TuscBDD Offers COVID-19 Childcare Relief Fund as Surge Continues

PRESS RELEASE

TuscBDD Offers COVID-19 Childcare Relief Fund as Surge Continues

New Philadelphia, December 7, 2020: The Tuscarawas County Board of Developmental Disabilities (TuscBDD) set aside limited, temporary funds to assist families with children who are eligible for TuscBDD services and are unable to attend school (pre-k through grade 12) in person and are utilizing their school district’s remote, hybrid, or virtual learning option due to COVID-19 concerns in the months of December 2020 through February 2021. “We recognize the hardship that 2020 has posed for many families, and as we continue through the current surge in local COVID-19 cases, many schools are moving toward a remote or hybrid learning option,” expressed TuscBD’s Superintendent, Nate Kamban. “We felt that developing a funding program like this could help parents and guardians cover extra childcare costs and help to reduce the already heavy burden that COVID-19 placed on families.”

In recognizing the needs of families of children with disabilities, this funding is available to parents who work outside of the home and those who do not. “The design of the program will enable TuscBDD to help many families in a variety of work and school/life scenarios,” shared Kamban. “We realize that there are many different work and school/life scenarios at this time in the pandemic, and we understand that parents need to have the ability to work without the worry of covering childcare basics during school hours.” Funding ranges from $200.00 to $800.00 per month. For parents who work outside of the home, funds are not to exceed $800.00 per family (not per child) per month. For families who stay home with their child(ren), funds are not to exceed $200.00 per family (per month) to allow family members to complete essential tasks outside of the home. TuscBDD will reimburse families for childcare expenses for the time that the child would have typically been in school. Reimbursement will be based on a maximum rate of $10.00 per hour. Parents have the flexibility to hire who they wish, provided that they know and trust that the child(ren) are in a supportive and safe environment.

The COVID-19 Childcare Relief Fund is limited to children who are currently enrolled in a local school district or at the Starlight School. These funds are not available to those families whose child(ren) attend  school in a district that has returned to full-time in school sessions where a remote, hybrid, or virtual option is no longer available to them. In order to qualify, parents must verify that they have no other means to pay for childcare (e.g. – not receiving state assistance for childcare expenses, PASSS funding, or have exhausted paid FMLA).  To access funding, please contact your Service and Support Administrator (SSA) or contact Charlene Herron by emailing cherron@tuscbdd.org.

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by Kerri Silverthorn , Community Relations/Special Projects Director Mon, Dec 7th, 2020