We are so proud that our community is investing in access to high-quality early care and education and that so many local center-based programs are participating in the Summit County and Park City childcare scholarship programs. The Park City, Summit County, and State of Utah’s Department of Workforce Services (DWS) childcare assistance programs also apply to childcare provided by family, friends, and neighbors, sometimes referred to as FFN care. This care is often provided by grandparents, aunts, neighbors or trusted friends and often meets the needs of families who work non-traditional hours, need individualized care for a child with special needs, or prefer a provider who knows their language and culture.
For families who prefer FFN care for their children, in order for them to benefit from the childcare financial assistance programs, the FFN provider must be approved by DWS. This approval helps ensure the safety of the children in care as well as allowing families to receive much-needed financial assistance. To encourage FFN providers to go through the DWS-approval process, Upwards now will provide a one-time financial incentive of $500 to ten FFN providers who complete the approval process with DWS who care for at least one child whose parents live or work in Summit County and who receives childcare financial assistance funded by Summit County, Park City Municipal, or DWS. In addition to this $500 approval incentive, DWS-approved FFN providers who care for a child whose parents live or work in Summit County and who receive a childcare subsidy from DWS may also be eligible for a monthly provider incentive of $300 per DWS-subsidy receiving child, per month. See more information here.
DWS-approved FFN care can be provided either in the home of the FFN provider, or the home of the children in care. In order to be approved, FFN providers must:
- Demonstrate lawful presence in the U.S.
- Submit a criminal background check and fingerprinting
- Complete a free online 2-hour new provider training
- Hold a current pediatric First Aid and CPR certification
- Schedule an inspection of the location where care will be provided
- Each year, in order to renew this approval, the FFN provider must continue with ongoing training and inspection requirements
If you are an FFN provider, or a family who uses FFN to care for your child(ren), please learn more about the DWS-approved FFN process on the web, by watching this video, or reaching out to Cheryl Nak at cnak@utah.gov or 385.232.4094.
