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CRRSA - Increasing Child Care Capacity

DHHS Funding

“This project is made possible by funding received through Grant Number 2101NECCC5, of the USDHHS-Administration for Children and Families, Office of Early Childhood; and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services."

FAQ's

What does CRRSA stand for?

  • Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act

What is period of performance? 

  • Period of performance is the active dates the Nebraska Children and Families contract is in place with the fiscal sponsor - 4/30/2022 - 4/29/2023
  • Items can be purchased at any time during the active period of performance. 

Can funds be used for stipends? 

  • If the stipend is a reasonable amount and ties directly into capacity building.  Remember to keep and send in all of your documentation of what that stipend was/is for.  (Example:  Hiring of staff, will need proof staff was actually hired). 
  • Smaller stipends for attending a training are acceptable with a sign-in sheet or certificate of completion. 
  • Before giving a stipend, make sure that there will be concrete documentation to show what it was used for.  
  • Another option instead of a stipend is to use funds for payroll or paying for supplies which can have a paper trail and concrete documentation.

What is a budget modification and when would a budget modification need to be completed? 

  • The budget modification is a form to complete when funds originally in the approved budget need to be moved to another line item where there are not funds or lack of funds. 
    • Example - If no funds are listed in the travel line on the budget and justification, but travel to a training will need to be submitted, then a budget modification form, updated budget and budget justification will need to be completed and signed showing where funds will be moved from and to.    
  • This will not need to be completed if the original approved budget and justification are going to be spent down exactly as approved.  
  • Ask your AVP/Technical Assistant if you need to move funds around and they will provide you with the form and guidance to submit for approval.  

What about purchasing a subscription? 

  • Subscriptions, if purchased and they run outside the period of performance/end of contract date, will need to be prorated and only the months within the period of performance can be billed for.  

What about gift cards?

  • Gift cards have a $30 limit.  With the monthly expenditures, a receipt of the purchased gift cards (must be within the period of performance/contract period), list of who the gift cards went to, and why they are receiving the gift cards will need to be submitted.  

What expenses are allowable/not allowable? 

  • Allowable                                                       
    • Wages
    • Benefits and Payroll Taxes
    • Telephone and Internet
    • Software Licensing
    • Supplies
    • Small Renovations
    • Mileage
    • Admin Fees (up to 10% of each months direct expenses)
  • Not Allowable
    • Food
    • Drinks
    • NEW, Ground Up Construction
    • Consumables (cleaning supplies, diapers, gloves, soap, hand sanitizer, candles, bath bombs)
    • Anything that cannot be tied back to child care quality and capacity building

What is Davis Bacon Act and when does it come into play?

  • In Layperson terms the Davis Bacon Act of 1931 requires contractors and subcontractors working on federally funded jobs (so a job that would be using these funds to pay for) pay their laborer’s wages and benefits no less than what other locally pay their workers for similar projects.  This is called the “prevailing wage”. 
  • What is the ‘prevailing wage’?  The Davis-Bacon prevailing wage is the combination of the basic hourly wage rate and any fringe benefits rate listed for a specific classification of workers in the applicable Davis-Bacon wage determination.
  • How does this apply to our communities?   Construction and other labor jobs performed on government property and paid for by the government have set special requirements. One of those requirements is certified payroll. Certified payroll is a special payroll report that all contractors working on federally funded projects must complete and submit to government authorities.
    • Federal Form WH-347 is the certified payroll form that must be filled out for Davis Bacon jobs and it must be completed with the most current and accurate information regarding the company, employees, contracts, and projects.
    • Certified payroll reporting requirements are extensive and can be confusing and complicated. When filling out certified payroll it is extremely important to do so carefully as there are stiff penalties for wrong reporting.
    • The actual prevailing wage pay rate varies by exact location of where the work is performed and job title. The exact amount of prevailing wage pay for each job in a specific area can be found online by providing the wage determination (WD) number. This is a reference number used to find prevailing wage by job type and location.
  • When does Davis Bacon apply? 
    • Davis Bacon applies to labor (not supplies) on any projects $2000.00 that are on Government land paid with Government funds.

What needs to be submitted for expenditure reports each month by the 15th?

  • Overall completed and signed invoice
  • Every expenditure report (excel forms) – even if it is $0/blank
  • General Ledger – used as a table of contents to go through submissions and verify each line item against receipts, invoices and supporting documentation 
  • Supporting documents – receipts, invoices, timecards, pay stubs
    • Note:  For wages, both the paystubs/payroll summaries and time cards are needed.  Payroll summaries/paystubs show the break down of wages and payroll taxes and the timecards show where the hours are spent.
  • Expenditure requests and notes from staff: 
    • When sending a PDF, please leave them ‘unlocked’ if possible so they can be rearranged and combined by staff if needed.
    • Being able to present expenditure information to the funder, DHHS, is a way to show not only that everyone is being good stewards of these funds and following federal regulation.  These packets tell the story of the growth and support happening in each community.  
    • The goal is to help make sure that communities are able to use every penny allocated and ‘audit proof' and all necessary documentation is included.