How Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) works
ERDC helps eligible families pay for child care so they can work.
If the family is eligible for assistance, ODHS pays a portion of their child care bill directly to the family's chosen provider through the Direct Pay Unit (DPU).
- The amount ODHS pays is based on the child's age, location in Oregon, the type of child care and how many hours of care are needed.
- Most parents also pay a portion of the cost, called a
copay, directly to the provider.
- The copay amount is based on a sliding scale and depends on the family's income and household size.
- Parents must pay their copay or make other arrangements with the provider to remain eligible for assistance.
- Providers must complete a
Child Care Provider Listing form to find out if they can be listed and approved by ODHS. They must also meet ODHS requirements, including training and passing a background check. See below for details.
Become a child care provider with ODHS
Five reasons to become an ERDC provider
The program is improving for both providers and families. See the flyer for more details:
To be able to receive child care payments from ODHS, providers must:
Background checks include:
- A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
fingerprint check using the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System
- A search of the state criminal and sex offender registry or repository in the state where the individual lives, and each state where the individual lived during the past 5 years
- A search of state-based child abuse and neglect registries and databases in the state where the individual lives, and each state where the individual lived during the past 5 years
- A search of the National Crime Information Center
- A search of the National Sex Offender Registry established under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (42 U.S.C. 16901 et seq.)
Requirements for license exempt providers
License exempt means you are
not required to be licensed by the Office of Child Care (OCC) in order to provide child care.
ODHS requires license exempt providers to complete a
background check, take
training, pass a
site visit, and
test drinking water for lead. There are some exceptions if a relative is providing child care.
Exceptions for relatives providing care
There are exceptions to some of the requirements if you
only provide care for children who are
related to you.
-
Training
- Some of the training requirements are waived.
-
Site Visits
- If you only care for children related to you, the site visit requirement is waived. (Note: If you care for
at least one child who is not related to you, you must meet the site visit requirements listed below.)
-
Drinking Water Lead Testing
- If you only care for children related to you, the lead testing requirement is waived.
Who is a relative?
By federal definition, a relative is a:
- Grandparent
- Great-grandparent
- Aunt
- Uncle
- Sibling not living in the home of the child
To be considered a relative, you must be related by blood, marriage or legal adoption.
Training
License exempt providers must complete pre-service health and safety trainings, orientation, and ongoing training. Visit the
Required Training page for details.
Site visits
License exempt providers must pass an initial site visit before they are approved, and yearly after that. The Office of Child Care will contact providers to schedule yearly site visits or at your next re-evaluation.
Note: If you only care for children related to you, the site visit requirement is waived.
Who does the visit and what are they looking for?
- Both the initial pre-service visit and regular yearly visits are done by the Oregon Early Learning Division Office of Child Care (OCC).
- Visits take place at the site where child care is being provided. This includes care provided in the home of the child.
- OCC staff check to make sure the site meets all health and safety requirements. They can also provide resources if needed.
Health and safety checklist
Here is a copy of the
Health and Safety Review Checklist that OCC staff will use during the site visit. The site visit will go more quickly if you read through the checklist and meet the requirements before the visit.
Drinking water lead testing
License exempt providers who are not related to all children in their care must have the home or facility where care is provided tested for lead exposure in water.
Note: Lead testing is not required if care is provided in the child's home.
Requirements
Lead testing is required for all plumbing fixtures used for drinking, cooking, or preparing food or infant formula. This requirement protects children from exposure to lead in water. The harmful impact of lead exposure on child development, especially for the youngest children, is well-known and well-documented.
- You can attach the lead testing results when you submit a Child Care Provider Listing form.
- If the results are not submitted, the Direct Pay Unit will send you instructions.
- If the lead testing results show a high level of lead, OCC staff will contact you with more instructions.
- You need to pass the lead testing or submit a corrective action plan to remain approved as an ODHS child care provider.
- If you use only bottled water for drinking, cooking and preparing infant formula at the location where care is provided, you can complete a Declaration for Bottled Water Use form to be exempt from lead testing. Submit the form to the Direct Pay Unit with your Child Care Provider Listing form.
For questions about lead testing, refer to the the
Office of Child Care's FAQs, contact the Lead Hotline at 503-947-5908 or visit their
Lead Poisoning Prevention website.
Guidance
Download Lead Testing Guidance in
English or
Español.
Reimbursement
The Office of Child Care can reimburse providers for lead testing. To be reimbursed, you must:
Send completed forms to:
TRI/Central Coordination of CCR&R
Western Oregon University
345 Monmouth Ave N
Monmouth, OR 97361
For questions about reimbursement, please call 800-342-6712.
Billing and payments
The ODHS Direct Pay Unit (DPU) coordinates billing and payments. They also process billing and listing forms. Please reach out with concerns or questions.
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
By phone: 800-699-9074
By email: