Karen Powell and Assistant Superintendent Barry Carter briefed the council on the department’s plan to transition CCAP B‑to‑3 contracted seats from local network management to state administration and to move families to a new online application system.
Powell said the department requested parish‑level application months so families would reapply in staggered windows; she said the department asked networks for child data so the state could begin paying providers directly on July 1 and then add those children to the Kinder roster used for voucher seats. “Payments for the seats for the currently enrolled children continued through the networks through June, but beginning in July with July 1, the department began making those payments directly to the providers,” Powell said.
Powell told the council that the department will make weekly prospective payments using the same banking accounts providers already use for voucher payments, and that it will enroll B‑to‑3 children in the same roster and attendance systems used by voucher families once transfers are complete. Powell said the shift will allow the department to use CCDF (federal) funds for the seats, to certify eligibility for 12 months, and to obligate serving siblings in the household under federal rules once eligibility is state‑determined.
The department said it has deployed technical support, FAQs and a call center to help families reapply in the Family Central portal; staff said hundreds of applications had been submitted in the initial weeks. Powell emphasized the department’s stated goal of continuity of care: “We are absolutely continuing to serve all children in the program until their redetermination has been completed.”
Council members asked operational questions about whether families could change providers after transition; Powell said that transition planning will prioritize continuity and that the department will later establish procedures for transfers and contract adjustments once the initial eligibility and payment migration is complete. No formal vote was taken; the council received the briefing and provided feedback on communications and provider outreach.