy IF you currently have or did have a subsidy contract.

Q: If I my child care license is on probation can I still apply?
A: Yes, per Children’s Services Licensing criteria, you must meet the Probationary Exceptions listed to be determined “in good standing.” However, we still encourage you to apply and allow DHHS to review your License and/or Subsidy standing to make the final determination.

Q: Should I still apply if I am unsure if I am “in good standing?”
A: Yes, we encourage you to apply and allow DHHS make the final determination.

Q: What if my child care license is on Corrective Action Status or I have a Licensing Agreement in place, can I still apply?
A: Yes, Corrective Action Status and Licensing Agreements are negative actions NOT disciplinary actions. However, if a corrective action status or licensing agreement is in place due to an active investigation regarding abuse or neglect, you may not be determined “in good standing.” We encourage you to apply if uncertain and allow DHHS to make the final determination.

Q: Can I apply if I have a Provisional License?
A: Yes, however, if you apply for the Stabilization Funds you must have been issued and operating your Provisional Licensed facility for at least 30 days prior to submitting your application. If you are applying for Reopening Funds, you must have had your Provisional License issued prior to your facility closure due to COVID-19 and must plan to reopen your Provisional License by Sept. 15, 2020.

PRIORITY

Q: Will priority be given to certain programs?
A: Yes, Priority Points will be given to programs that meet the following criteria, but is NOT a requirement for funding.

Accredited with Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Enrolled in Step Up To Quality. Tasks to apply for Step Up to Quality:
- Complete online Step Up to Quality Orientation
- Fill out program info in Nebraska Early Childhood Professional Record System (NECPRS)
- Have all program staff create NECPRS accounts
- Click “Apply Now”
Full day/Full year Program: providing care for approximately 36+ hours per week for 12 months
Providing care in a rural county with child care shortages.
You have a current DHHS subsidy contract.
Serving children of essential workers
Enrolled in the Nebraska Child Care Referral Network

Q. "What can I do to increase my chances of getting funded in the first round of funding?
A. Enroll in Step Up to Quality
Enroll in or update your information about your licensed child care on Nebraska Child Care Referral Network.

Q: If I don’t have any priority points, can I still apply?
A: Yes. Funds will be distributed until gone. DHHS is designating $8,705,000 in CARES Act funding for the stabilization funds and $1,000,000 in CARES Act funding for the incentive to reopen funds. Priority programs will be funded first; however, we anticipate funding as many child care programs as possible with available funding.

TIMELINE

Q. When/How will I be notified if I qualified for and will be receiving the grant funds I applied for?
A. A notification email will be sent with an attached letter of approval of Stabilization or Reopen funds. PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR JUNK/SPAM FOLDER. If you do not have access to e-mail, you will be notified via a phone call documents will be sent to you via USPS mail.

Included in the e-mail or letter you will get the following:

Award letter with declarations to agree to and instructions on how to claim your award
W-9 Form
Reimbursement Form for your expenditure documentation reporting

Each of these forms will need to be returned with documentation of spent funds via e-mail or USPS mail to receive funds. Here is a link to a helpful checklist:

Q. When will I receive payment?
A. After submitting all required documentation and it has been reviewed and approved, you can expect a payment within 30 days from date of approval (not date of your submission).

Q. What time frame is allowed to use for reimbursement?
A. Reimbursement will cover funds spent starting April 1, 2020 to present.

Q. What documentation will you allow for proof of spent funds?
A. Receipts - either a scanned copy or clear photo of receipt. We suggest using a few large receipts such as for mortgage payments, insurance, or utilities - it will be easier for you and ensure your application/payment is processed more quickly. Having to sort through and approve many small receipts makes the approval process more time-consuming.

Also, it will make the process easier for you to submit only as many receipts as equal the dollar amount for which you qualify. For example, if you qualify for a $2,000 grant, it is not necessary to send receipts for $11,000 in expenses.

Q. How do I submit documentation?
A. Documentation can be sent via e-mail or USPS mail. We will also accept a scanned document or a clear digital photo of all documents.

We suggest using a few large receipts such as for mortgage payments, insurance, or utilities - it will be easier for you and ensure your application/payment is processed more quickly. Having to sort through and approve many small receipts makes the approval process more time-consuming.

Q. Do I submit all of my supporting documentation at one time or can I spread it out?
A. You will need to submit your declaration agreement, and W-9. Once you submit your receipts, you will receive your first payment. You can submit a maximum of two payments to obtain the full amount. And yes, you can submit more than one receipt for payment of mortgage, insurance, or utilities as long as they were paid between April 2020 and present day.

Q. If I received Relief Funds ($1000.00) am I still eligible for this funding?
A. Yes, though, unlike the privately funded Relief Funds, there are additional requirements regarding the use of these funds and documentation that must be submitted.

Q. Do child care providers need to pay taxes on the CCDF CARES Act funding they received?
A. The $3.5 billion in supplemental CCDF CARES Act funding is subject to the same tax rules as regular CCDF funding. In other words, there is nothing in the CARES Act that specifically exempts CCDF CARES Act funding from taxation. State tax rules vary by State. Regarding Federal taxation, please contact the Internal Revenue Service for guidance. DHHS has also created a webpage with more information on tax information related to CARES Act funding.

Q. If I have received funding from one of the U.S. Small Business Administration, ex: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance, am I eligible for this funding?
A. Yes, however we ask that you do not duplicate expenses.

>>>Have questions not answered on this page? Call 1-844-340-7002 or Email CCRR@nebraskachildren.org or call 1-844-340-7002. (Due to high volume of calls, email will receive a quicker response.<<<