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For Foster Children

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Many foster families struggle to apply for and obtain the Michigan daycare benefits for foster children in their care.

The information in this presentation is based upon our volunteer’s personal experience using these benefits for multiple children and multiple daycares.

Daycare is expensive and should not become a barrier to families wanting to provide quality foster care.

Fosteringforwardmi.org 2014 Fostering Forward Michigan All Rights Reserved

Foster children automatically qualify for this benefit and it is not based on income. It is based on your children’s status as foster children.

You can only claim this benefit if you are working or going to school and only for the hours that you are employed in these activities. ◦ Can I be approved for this benefit if I work at home? Yes, we have families

who worked at home and used daycare subsidy for the hours they were working.

◦ Families who have partners on opposite shifts seem to have problems getting approved for daycare. For example one partner works days and the other nights. We have heard from families like this that they do not qualify for subsidy even in the case where one partner needs to be sleeping while the other is at work.

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©2014 Fostering Forward Michigan All Rights Reserved

You must have a daycare provider selected for the application. You can find a provider on the web at http://greatstarttoquality.org/. Please note the star ratings for each facility on the right hand corner of the page. The reimbursement rate is based upon these rankings. This web page explains the reimbursement rates: http://michigan.gov/documents/mde/CDC_Reimbursement_Rates_444617_7.pdf

Choose carefully! The out of pocket expense can vary drastically!

◦ Some daycares will ask you to pay for care out of pocket while you are waiting for this benefit to kick in but some daycares will cover you while you wait. If this is important to you, ask around to find those providers who will agree to cover you. Also, you might have to pay a portion of their fees out of pocket because the state’s rates do not cover all of the fees. Make sure to ask your provider about any costs you might incur.

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©2014 Fostering Forward Michigan All Rights Reserved

http://greatstarttoquality.org/

http://michigan.gov/documents/mde/CDC_Reimbursement_Rates_444617_7.pdf

You can apply through the MIBridges Website https://www.mibridges.michigan.gov/access/

or by submitting a paper form that can found on the DHS website at http://www.mi.gov/documents/dhs/DHS-4583_237004_7.pdf

Mostof our volunteer’s families have applied online and one benefit they can see through MIBRIDGES is that you will receive a confirmation once the application completed.


https://www.mibridges.michigan.gov/access/

http://www.mi.gov/documents/dhs/DHS-4583_237004_7.pdf



When you fill out the application you will be required to supply an extraordinary amount of information including your family income, even though there is no income requirement for fostering families. This trips up a lot of families up but please don’t let this discourage you from applying for this valuable benefit.

The DHS workers processing these applications have no ties to foster care. They are workers who were hired to process state benefits for low income families. So you have to keep in mind that this system was not originally designed for foster parents and some of the workers may be confused about your eligibility (especially the new ones). Therefore, we always make sure to indicate that this application is for foster children and even go as far as to put a statement in the notes: “We automatically qualify because we are making the application for foster children and qualification is not based on our income.”


DHS Has 45 days to process the application and they usually take the full 45 days.

This is one of the only programs that pays retroactively so get your application in the first day you have a placement.

Some families have reported that they received a rejection the first time they applied. Don’t give up! Contact the DHS worker by phone and email to sort out any discrepancies and reapply if you need to.


Once payments are approved. The payments are made directly to the provider.

Upon initial approval, the daycare can retroactively bill DHS from the date you made your application.

Your provider can only bill based upon the number of hours your children attended the daycare. So, if you’re your child only attends daycare 5 hours one day; DHS will only pay the approved rate x 5 hours. Therefore, you may have to pay out of pocket for the remainder of the day since most daycares charge a daily rate.

DHS will pay for sick days if you follow the daycare’s absentee procedure.


DHS reassesses your eligibility every year. That means you are going to have to submit the application and requested information each year. Again, it is an extraordinary amount of information that they request.

Some families have reported that they are asked to resubmit

information at other times as well and it seems to be an ongoing challenge to stay approved for this benefit. If you are having ongoing problems, there is a chain of command/hierarchy at each DHS office and you can contact the supervisors for any ongoing problems. We recommend email so that you have a paper trail!

When adding new foster children to your home, call your worker.

You will probably need to reapply for benefits and include the new child in the application. Again, you have to wait for approval and retroactive payments come into play so please apply ASAP!


One common question from foster parents is can my in-home or relative care provider be reimbursed for care? If the provider enrolls with the state and fulfills the requirement, they may be eligible for some reimbursement. Here are two web pages that contain more information about unlicensed providers:

http://michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-63533_63534_63539---,00.html

https://childcareresource.com/felix/index.cfm?referrer=http://greatstartforkids.org/connect/&regionId=153&CFID=432375&CFTOKEN=27












Your foster child also automatically qualifies for the Head Start and Great Start Readiness also known as GSRP programs, if they meet age and school district requirements. Again, this is not based on your family’s income but on the child’s status as a foster child. This is another situation where program staff may be confused about this so it is important to let them know right away that this is a foster child and that they automatically qualify.

◦ http://greatstartforkids.org/

◦ http://michheadstart.org/

Your foster child may also qualify for discounts and/or scholarships with your local day camp and recreational providers. For example several foster families have reported the YMCA provided full scholarships to their older children for summer day camp and another foster Mom reported that she received a 20% discount with a local gymnastics club for her foster child. You don’t know until you ask!


http://greatstartforkids.org/

http://michheadstart.org/

Information on how to obtain this benefit is vital for many foster families. Please contact Fostering Forward Michigan at [email protected] with any additions or corrections. Your input is invaluable to the members of our community!

Please contact our volunteers by email or phone if you need additional assistance. They have many years of experience working through the daycare system on behalf of their foster children.

Fosteringforwardmi.org 2014 Fostering Forward Michigan All Rights Reserved

mailto:[email protected]

for foster children - fostering forward michigan · some daycares will ask you to pay for care out...

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