Peggy's Lil Darlins Child Care

It is a lot to explain if you do not work in or need childcare.
1. During Covid, we were given an extra $5 per day per child that receives childcare subsidy from the state. Even though we were never told it would be permanent, it was always suggested that this would be the new rates. We were to use this money to help sustain our businesses, make improvements, and pay our employees livable wages.
2. Oklahoma also raised the income level to be eligible for childcare subsidy, which helped the middle class be able to get some relief and support they needed.
3. Childcare subsidy has paid for children up to their 13th birthday.

OKDHS has now said that they no longer have funding available. Their solution is the following:
1. Effective April 1, we will no longer receive the extra $5 per day. I understand this was an extra benefit, but when you’ve had that benefit for at least four years you do become dependent on it. I pay my employees and have taken financial responsibility believing that this was actually going to become our new rates. Our facility alone will loose almost $4000 a month.
2. Effective July 1, they are going to lower the eligibility level by 30%. What this means is that all the families that could really use the support will be losing their eligibility. Families that are trying to work their way out of the system with a little bit of help from the system will now not be eligible.
3. Effective this past November 1 2025, they stopped funding for children ages six years and older. Then effective January 12, 2026, after much uproar from the public they changed this to nine years and older. This is ridiculous in this day and age to think nine-year-olds are safe enough to walk up to a mile from school. Stay home up to three hours after school by themselves. My generation did it all the time. I am an original latchkey child. But this America is not the America it was 45 years ago. 

We are asking for your help by signing this petition to once again try and show our Oklahoma government that these changes will be detrimental to children, families, communities, and our childcare industry.

Link:
https://c.org/MZhKcd5pwP

For those of you who remember Mrs Maggie: The family of Maggie Albornoz invites you to join in celebrating her life on Saturday, April 30th, at 10am at Mercer Adams Funeral Home located at 3925 North Asbury Avenue
Bethany, OK 73008

Graveside service will be held at Chapel Hill Cemetery at 8701 NW Expressway
OKC, OK 73162

Viewing will be on Friday, April 29th from 8am-8pm. Family will be there to meet and greet from 6pm-8pm.

In anticipation of the probability of bad weather and children being out of school tomorrow, we have moved Mrs.Dawns going away party from tomorrow to Monday March 21st from 1-2. So keep the messages and memories coming. We are going to be very excited to give them to her.

Dawn Mercer IS RETIRING!!

Mrs. Dawn has decided after 33 years it is time for her to retire from Peggy’s. She has been an amazing teacher, friend, and mentor to coworkers and families. This Friday, March 4th will be her last day. We have notecards available to those that would like to share a memory or leave her a message to take with her. We will be presenting her with her memory box along with any gifts or cards next Friday, March 11th at 1PM.
To mail her a card please mail it here to the center:
2911 N Macarthur Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK 73127

She has touched so many lives and will be truly missed.

Todays the day to come out and help support Pray for Jaxon, visit with family and friends along with seeing some great BMX racing.

Rifle Raffle $50 per entry for your chance to win! Winner drawn before Main Events on Saturday the 19th!

Pick up your copy of the Fall Newsletter along with your annual CACFP paperwork!

Finding day care was already a 'confusing and frustrating maze.' Coronavirus made it worse. HONOLULU – Little did Joanna Lara know she was supposed to start thinking about child care before her son was even born. That the waitlists would be so endless and widespread. That the sticker shock would be so, well, shocking.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services, in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), will begin delivering millions of dollars in federal aid directly to families across the state this week. The Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program provides food benefits for families with school-aged children who qualified for but did not receive free or reduced-price school meals due to pandemic-related virtual learning during the 2020-21 school year. Benefits will be distributed in multiple batches beginning this week, with all benefits to be distributed to hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma children by Oct. 15.

Families with eligible students, as identified by their schools, will receive new P-EBT cards in the mail. The benefits loaded on the cards can be used to purchase groceries at authorized retail food stores and farmers’ markets.
OKDHS and OSDE utilized a collaborative data-sharing agreement, using the most current data available, to ensure hundreds of thousands of eligible households across the state would automatically receive P-EBT benefits without having to complete an application.

