WELCOME

We are a community service organization that works with parents, child care providers, businesses, and community organizations to help promote the availability of quality child care services in the area. We provide parents with child care referrals and information on evaluating quality child care, plus resources on various parenting issues. We offer child care providers access to valuable training, and supportive services for new or established programs.

Important Announcements
and Upcoming Events

Electronic Billing and
School-Age Attendance Updates

Important changes have been implemented regarding billing submission and billing by enrollment for school-age children. Please review the information below and contact your local Choices office with any questions you may have.

1. Electronic Payment Submission

Beginning September 2, 2026, providers may submit Child Care Payment Request forms and Sign In/Out Sheets by email to each R&R's designated payment email address. Choices billing must be sent to either the Bridgeport or Parkersburg billing email address. Billing sent to staff email addresses will not be accepted. The billing email for the Bridgeport office is RRChoicesPayBridgeport@wv.gov. The billing email address for Parkersburg is RRChoicesPayParkersburg@wv.gov.
Email submission is optional. Providers may still bring your billing to either office or send it through the mail.
All billing will be processed in the order in which it is received, and all existing billing deadlines, policy requirements, and payment processing procedures will remain the same.

2. Provider Responsibilities for Email Submissions

Ensure all scanned documents are complete, clear, fully legible, and include all required signatures. Documents must be submitted as a PDF file.
Sign In/Out sheets should be scanned in the same order that children are listed on the Request for Payment form.
Providers must keep all signed original copies on file for audits, monitoring, or reviews.
Check your email. We will notify providers by email that billing has been received. Providers will also be notified by email if corrections are needed. Checking your email and replying promptly will prevent payment delays.

3. School-Age Attendance

When public school is in session, a full day of attendance for a school-age child is 2.5 hours within a single calendar day.
To qualify for enrollment-based payment, a school-age child must attend for at least one 2-5-hour day during the month.
Children who do not meet the 2.5-hour requirement during the month will be paid based on actual attendance.
Payment for school-age children remains restricted to non-school hours, illness, school breaks, and school closures.
If the child has a joint custody arrangement or utilizes two providers payment will be based on actual attendance.
Request for Payment forms should be completed with each child's actual attendance. Providers will receive enrollment-based pay for each child who meets the 2.5-hour requirement.
Collection of parent fees remains unchanged. Providers may only charge the full day fee for children who attend 4 or more hours a day.

Click here for the complete list of R&R billing email addresses.

Billable Days for August and September

DATE: September 2, 2026

TO: Child Care Providers

FROM: WV Division of Early Care and Education

SUBJECT: Billable days August and September 2026

The purpose of this memo is to inform all West Virginia Child Care Providers of the number of billable days for August and September 2026.

The Division of Early Care and Education sets the billable days based upon the number of possible work days in each month. The child(ren) must have attended the site at least one full day during the month to be eligible for the full billable days' payment. If children attend more than the set number of billable days, actual days of attendance may be billed. If a child attends two different providers during the month, actual days of attendance must be billed. Effective August 1, 2026 and in accordance with West Virginia House Bill 4191, a full day is defined as follows:

For children under the age of five - a full day is defined as four or more hours of care provided within a single calendar day.
For children aged five and up who are enrolled in school - a full day is defined as two and one half hours of attendance within a single calendar day.
- School age children who do not meet the two and one half hours of attendance will be paid by attendance.
- Three year old and four year old children enrolled in Public Collaborative PreK programs located in public schools, Head Start programs and Collaborative Child Care settings must meet the two and one half hours within a single calendar day standard.

Providers shall not deny access to care to any child for whom they receive payment.

Billable days for the upcoming months:

August 2026 - 21 days, Noted Holidays - None

September 2026 - 22 days, Noted Holidays - September 7, 2026 Labor Day

*A note about closures, if your parent has to use a backup provider on allowable closure days, you cannot be paid for that day as it is not permissible to pay two child care providers for the same time period for the same child.

Save the Date!

Frequently asked questions regarding provider billing and payments

What is considered a full day?
- Care for at least four (4) hours but less than 18 hours per day
What is considered a part day?
- There are two types of part day. Part day less than two hours which is care no less than one minute but not exceeding 1 hour and 59 minutes per day. Part day 2 hours but not exceeding 4 hours per day.
Do part days convert to full days?
- Yes, part days can convert to full days, Appendix C of the WV Child Care Policy and Procedure Manual (https://bfa.wv.gov/page/ece-policies-and-regulations) list the full conversion chart, but for example 19 billable 2-4 hour days converts to 13 full days.
Is there a way to still get monthly billing with only part days?
- Yes, if a child is in care for 13 full days, providers will be paid a monthly rate, this rate will depend on the age of the child and the parents’ fee.
How is time counted?
- Time in care begins when the child is dropped off at your site and signed in, time ends when the child is picked up from your site and signed out by the parent. Time is counted in exact minutes to determine the type of day you will be billing. An exception to this is if your site picks up the child from a school location, then time begins when the child is signed in by a childcare worker on the transportation from school to the childcare site.
If I have the child in the morning and afternoon can those times be added together?
- Yes, billing is for the total time in care, so if the child is in your care in the morning before school and in the afternoon after school, those times may be added together to determine if the type of billable day.
When should I submit my billing?
- Billing should be submitted to the Resource and Referral office no earlier than the first day of the month following the month of care. For example, August billing would be submitted no earlier than September 1st.
What should I submit with my billing?
- All billing submissions should include the request for payment form signed by the childcare provider. All providers must submit sign in\out sheets for all children in care each month.
Why has billing changed/ new requirements been introduced regarding school-age children?
- Billing procedures have not changed, the policy regarding billing for school age children during time the are in school is not new and has been in place for many years and is based on long-standing federal policy.