Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Provider Services

1. I am interested in becoming a Family Child Care Provider.  Where can I get more information? Anyone can call our main office, at Connect, and speak with our Child Care Associate for Providers.  Or they can speak with a Child Care Regulatory Specialist at their local WVDHHR.

2. What are the qualifications to become a Family Child Care Provider? Applicants must meet the following requirements: they must be 18 years of age; they must care for the children in their own home; their home will be inspected by the WVDHHR; the applicants, along with the adults who reside with them over the age of 18, must be fingerprinted, and submit to a criminal background check, and CPS and APS background check; understand that they will be self-employed; and will be responsible for paying taxes on all of the money that they earn.

3. What role does Connect play in the registration process? Connect Child Care Resource and Referral provides Health and Safety Orientation, Payment Training, and facilitates the application process for potential providers who wish to accept Child Care Certificates as payment from WV DHHR for child care services.

4. Who should I contact if I would like to open a Child Care Center or Facility? Persons interested in opening a Child Care Center (caring for more than 13 children at one time) should contact a Child Care Licensing Specialist, or a Child Care Facility (caring for 7 to 12 children at one time) should contact a Child Care Regulatory Specialist at their local WVDHHR office.

5. Can I be a Family Child Care Provider and receive services as a client at the same time? A child care provider may not receive financial assistance for their own child(ren) during the same time that they are providing child care for others.  However, if the child care provider participates in a qualifying activity outside of the home, (s)he may receive assistance for those times.  Providing child care is not considered a qualifying activity.  Please note that income earned as a child care provider will also be considered when determining eligibility.

6. Can I be a Family Child Care Provider and a foster parent at the same time? Yes; however, a potential child care provider must have written approval from the WVDHHR Child Care Unit Supervisor and the foster parent’s caseworker’s supervisor.

7. Where can I attend Provider Orientation class and how do I register?  Provider Orientation should be attended in the county in which the applicant resides.  However, applicants living in Clay, Jackson, Kanawha, or Roane County are welcome to attend Provider Orientation in any of those four counties.  Applicants must pre-register by calling Connect’s main office at 304-595-6401 or toll free at 1-888-595-8290, or by calling Connect at the Jackson Co. DHHR office on Wednesdays, the Roane Co. DHHR office on Mondays, or the Clay Co. DHHR office on Mondays.

8. If I am unable to attend the Provider Orientation class that I am scheduled for, can I attend the next session? Yes.  Please contact the Connect office to reschedule.

9. What if the child(ren) I am caring for and I live in different counties? Please contact the Connect office for the name and address of the Resource and Referral agency that serves the county in which the children reside.

10. Will I be a registered Family Child Care Provider after I attend Provider Orientation class? No.  Provider Orientation is only the beginning of the registration process.  The decision to approve or deny a potential Child Care Provider’s application lies strictly upon the Child Care Regulatory Specialists at WVDHHR.  Connect Child Care cannot guarantee approval or payment.

11. How soon after I attend Provider Orientation class can I submit a request for payment? Child Care Providers may submit requests for payment for services rendered any time after attending provider orientation class and payment training.  However, there are many variables that must be considered before a payment can be made, such as the status of the client’s case and the pending approval of a potential provider’s application to become registered.

12. When will I be paid?  How much will I be paid? Child care providers who receive subsidy through the state are paid on a monthly basis.  However, there is no specific date for “payday.” The amount to be paid depends on the provider’s type, amount of children cared for, the total number of days billed for the month, and the parent’s child care fee.  To view the child care rate structure, click here

13. Can Connect speed up the process of my request for payment?  No.  Request for Payment forms are processed in the order that they are received by our data entry specialists.  Forms that contain errors will be returned for corrections.  The best way to receive a prompt payment is to be informed of the client’s eligibility, child care fee, and to make sure the request for payment forms are completed correctly. 

14. Is direct deposit available?  Yes.  Please contact the Connect office for more information. You may also click here for more inforamtion.

15. Can I have my check mailed to a P.O. Box? If a P.O. Box is already listed in the computer system then, yes, the check may be sent to that address.  However, Child Care Providers must contact our office for the appropriate paperwork and instructions if (s)he wishes to add a new payment address.

16. Can I pick my check up at the Connect office?  No.  Connect Child Care does not print or mail checks.

17. I have a question about my payment request and/or my payment.  Whom should I speak with?  All questions regarding payments should be directed to a Data Entry Specialist at Connect Child Care.

18. My request for payment could not be processed because the family was not eligible.  How can I prevent this from happening again?  Unless a family has given the Child Care Provider a valid Child Care Certificate, there is no guarantee that payment will be made.  Connect Child Care recommends that Child Care Providers do not care for children until (s)he has received a valid certificate from the family.

19. My request for payment was returned to me because some corrections needed to be made.  How do I make the appropriate corrections? Corrections should be made by the Child Care Provider.  (S)he should draw a line to strikethrough to incorrect information, write in the correct information, and initial next to the correction.  Please refer to the Provider Notification letter for the information that needs to be corrected.  Do not use white-out.

20. How do I request more forms?  Please contact Connect Child Care by phone, by mail, or by email any time to request forms.  Some forms are also available on our website.  Click here to download and print forms. 

21. I’m moving.  What should I do? Please contact Connect Child Care or a Child Care Regulatory Specialist at your local WVDHHR office for the appropriate paperwork, a.k.a. “a moving packet.”  Child Care Providers are also required to report a mailing and/or physical address change to their Child Care Regulatory Specialist at WVDHHR within 72 hours.

22. What is non-traditional time? Non-Traditional time is caring for a child for at least 4 hours on a Saturday or Sunday, for at least 4 hours between 7pm and 6am, or for any 12 hours in a day.

23. Are holidays considered non-traditional time? No.  A holiday is only non-traditional if it falls into one of the non-traditional categories.

24.  If I am providing transportation for the child to his or her home at the end of the day, can I “sign him/her out” on the attendance sheet at my home?     No.  You must take the attendance sheet with you and have the parent, guardian, or other adult responsible for receiving the child sign the time out and their signature for the end of the day.