AB212 Retention Stipend Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the basic requirements to qualify for a retention stipend with the AB 212 Retention Stipend Program grant through the Riverside County Child Care Consortium (RCCCC)
All applicants:
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Work in Riverside County in one of the following programs:
- State Funded Preschool
- State Funded Before and After School
- Migrant Education
- Applicants must have started working with their current employer on or before August 31, 2011.
- Applicants must be employed for 9 months with the same employer between the dates of our retention stipend program year July 1, 2011 to June 1 2012. Exceptions are made for Migrant Education, please call for more information.
- Applicants who work in State Preschool programs must work directly with, and care for, minimally three (3) children (other than their own) between the ages of 0 to 5 years and 11 months for a minimum of 15 hours a week.
- Applicants who work in a state-funded before and/or after school program must directly work with and care for minimally three (3) children (other than their own) between the ages of 0 through 12 years and 11 months for a minimum of 15 hours per week.
- All participants must complete a Professional Development and Education Plan
- Participants must complete an observation of their classroom and submit a completed ERS Score sheet and Needs Improvement Plan
- Participants must attend and complete the requirement for the appropriate Environment Rating Scale (ERS) training
- Applicants must complete at least 3 degree applicable semester units
- Additional requirements are provided in the application packet
Q. How do I get a AB 212 Retention Stipend Program application?
A. You must attend a Professional Growth and Education Workshop (PEP), where you will complete an application and your Professional Development and Education Plan. This workshop will give you one (1) professional growth hour that can be used towards your retention stipend. You will need to complete a Verification Packet, which is to be postmarked or received in the RCCCC office no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 1, 2012.
Q How much retention stipend money can I receive?
A. Depending on which retention stipend track you qualify for, amounts vary starting at $250 for 18 hours of Professional Growth to $3,400 for 12 educational units on our Degree track. There is also a textbook reimbursement retention stipend available.
Q. When will I receive my retention stipend money?
A. Retention stipend money will be released after all participant Verification Packets have been reviewed and approved by the Program Coordinators at the end of the AB 212 Retention Stipend Program funding year.
Q. Do I have to submit a copy of my Driver’s License or California Identification Card and my Social Security Card?
A. Yes. All participants must submit a copy of their current driver’s license/ I.D. card and Social Security card. The names on both documents must match.
Q. Do I have to take classes?
A. All participants who have completed three (3) ECE/CD units or more are required to take at least 3 ECE or Degree applicable units. This is a mandatory requirement.
Workshops and Trainings for Professional Growth:
Q. When can I take workshops and trainings for professional growth hours that will count towards the stipend?
A. All professional growth hours must be completed between July 1, 2011 and June 1, 2012. Workshops, trainings and conferences attended before July 1, 2011 or after June 1, 2012 will not qualify. Please check your dates carefully.
Q. Can I count trainings provided by my employer for professional growth hours?
A. If the training or in-service is required by your employer or if it is a requirement of your job, you cannot use it for the AB 212 Retention Stipend Program. Some examples of workshops/trainings that might not be used for the AB 212 Retention Stipend Program are the DRDP-R, CPIN, GLAD, First Aid/ CPR, Health and Safety, or volunteer hours (i.e. working at the ‘Week of the Young Child”, etc.).
Q. Can I count a parenting class toward my professional growth hours?
A. No, most parenting classes are mandated by another agency and therefore do not count towards professional growth for the AB 212 Retention Stipend Program. Workshops need to be geared towards educating early care professionals.
Q. How do I know if a workshop or training will count towards the stipend?
A. Refer to the document titled “Guidelines for Professional Growth Activities” in the packet you received at the “Professional Education and Development Plan” workshop.
Q. Where can I find out about trainings, workshops and conferences for professional growth hours?
A. Workshop, trainings and conferences are posted on our website at www.riversidechildcare.org
Workshops which qualify for the retention stipends are in green boxes (any shade of green). Scroll over the box and click on it to read the workshop information. Pink boxes do not qualify for the AB 212 Retention Stipend Program.
