Daycare Assistance

I'm so frustrated with my daycare assistance situation. I've had assistance for Onna's daycare since the time that I got divorced. I've been frustrated with it before because, I usually ended up getting assistance cut every time I get a raise. Usually my cut in assistance equals more than my raise. Now I've gotten to the point that I make enough that I don't actually get money from the state (or very little). The benefit that I get is that by being on assistance, I get the advantage of not being bound to a contract. That's huge for me because then I pay for the actual hours that Onna is in daycare, not a set dollar amount each week. If she's sick, or we don't have school, I don't have to pay.

The really big frustration is my case manager through the state. She is annoying! I realize that there are certain things that they have to follow. I also realize that there are certain people that take advantage of the system. You would think by now, after four years, she would have figured out that I am not one of these people.

Here are some examples of why I want to pull my hair out.
I work at two jobs, apparently that's unusual and she finds it very confusing that one person can do that.

She always needs to know EXACTLY what my start and end dates are at the golf course. Well, one year, most of the course was under water, and it was continuing to rain. We weren't doing as much food as we are now. So I had NO idea when we were opening. Finally I just gave her a date. (I can't control the weather!)

She also needs to know my EXACT hours. I never know that. If I'm scheduled to be off at 3:00, but we have a tournament going and there is a large group of people that comes in to eat, then I stay. If I'm scheduled till 10 and we have a bar full of people till 11:30 or midnight, I stay. I have to send two weeks worth of pay stubs. You would think that she would be able to figure out an average or something, but that doesn't work.

This time she wanted my "work schedule". I sent her a photocopy of our schedule right off the wall at work. Dave hand writes our names in, and he also wrote on the top "day 8-3" and night 3-close". She called me today, and said that I have to have Dave type up my work schedule with my HOURS on it. Just having my name written on a calendar "isn't good enough". GRRRR

She said that she can't go by my pay stubs because I only worked 70 hours on my last pay stub, which isn't 40 hours a week (I was still working at the school then). Since that isn't a full-time job, I won't qualify for assistance!

I get so stinking mad that here I am working my butt off, NOT taking advantage of a bunch of programs (Onna is on Medicaid, WIC and daycare assistance). If I QUIT my jobs and stayed home with her, I could qualify for all kinds of programs and be with her all the time. I'm TRYING to do the right thing and support us myself, and it feels like I get cut down for it over and over again.

So I guess, I'll try to get something typed up for Dave to sign... and jump through some more hoops... two more years of daycare and then kindergarten. Not that I want to wish those years away any faster!