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Make Offers: FCC

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Make Offers: FCC

Introduction

The placement process for FCC providers is different from for other program types. Instead of making offers immediately after describing the available space, the provider interviews the family and then determines whether to make an offer. Providers may request up to three interviews to facilitate quick placement in case one or more families does not agree to or does not show up for an interview. However, do not schedule more than three interviews because you will need to interview all families before you make an offer to the first family in sequence who is a fit for your program. In this topic, learn about each step from the graphic below. Note: The FCC offer process for providers associated with Army and USMC installations differs from the graphic below. For a detailed overview of the Army and USMC process, review FCC Offer Process – Army and USMC R&R.

Graphic detailing FCC process to request interview and make offer for care

No Interview Needed Option

In some cases, you may not need to interview a family before making an offer. Acceptable reasons to skip an interview include:

  • Sibling is already in care
  • You previously interviewed the family
  • Family is personally known to you
  • Command authorization for immediate placements

If you do not need to interview the family, select the request and then select the No Interview Needed button. Once you confirm that you do not need to interview the family, the system will send an offer notification to the family. For information on what you should do after making an offer, review the Manage Offers topic.

In this topic, you will find instructions on how to make an offer for the following care options and offerings.

Full-Day and Part-Day Care with Custom Schedule

  • Full-day care: Child care services for infants, pretoddlers, toddlers and/or preschool age children for six hours or more per day on a regular basis, for at least 4 days per week.
  • Part-day care with custom schedule: Child care services for infants through preschool age children for fewer than six hours per day on a seasonal or regularly scheduled part-day basis. Use a custom schedule when there is a pre-determined schedule for care. You should create a separate part-day care option for each schedule (e.g., M, W, F: 0800-1200).

Summer camp

  • Summer Camp: Child care services to school age children (i.e., children who have just completed grades K-7) between school years during the summer.
  • Summer Camp by Grade: Summer Camp by Grade: Child care services to school age children in specific grades (e.g., Completed Kindergarten, Completed Grades 1-5) between school years during the summer.

Pre-K Before and After School

  • Pre-kindergarten before and after school: Before and/or after school care to preschoolers who attend a public or community preschool or transitional kindergarten program.

Flexible Schedule

  • Part-day care with flexible schedule: Child care services for infants through preschool age children for fewer than six hours per day on a seasonal or regularly scheduled part-day basis. Use a flexible schedule when the schedule for care is not fixed. You should only use this set-up option if you are able to accommodate families that require a flexible care schedule (e.g., M 0800-1200, Tu 1200-1600, and Th 1000-1400).
  • Extended care: Child care services for infants through school age children (i.e., including children in grade 7) during non-traditional hours (i.e., weekends, nights, and evenings) on an occasional or infrequent basis.
  • 24/7 care: Child care services for infants through school age children (i.e., including children in grade 7) during non-traditional hours (i.e., weekends, nights, and evenings) on a regular basis.

Before and After School

  • School year care before and after school: Child care services provided to school age children during the school year who attend school full-day (i.e., children enrolled in full-day kindergarten or grades 1-7).
  • School year care – kindergarten before and after school: Child care services provided to kindergarteners who attend a part-day kindergarten program.

School Out and Seasonal Camp

  • School Out: Child care services provided to school age children on days when school is closed (e.g., teacher training days) during the regular school year.
  • Seasonal Camp: Child care services to school age children during school breaks (e.g., Winter Camp, Spring Camp).
Full-Day and Part-Day Care with Custom Schedule

To request an interview for full-day and part-day care, including summer camp for school age children, describe the space as detailed in the Describe Space section of the Make Offer or Request Interview topic. Note: FCC does not offer summer camp by week, so it is treated similar to a non-continuous full-day or part-day care option.

Describe space for full-day care

Describe space with summer camp details

After selecting the requests for which you have space and requesting an interview with the family, complete the interview process detailed in the Manage Interview section below.

Pre-K Before and After School

To request an interview for pre-kindergarten before and after school care, describe the space as detailed in the Describe Space section. Pre-kindergarten before and after school is restricted to the preschool age group. You can set a custom age range within an age group or across age groups. See the Make Offer or Request Interview topic for details on using a custom age range.

Describe space for pre-kindergarten before and after school

Families may have requested both pre-kindergarten before school and pre-kindergarten after school care or just one of the offerings. You may have space to accommodate the full request or just part of the request. Request an interview as described next.

  1. Select the checkbox next to the child’s name if you have space for all offerings requested, or select the checkbox for individual offerings (i.e., before school or after school) based on the available spaces.
  2. Continue checking boxes until you have filled your available spaces, and then select the Request Interview button. Refer to the legend at the bottom of the Request Interview list to understand the different icons you may see as you review the requests. Refer to the screen shot as you review the below scenario.
    • Row 1: The request sequenced first needs both before and after school care. If you have space for both, select the checkbox by the child’s name (the system auto-checks the two offerings).
    • Row 2: There is a dash under After School, which means the family does not need after school care. When you select the checkbox by the child’s name, the offer will just include Before School.
    • Row 3: If you have space for part of the request, select just the offering for which you have space. In this case, select the checkbox in the After School column.