Q. Do I have to submit my original certificates for workshops and trainings?
A. Yes. All certificates must be original certificates with the name of the event or training, training location, trainer’s name and the number of hours. If you attend a conference, a program with the workshops circled must be submitted to be considered for a stipend. The “Professional Growth Activity Documentation” form must also be completed and attached to each certificate to be considered for a retention stipend. This is the light pink form in your packet. Make copies in advance of your workshops.
Q. When do I turn in my certificates for professional growth hours?
A. Original certificates for verification of professional growth hours should be included when you bring or mail in your Verification Packet. We will return the original certificates to you. All certificates must be postmarked or received by the RCCCC office no later than 5:00 p.m. June 1, 2012.
Taking College and University classes for Units:
Q. Do I have to take classes?
A. ALL participants who have completed three (3) ECE/CD units are required to take at least 3
ECE or Degree applicable units. This is a mandatory requirement.
Q. When can I take college or university classes that will count towards the stipend?
A. All college classes must be completed during our retention stipend program year, which is between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. Classes and trainings taken prior to July 1, 2011 or completed after June 30, 2012 will not count towards your retention stipend. All classes must be taken through an accredited college or university.
Q. When do I turn in my transcripts for college work completed for the stipend program?
A. Official, sealed transcripts for college/university course work must be received immediately after grades are posted. All transcripts postmarked by July 15, 2012 to be accepted.
Q. I am taking classes for quarter units at UCR Extension. Will they count towards the stipend?
A. Quarter units must be converted to semester units.
1 quarter unit =.67 semester unit.
4.5 quarter units = 3 semester units.
Please refer to your florescent Orange 5X7 card titled: “What did you request?” in your packet.
Text Book Reimbursements:
Q. Can I receive a reimbursement for my college/university textbooks?
A. Possibly: you must submit original receipts attached to a copy of those receipts. The class you are requesting the textbook reimbursement for must qualify for a retention stipend (meets retention stipend requirements and passed with a grade of “C” or higher). Only the actual cost of books within the reimbursement range plus tax (if charged), are reimbursed. On-line books may qualify. However, we do not reimburse for shipping and handling. We also do not reimburse for rented, loaned, or borrowed books. Please do not purchase candy, drinks, scan-trons, or other items with textbooks. Receipts should show only the books you are requesting for reimbursement and no other items.
Permit Information:
Q. How do I know if I need a Child Development Permit?
A. If you have completed six (6) ECE/CD units or more within your entire college career, you must apply or have a current Child Development Permit from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing office.
Q. How do I get a Child Development Permit?
A. The Child Development Training Consortium has a grant where you can apply for a permit at no cost to you. You will also qualify for a reimbursement of up to $51 towards fingerprinting costs. For more information, please visit their website at www.childdevelopment.org to download an application. Their phone number is (209) 341-1667.
Q. Is there a tutorial on how to apply for a Child Development Permit?
A. There are how-to DVD’s in the RCCCC Resource Lending Library in the Riverside County Child Care Consortium office that can be checked out at no cost.
Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) Training Information
Q. Does everyone in a State funded program have to do an ERS observation, turn in an ERS Score Sheet and an ERS Needs Improvement Plan (NIP) for his/her classroom or program?
A. Yes. It is a grant requirement that all participants complete an observation/assessment of their classroom, complete and turn in an ERS Score Sheet and an ERS Needs Improvement plan using one of the following Environment Rating Scales: The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS), the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS), or the School-Age Environment Rating Scale (SACERS). Please note: All documentation must be complete and correct including scoring, averages, charts and documentation to qualify for a retention stipend.