“P-EBT has been a critical program to address childhood hunger as a result of COVID-19,” said Secretary for Human Services and OKDHS Director Justin Brown. “We share a commitment with the State Department of Education to support Oklahoma children and families who may face increased food insecurity due to the pandemic. We are here to offer resources and are grateful to the many partners who continue to raise their hands in service to others.”

"We're pleased to partner with OKDHS to ensure that children can continue to learn despite the difficult circumstances presented by the pandemic," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister. "Proper nutrition is essential for children to be ready to learn, and our state and school leaders have stepped up during this unprecedented time to see that our children's most basic needs are met first and foremost."

“Children need access to healthy food to ensure they thrive. That need doesn’t go away when they are learning virtually,” said Deb Smith, Director of OKDHS Adult and Family Services. “The P-EBT program is designed to ensure that children and families have access to the nutrition they need to be successful. This program will benefit hundreds of thousands of our state’s most precious citizens, our children.”

Families of students identified by their schools as eligible will receive a P-EBT card by mail to the address of record with their local school.

The 2020-21 program differs from the first year of the P-EBT program. In the 2019-20 P-EBT program, each eligible student received a set amount of benefits because of statewide school closures from March through May 2020, and eligibility was dependent on the child’s free and reduced-price lunch status.

The benefits for the 2020-21 school year are equivalent to $6.82 per day for school days from Aug. 2020 through May 2021 in which the student was enrolled in a National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participating school and received virtual instruction, based on the school calendar and student attendance records. Days in which the student received in-person instruction or was counted absent from virtual instruction do not count toward benefits. P-EBT benefit amounts are individualized to each student, as determined by the attendance and number of days in distance learning, and children in the same household may have varied benefit amounts.

The first phase of benefits will be automatically loaded onto the new P-EBT cards when a family receives them. Each month’s benefits will be issued in staggered payments resulting in ten separate deposits by Oct. 15. Instructions for checking card balance and deposits, along with other information, will be included in the envelope with the P-EBT card. Each child will receive a separate card.

Children enrolled in schools that do not participate in the National School Lunch Program, including virtual charter schools or Head Start programs, are not eligible for P-EBT benefits. The child must have attended an NSLP participating school and been eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals to be eligible for benefits. Eligibility includes students who attended schools that provided free meals to all enrolled students through the NSLP Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) in the 2020-21 school year. CEP differs from pandemic-related free meal waivers.

P-EBT cards may be used to purchase eligible food items under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at any retailer that accepts SNAP benefits.

Families should refer to the information mailed with their P-EBT cards or visit this website to learn more about SNAP-eligible purchases and participating retailers, including retailers who accept SNAP for online grocery purchases: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items

Families who believe their children are eligible but have not received their P-EBT card(s) by Oct. 15 may visit the website below or call (405) 522-5050 for assistance.

https://surveys.okdhs.org/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=l83Km58 #

For additional information and FAQs, visit https://sde.ok.gov/pebt

Toddler/Twos Teacher
Three/Fours Teacher

REQUIREMENTS
Experience preferred but not required.
Fingerprinting background check required
HS Diploma or equivalent
Life up to 20 pounds
Dependable transportation
PAY
Dependent upon experience
HOURS
8-5 or 8:30-5:30
BENEFITS
40 Hours a week
Raise after 90 days
School Subsidy
Raises given for every successful semester of school completed
Discounted/Free childcare (if room available)
Snacks/Drinks provided
Paid vacation after 1 year
***You must come in to fill out an application. We ask that you wear a mask while in the building. If you would like to be interviewed immediately then please come between 9:30-11:30 or 12-2. ***

***405-495-5437***

I would like to thank Shane and Stryker Asphalt & Maintenance for doing a WONDERFUL job on our parking lot and playground area. It looks terrific! If you or someone you know needs asphalt work done just give them a call 405-446-1011.

Reminder that we will be closed Monday July 5th in observance of Independence Day!