Request Interview screen showing option to request an interview for pre-kindergarten before school and after school

After selecting the requests for which you have space and requesting an interview with the family, complete the interview process detailed in the Manage Interview section below.

Flexible Schedule (Part-Day Flexible, Extended, and 24/7 Care)

To request an interview for flexible care, including part-day flexible, for infants through preschool-aged children, and extended and 24/7 care for infants through school age children, describe the space as detailed in the Describe Space section.

Describe space for part-day flexible care

Before scheduling an interview for part-day flexible, extended, or 24/7 care, complete the following steps.

  1. Review the family’s work schedule so you can determine if the family’s scheduling need matches your available space before requesting an interview. The first three requests on the Request Interview page will display the family work schedule associated with the request. To view the family work schedule associated with the remaining requests, you must expand the row.
  2. Call families on your list, as needed, to get more information about their schedule, or ask them to send you their schedule before making a decision about requesting an interview. If you get more information about the family’s schedule, update the schedule on the family’s behalf so other programs also have the information. For more information on how to update the family’s schedule, review Update Work Schedule.
  3. Select the first family on the list (in sequence) whose schedule matches your available space, and then select the Request Interview button. If additional space is available, make an offer to the next family in sequence whose schedule also matches your space. These interview requests are not out-of-sequence because you are requesting the interview with the first family whose schedule matches your available space.

Request Interview page with family’s schedule notes expanded

After selecting the requests for which you have space and requesting an interview with the family, complete the interview process detailed in the Manage Interview section below.

Before and After School Care

To request an interview for before and after school care, including before and after care for children who attend a half-day kindergarten program, select the Request Interview button from the dashboard and describe the space as follows. Note: Seasonal camps and school out days are included in before and/or after school care.

  1. Select the appropriate care option from the Care Option drop-down menu.
    • School Year Care
    • Kindergarten School Year Care
  2. Select the appropriate school year. NOTE: Before you can make offers for the school year, the school year must be set up on the School Information tab in your program profile.
  3. Select the Before/After School from the Care Offering Type drop-down menu.
  4. Select the appropriate Age Group. Kindergarten School Year Care is restricted to kindergarten.
  5. Select the Date Care Available.
    • When entering details for a school year that has not started, the Date Care Available defaults to the care option start date (and cannot be changed). If the start date has already passed, the Date Care Available will be blank, and you can enter any date that is between the start and end date of the care option.
  6. Select the School(s) where you have space and transportation available.
    • Select ‘All’ if your program has transportation available for all schools you serve.
    • Select ‘No Transportation Needed’ when you have space available in your program but cannot offer transportation to or from school. When you select this transportation option, only children who do not need transportation will display on the Request Interview page.
  7. Enter the Number of Spaces you have available for before school and the number of spaces available for after school.
    • The number of spaces you have available appears at the top of the Request Interview page. This serves as a guide to help you quickly track the total number of spaces available against the number of interviews you plan to request. Note: The number of spaces you enter does not limit the number of requests that appear on the Request Interview page or the number of interviews you can request.
    • For Kindergarten School Year Care, indicate whether the spaces are available for an AM or PM program.
  8. Select the Next button to generate the list of requests that match the criteria you entered.

Describe Space screen showing before and after school

Families may have requested both before school and after school care or just one of the offerings. You may have space to accommodate the full request or just part of the request and can request an interview as described next.

  1. Select the checkbox next to the child’s name if you have space for all offerings requested, or select the checkbox for individual offerings (i.e., before school or after school) based on the available spaces.
  2. Continue checking boxes until you have filled your available spaces, and then select the Request Interview button. Refer to the legend at the bottom of the Request Interview list to understand the different icons you may see as you review the requests. Refer to the screen shot as you review the below scenario.
    • Row 1: The request sequenced first needs both before and after school care. If you have space for both, select the checkbox by the child’s name (the system auto-checks the two offerings).
    • Row 2: There is a dash under After School, which means the family does not need after school care. When you select the checkbox by the child’s name, the offer will just include Before School.
    • Row 3: If you have space for part of the request, select just the offering for which you have space. In this case, select the checkbox in the After School column.

Request Interview screen showing option to request an interview for before school and after school

After selecting the requests for which you have space and requesting an interview with the family, complete the interview process detailed in the Manage Interview section below.

School Out and Seasonal Camps

To request an interview for school out days and seasonal camp, select the Request Interview button from the dashboard and describe the space as follows.

