The School Readiness (SR) program offers financial assistance to eligible families in need of affordable quality child care for children, age birth – 12 years-old. School Readiness funds pay a portion of child care costs based on the family’s income and risk factors. Each School Readiness program provides a developmental screening for children and referrals to specific health and educational specialists, if needed.
General Eligibility Requirements for Providers
Types of providers who can participate in the School Readiness Program:
Registered or Licensed Family Child Care
Licensed Large Family Child Care
Licensed Child Care Center
Licensed Exempt Child Care Center (is either a school-age only program or is an accredited religious exempt provider)
Public School
Implement a curriculum from the School Readiness Approved Curriculum List
Providers must obtain and retain an insurance policy that provides a minimum of $100,000 of coverage per occurrence and a minimum of $300,000 general aggregate coverage.
How To Apply
To apply for a School Readiness contract with ELCPH, you must first create an account in the statewide Provider Portal by clicking the Provider Portal button below.
You can download a copy of the Provider Portal User Guide under Resources below.
SR Reimbursement for Quality Performance Incentive (QPI)
- Providers with a composite score of 4.50 to 4.99 shall receive a four percent (4%) QPI differential in their SR reimbursement payment
- Providers with a composite score of 5.00 to 5.99 shall receive a seven percent (7%) QPI differential in their SR reimbursement payment
- Providers with a composite score of 6.00 to 7.00 shall receive a ten percent (10%) QPI differential in their SR reimbursement payment
6M-4.740 Program Assessment Requirements for the School Readiness Program
Beginning with the 2023-24 School Readiness Contract year, the biennial program assessment designation shall be discontinued. All eligible School Readiness providers that held a biennial program assessment designation prior to the 2023-24 School Readiness Contract year will be subject to annual program assessment requirements in accordance with this rule and must have an annual program assessment conducted prior to executing a 2024-25 School Readiness Contract.
