The SSAWB is looking for new members from the community to join the Board. We are particularly interested if you have legal and early childhood expertise. If you are interested in joining the Board, please complete the linked application. You can also contact info@wbdocchildcareboard.org to request an application by email if you can’t complete the Google Form. If you have any questions or concerns, please send an email to info@wbdocchildcareboard.org. We will respond to you as soon as we can. Thank you for your time and interest.

Greetings everyone! Did you know that there is a way to find the gifts that you want and support your favorite charity while doing it? It only takes a single click to support your favorite charity when you buy qualifying products from Amazon. It’s called AmazonSmile, and it is a simple way for you to support the Wilkes-Barre Child Development Center Board of Directors. For eligible purchases, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to us. It may not seem like much, but every little bit helps. Donations will be used for our tuition assistance program that helps families pay for affordable, quality child care at our center. If you wish to donate to us, please select the banner above or click on the link https://smile.amazon.com/ch/83-2296822 and shop as you normally would on Amazon. Donations will be calculated and applied automatically. You can use AmazonSmile on your computer or mobile device. Thank you so much for your support. We hope that you all have a safe and joyous holiday season! 

If you have taken part in one of our fundraisers and still haven't received your items, please contact us. We are willing to ship your items via U.S. Postal Service. If you no longer wish to receive your items, please let us know and will we consider donating any unclaimed items to a local food bank. 

Any unclaimed items will be discarded if not claimed by March 1, 2021. No refunds will be given regardless of whether or not the items are claimed.

You can reach us via email at info@wbdocchildcareboard.org or send us a Facebook message. 

If you have taken part in one of our fundraisers and still haven't received your items, please contact us. We are willing to ship your items via U.S. Postal Service. If you no longer wish to receive your items, please let us know and will we consider donating any unclaimed items to a local food bank. You can reach us via email at info@wbdocchildcareboard.org or send us a Facebook message. Thank you very much and we hope that you all have a safe holiday season!

As this year draws to a close, many of us are looking forward to the coming year with great anticipation and renewed hope. Many of us are making plans for the coming year and that includes deciding on health insurance benefits and, if you have children, what their new year may look like. Child care and how to pay for care are surely some of the considerations that many of you may have. We first recommend that you check with your employer’s Human Resources department to see what options are available to you to help pay for child care. For federal employees, a dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA) can help to pay for child care and dependent care expenses.

What is a DCFSA?

A DCFSA is a way to set aside pre-tax money you can then use to pay for eligible child care or dependent care expenses. You decide how much you want to set aside for the year, and the deductions will be made automatically from your paycheck. You will have to pay for the eligible expense or service first, and then submit a claim to be reimbursed for that particular service. You can submit a claim online, through the FSAFEDS App, by fax, or by mail. Most claims are processed one to two business after they are received. Payments are sent out shortly afterwards. For more information about filing claims, please visit https://www.fsafeds.com/file.

How to Enroll

Current federal employees and new hires can enroll during the Federal Benefits Open Season. This year’s open season runs from November 9, 2020 to December 14, 2020. During this time, you can

choose the amount of pre-tax dollars you can set aside in 2021 for child care and dependent care expenses. Participation does not carry over from year to year. To enroll, go to https://www.fsafeds.com/ and sign into or create your account. Select “Enrollment” and go through the step-by-step instructions to sign-up. You will have the opportunity to print the confirmation of your enrollment or save it to your computer for your records. If you have any questions during the enrollment process, you can contact the FSAFEDS Benefits Counselors at 877-FSAFEDS (372-3337).

Eligible Expenses

Eligible expense include the following:

• Child care

• After school programs

• Day camp

• Au pair or nanny services

For a full list of covered and some not covered expenses, please visit https://fsafeds.com/explore/dcfsa/expenses.

Minimum and Maximum Contribution Amounts

The minimum amount you must contribute to your DCFSA is $100 for the year. The maximum amount you can contribute per year is $5,000 per household or $2,500 if married filing separately. If your spouse has a DCFSA with their employer, we suggest that you and your spouse plan accordingly to avoid going over the $5,000 per household limit.

DCFSA vs Dependent Care Tax Credit

One of the most common questions is whether to take the dependent care tax credit or use a DCFSA. We recommend that you speak with a tax professional to determine the best option for you; but here is some basic information that FSAFEDS provides. They state that:

If you have two or more dependents and your household adjusted gross income is less than $43,000, you might find that the federal tax credit to be more beneficial. If you’re household income exceeds $43,000, it is likely the DCFSA will provide greater tax savings.

You can use the Dependent Care Tax Credit Worksheet to help you determine which option is best for you. If you have any additional questions about the DCFSA, please visit https://www.fsafeds.com/ or call 877-FSAFEDS (372-3337). You can find a list of frequently asked questions at https://www.fsafeds.com/support/faq.

Again, if you are not employed by the federal government, we recommend that you contact your employer’s Human Resources department to see what benefits are offered for you. We hope that you all have a safe holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Greetings everyone! We wanted to inform you that we have selected ABC Kiddie Kampus to serve as the new provider for the Social Security Administration Wilkes-Barre Child Development Center. 

We are excited to be working with ABC Kiddie Kampus. With over 30 years of experience, they are a local leader in child care. They currently operate three childcare centers in the area and each center adheres to the highest Pennsylvania state standards. Each center has a STAR 4 rating via the Keystone Stars Program. We are confident that they will meet and exceed any childcare needs and standards set forth by the Social Security Administration and our families. 

Our board, along with ABC Kiddie Kampus, will work hard to deliver high quality early education to your family while offering competitive tuition rates for everyone and tuition assistance programs for as many families as possible.

As far as the childcare center’s operating hours, the center remains closed at this time. We will update everyone once anything changes. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at gpiazza@wbdocchildcareboard.org. You can also find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSAWBBoard/ and on the web at https://sites.google.com/wbdocchildcareboard.org/ssawb/home. Thank you for your time and have a great day.