  1. Select the appropriate care option from the Care Option drop-down menu.
    • School Out & Seasonal Camps
    • School Out & Seasonal Camps - Kindergarten
  2. Select the appropriate school year. NOTE: Before you can make offers for the school year, the school year must be set up on the School Information tab in your program profile.
  3. Select the appropriate Care Offering Type.
    • Seasonal Camp
    • School Out
    • Flexible School Out Days
  4. Select the Month of Care Offering or Care Offering depending on the care offering type selected.
    • For School Out: Select the appropriate month from the Month of Care Offering drop-down list.
    • For Seasonal Camp: Select the name of the seasonal camp from the Care Offering drop-down list.
    • For Flexible School Out Day, no selection is needed.  
  5. Select School Age as the Age Group.
  6. The Date Care Available will default to the care option’s start date and cannot be changed.
  7. Enter the Number of Spaces of spaces you have available.
    • The number of spaces you have available appears at the top of the Request Interview page. This serves as a guide to help you quickly track the total number of spaces available against the number of interviews you plan to request. Note: The number of spaces you enter does not limit the number of requests that appear on the Request Interview page or the number of interviews you can request.
  8. Select the Next button to generate the list of requests that match the criteria you entered.

Describe Space page showing school out

Describe space page showing seasonal camp

After selecting the requests for which you have space and requesting an interview with the family, complete the interview process detailed in the Manage Interview section below.

Manage Interview

Once you send a request for an interview, you will need to contact the family and manage the interview. You will not receive a system alert reminding you to schedule the interview. Review your placement list to identify which families still need to schedule an interview. Read this topic for more information on how to (a) schedule the interview; (b) accept or decline the interview request on the family’s behalf; and (c) hold the interview and decide whether to make an offer. Note: A family will be able to view your name, contact information, and location after you request an interview.

CALL FAMILY TO SCHEDULE INTERVIEW

Once you have sent a request for an interview, you should schedule the interview within two business days (the interview does not have to occur within two days). If you call the family immediately after sending the interview request, you can access the family’s contact information on the Placement List page. Otherwise, before making the call, log in to MCC and locate the child on the Placement List. This will allow you to make necessary updates, including accepting or declining the interview request, while speaking with the family.

During the call, you should:

  1. Assess if the family is ready to schedule an interview and, if so, select a day, and time for it. If the family is not ready to schedule an interview, they should follow-up with you within the two days.
  2. Verify the date care needed.
  3. Verbally confirm the sponsor’s eligibility and spouse’s status.
  4. If the eligibility or status information is incorrect, see the Manage Enrollment topic for instructions on how to update the information and recheck the request sequence.
  5. If you schedule an interview, provide information about any steps they must complete before the interview based on Service guidance
  6. Document your phone call attempt and the conversation with the family in the Comments section. Review View and Add Comments or IAT Notes for instructions on adding a comment.

NOTE: During the interview process, someone at your program office will formally verify the sponsor’s eligibility and spouse’s status to ensure that the request’s sequence is accurate. This can occur at different times during the process: (a) before scheduling the interview; (b) after scheduling it, but before it occurs; or (c) after the interview. Regardless of when the sponsor’s eligibility and spouse’s status is confirmed, you must take steps in MCC as described in this topic. Refer to your Service’s operating standards on how to verify a family’s eligibility.

RESPOND TO AN INTERVIEW REQUEST ON BEHALF OF A FAMILY

Important Note: You must accept or decline the interview in MCC on behalf of the family based on your conversation with them. A family is not able to take this action in MCC. Follow the steps below to either (a) accept the interview request and schedule the interview or (b) decline the interview on the family’s behalf.

Accept the Interview

  1. Select the Manage Placement List button from the dashboard.
  2. Find the appropriate child and select the Accept Interview link to open the Accept Interview window.
  3. Use the calendar tool to enter the interview date and select the Yes button to accept the interview.

Placement List with Accept Interview link selected and Accept Interview window displayed

Decline the Interview

  1. Select the Manage Placement List button from the dashboard.
  2. If the family declines the interview, or you are not able to contact the family within 48 hours, find the appropriate child and select the Decline Interview link to open the Decline to Interview window.
  3. Select the reason the family has declined the interview. You may need to take additional steps based on the reason the family declined the interview. Expand the image below to view the decline reason options and any additional steps you should take.
  4. Select the Yes button to finish declining the interview.

List of decline interview reasons and the next steps to be taken based on the reason

Placement List with Decline Interview link selected and Decline to Interview window displayed

HOLD INTERVIEW AND DECIDE WHETHER TO MAKE AN OFFER

You can request and schedule up to three interviews for each space that is available. To ensure that offers are made in sequential order, you should interview all families who accepted the interview request before making an offer (unless a family is a no-show). After completing all interviews, you must make an offer to the first family in sequence that is a fit for your program; if the first family in sequence is not a fit, you can make the offer to the next family in sequence who is a fit. Based on the interview outcome, the next step will be one of the following:

  • Update MCC if the family fails to come to the interview
  • Hold the interview but do not make an offer
  • Hold the interview and make an offer

Update MCC if the Family Fails to Come to the Interview

If the family does not show up for the interview, call them to ask why and if they would like to reschedule. If you choose to reschedule, you can update the interview date. If the family or you choose not to reschedule or cancels the interview before it happens, update the request to indicate there was no interview.

