RD43 - Report on the Automation of the Child Care Program


Executive Summary:
The Child Care Program has grown significantly over the past decade. Expenditures have increased from approximately $9 million in state fiscal year (SFY) 1989 to over $140 million in SFY 2003. In SFY 2003, child care assistance was provided to 55,497 children. The Child Care Program is one of the largest assistance programs administered by VDSS.

Case and client information for the Child Care Program currently resides in the Virginia Client Information System (VACIS), a system developed in the early 1980s. A MAPPER-based application called the Interim Child Care (ICC) system that accounts for expenditures and counts of children and families served has also been developed. With the current automation, Virginia is able to provide limited data on the demographics of families served.

A fully automated child care system will improve state program management by allowing analyses of encumbrances and expenditures, assessment of unmet child care needs and provision of timely information regarding children and families served, providers utilized, and costs associated with child care. In addition, local departments of social services will have data with which to assess their local programs, make comparisons to other localities and manage their Child Care Program’s operations and expenditures. Development of an automated system for the Child Care Program is a priority for VDSS.