INVESTING IN EARLY EDUCATORS

STIPEND PROGRAM

The Investing in Early Educators Stipend Program is funded by the California Department of Education/Early Education and Support Division (CDE/EESD) and developed by the County of Los Angeles Child Care Planning Committee.

Fact Sheet

Cycle 21 Applications

Cycle 21 of Stipend Program – 2019-20

The Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education is pleased to announce the release of the applications for Cycle 21 of the Investing in Early Educators! See below for the links to the instructions and applications for center staff and family child care providers. Feel free to call (213) 639-6202 if you experience problems uploading and printing the forms.

Schedule for Stipend Program – Cycle 21
Applications with supporting documents due:	Mail in: Thursday, October 24, 2019
Application Disqualification Letters mailed by:	Friday, January 3, 2020
Appeal Letters for Application Disqualification due:	Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Verification Forms mailed to eligible applicants by:	Friday, February 7, 2020
Verification Forms with supporting documents due:	Mail in: Thursday, March 19, 2020 (postmarked)
Verification Disqualification Letters mailed by:	Thursday, May 7, 2020
Appeal Letters for Verification Disqualification due:	Monday, May 18, 2020
Stipends sent to qualifying applicants:	June/July 2020

Cycle 21A: For persons working in child development centers

Cycle 21B: For persons working in family child care homes

Ciclo 21B: Instrucciones y Solicitud para Personas que Trabajan en Hogares que Proporcionan Cuidado Infantil

Cycle 20 Stipends Awarded

The Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education and the Child Care Planning Committee commend the 1,315 participants in Cycle 20 of the Investing in Early Educators Program for completing coursework towards a degree in child development.

Cycle 20 Stipends Awarded

Appeals Process

The Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education has instituted an appeals process for applicants who believe that they were disqualified from the Stipend Program in error or, if upon receiving their stipend, believe that there is an error in payment. Disqualified applicants may submit a letter of appeal in writing.

Download Appeals Sample Letter

For letters of appeal regarding incorrect payment:

Do not cash or deposit the check
Hold the check until the matter is resolved.

An appeal is not the time to submit new information or supporting documents that were not included with the application or verification forms by the respective due dates. Rather, it is an opportunity to prove that the application or verification was complete, included the required supporting documents, was submitted by the due date, and the applicant met the eligibility criteria based on their original application.

The letter of appeal must include the following information:

Date the appeal letter is written
Applicant’s full name and social security number (SSN) as written on the application
Reference to the reason for disqualification as written in the letter received from the Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education
A brief description of why the applicant thinks the decision to disqualify the application is incorrect
A telephone number for contacting the applicant, as needed
A copy of the application and supporting documents as submitted by the due date
A copy of the receipt provided when the application was submitted in person or a copy of the certified mail receipt

Applicants should make a copy of the letter of appeal and supporting documents for your records. The schedule for submitting letters of appeal are listed in the Schedule for Stipend Program.

Appeal Letter Submission

Letters of appeal with supporting documents are to be submitted by U.S. Mail to:

Investing in Early Educators Stipend Program – Cycle (add of current cycle)
Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Division
County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health
600 South Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90005

The Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education management team reviews appeals, including review of the original application. Decisions to grant or not grant the appeal, based on whether the applicant met the application requirements and deadlines, are made within two (2) weeks of receipt of the letter of appeal. The applicant will be notified of the decision by U.S. mail. ALL DECISIONS ARE FINAL.

Name and Address Change Forms

Stipend Program participants must notify the Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education if there has been a change in your name and/or address by submitting certain documents as follows:

Name Change Forms

Complete and submit a copy of the W-9 Form, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification available for download from the Internal Revenue Service website.

English: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf
Spanish: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9sp.pdf

*** Print “Name Change” in the upper right hand corner of the W-9 Form

Address change: Complete and submit the following forms:

- Address Change Notification Form
- W-9 Form, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification available for download from the Internal Revenue Service website at:
  - English: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf
  - Spanish: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9sp.pdf

*** Print “Address Change” in the upper right hand corner of the W-9 Form

You may also request that the forms be sent to you by calling (213) 639-6202.

The forms may be sent to the Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education Investing in Early Educators Stipend Program by fax to (213) 427-6160. Faxes are accepted only during regular business hours, which are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To protect your security, please notify the Stipend Program staff at (213) 639-6202 to let them know that you are sending the document by fax.