RD78 - Status Report on the Development of an Automated Day Care Assistance 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 $150 million in SFY 2004. In SFY 2004, child care assistance was provided to over 58,000 children. The childcare program is the single largest assistance program administered by the Department of Social Services. Steps have been taken toward a comprehensive automated system to support the program. However, comprehensive automation is not yet fully operational. Without full automation, providing timely program data in an efficient manner is difficult.

Automation to support this major program has been limited. Case and client information is contained in the Virginia Client Information System (VACIS), a system developed in the early 1980s. The present Interim Day Care System is a MAPPER-based application that tracks expenditures and counts of children and families served.

Automation for the child care program is not currently a part of either of the department's two major systems that support local programs, ADAPT (Application Benefit Delivery Automation Project) or OASIS (On-line Automated Services Information System). ADAPT is the system for TANF, Food Stamps, and, in the future, other eligibility programs. OASIS is currently supporting foster care, adoptions, child protective services and in the future, is planned to support other child welfare and adult service programs.