Q. I am a new participant, do I have to take a five (5) - hour Environmental Rating Scale (ERS) training?
A. Yes, This is a mandatory retention stipend requirement. You will need to complete a 5-hour Environment Rating Scale training on the appropriate scale through one of the Riverside County Child Care Consortium’s (RCCCC) approved trainers. We will be offering these trainings throughout the retention stipend program year. After the training is completed, you will be required to do a classroom assessment on your classroom or program. You will need to complete your ERS Score Sheet and your ERS Needs Improvement Plan (NIP). Your ERS score Sheet and Needs Improvement Plan must be submitted to the RCCCC office within 30 business days after you have completed your training.
** Please note: All documentation must be complete and correct including scoring, averages, charts and documentation to qualify for a retention stipend.
Q. Can I take any of the following four scales: Early Childhood ERS (ECERS), Infant-Toddler ERS (ITERS), School-Age Care ERS (SACERS) for my 5 hour training?
A. It is highly recommended that you attend a training on the scale that best represents the type of program you work in and the age group of the children you work with.
Q. I am a returning applicant, but have never taken the five (5) hour ERS training and/or I have never completed the ERS Score Sheet and/or Needs Improvement Plan in the past. Do I have to take the 5 hour ERS training?
A. Yes. You must complete all of the requirements for the five (5) hour ERS training if you were a new participant.
Q. What information do I need to complete on my ERS Score Sheet?
A. Each section must be completed correctly; including scoring of the subscales, number of items scored and the average score for each section, including the “total average score page” and all written documentation. All information on the first page is to be completed except the observer code, facility code, and provider code.
Q. Do I have to average and tally my scores on the ERS Score Sheet?
A. Yes, the Score Sheet must be completely filled out.
Q. Do I have to write comments on the ERS Score Sheet?
A. Yes, the document must be complete.
Q. When do I need to send in my Score Sheet and Needs Improvement Plan (NIP)?
A. Both the ERS Score Sheet and Needs Improvement Plan must be received at the RCCCC office within 30 business days of completing the five (5) hour ERS training. Returning applicants completing a two (2) hour “Review” training must include the ERS Score Sheet and ERS Needs Improvement Plan with their Verification Packet to be received in the RCCCC office or postmarked by June 1, 2012.
Q. If I have completed a five (5) - hour training will I need to take a two (2) hour Review Training?
A. You will need to take at least one 2-hour “Review” training. A “Review” training is any two (2) hour training, workshop or unit bearing class that helps to increase your lowest ERS scores (i.e.: You have a score of “3 “in Science, you might take a workshop such as “Easy Science Activities for Preschool Children.” This training must be completed within the retention stipend program year and may be taken at any location and with other organizations, but must be approved through RCCCC. It may be necessary to take 2 workshops if the total professional growth hours do not equal the required two hours. Accepted trainings are on our website in green boxes.
Please note: These trainings will NOT be listed as “Review” on our website! This is a descriptive word.
Verification Packet Information:
Q. When do I turn in my Verification Packet?
A. Your completed verification packet must be post marked or received at the Riverside County Child Care Consortium office no later than 5:00 p.m. on June 1, 2012. No exceptions! You may mail the Verification packet prior to this date or you may hand carry it to the office. We are not responsible for late, lost or misdirected mail. It is suggested that your packet be mailed “certified mail”. Please review and complete the checklist in your Verification Packet for completeness before sending in your packet. Incomplete packets can be cause for denial of your stipend.
Employer Verification Form Information:
Q. When can I have my employer sign the Employer Verification page?
A. Your employer cannot sign and date this document until you have completed 9 months of employment with that organization after April 1, 2012.
Q. What do I do if my director does not want to send a copy of his/her driver’s license?
A. Please have them call the RCCCC at (951) 248-0015.
Q. Who do I contact if I have questions or concerns?
A. Please call the Riverside County Child Care Consortium office at (951) 248-0015 and ask to
speak to a Program Coordinator.
Q. What are the time frames for the AB 212 Retention Stipend Program?
A. All professional growth hours and other requirements must be completed between July 1, 2011 and June 1, 2012. Verification Packets will be due no later than June 1, 2011. All coursework must be completed between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. Official transcripts will be due no later than July 15, 2012.