  1. Select the Manage Placement List button from the dashboard.
  2. Find the appropriate child and select the No Interview link to open the No Interview window.
  3. Select the Yes button to confirm that the interview did not occur. The system will cancel the request, send a notification to the family, and update the family’s dashboard.

You can later reactivate the request, with the same RFC date, if you find out that the family missed the interview because of extenuating circumstances. See Reactivate Request in the Take Action on a Family's Behalf section for instructions on how to reactivate a request.

Hold the Interview but Do Not Make an Offer

After an interview is conducted, if you decide not to make an offer to the family, update MCC to indicate there will be No Offer.

  1. Select the Manage Placement List button from the dashboard.
  2. Find the appropriate child and select the No Offer link to open the No Offer Made window.
  3. Select the reason for not making the offer then Select the Yes button to continue.
    • Family is a fit but offer made to first family in sequence. Note: The family’s request will stay on your waitlist with the same RFC and DCN so you can make them an offer when you have another space available. Next time you have a space available, you can make this family an offer by using the No Interview button on the Make Offer list.
    • Incorrect priority in MCC
    • Out of sequence interview request made incorrectly
    • Family not eligible for military child care
    • Family’s DCN changed
    • Incompatible with family
    • Inconvenient location
    • Schedule conflict
    • Other
  4. Select the Yes button to continue. The system will send a Care Unavailable notification to the family and update the family’s dashboard. Select No to return to the Placement List.

No offer made window with list of no offer reasons

NOTE: If a family is a fit, but you cannot make them an offer because they are not first in sequence, consider waiting to indicate no offer in MCC until the family first in sequence confirms they will start care, and their military family type has been validated. That way, if the first family does not complete the enrollment, you can easily make an offer to the next family. The request will stay on your Placement List until you take action to indicate no offer or select to make an offer.

Hold the Interview and Make an Offer

After completing all your scheduled interviews, you must make an offer to the first family in sequence that is a fit for your program. If you scheduled only one interview, you can make the offer during the interview and then update MCC to document the offer, including accepting the offer on behalf of the family if they let you know they want to accept. The make offer process varies slightly based on whether the offer is for a care option with no offerings (e.g., full-day, part-day, extended care) or a care option with offerings (i.e., school year care). To make an offer, follow the steps below.

  1. Select the Manage Placement List button from the dashboard.
  2. Find the appropriate child and select the Make Offer button.
    • Care option with no offerings: The Review and Submit window will open. Enter the Start Date and select the Submit button. The Start Date may be the original care available date you entered when describing your vacancy or a different date you agreed to with the family.
      Review and submit window open for offer with no care offerings
    • Care option with multiple offerings: Once you select the Make Offer button, select the care offerings included in the offer. Select the Continue button to open the Review and Submit window. Select the Submit button once you have reviewed the offer list for accuracy.
      Placement List with Review and Submit window open - multiple offerings
  3. Select Submit to send an offer notification to the family and update the family’s dashboard with the offer.

Once you make the offer in MCC, call the family directly to make a verbal offer and notify them that a space is available. This step expedites the enrollment process and provides the family with important one-on-one customer service. Note: You can access the family’s contact information on the Placement List.

During the call, you should:

  1. Inform the family about the offer and offer response timeline of two business days, excluding weekends and holidays.
  2. Assess if the family is ready to accept or decline the offer at that time. If they have made a decision, encourage them to respond immediately via MCC. If not, they still have two days to respond to the offer and reconfirm other requests, as needed.
  3. Answer questions the family has on how to respond to the offer and reconfirm other active requests, if needed.
  4. Document your phone call attempt and the conversation with the family in the Comments section. Review View and Add Comments or IAT Notes for instructions on adding a comment.
Last revised: 25 Aug 2021
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Overview of FCC Provider Placement Process

This video reflects the program managed waitlist model used by Air Force and Navy and demonstrates how an FCC provider completes the placement process for full-day and part-day care.

Duration: 
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Overview of the FCC Placement Process

Last revised: 24 Jul 2019

Overview of the FCC Placement Process for R&R Staff

This video reflects the centrally-managed waitlist model used by Army and USMC and demonstrates how R&R and PCS staff complete the placement process for part-day care with a flexible schedule at a FCC home. 

Duration: 
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Overview of the FCC Placement Process for R&R Staff

Last revised: 24 Jul 2019