Schenectady County, New York
Historically, Schenectady County relied on paper-based processes for its child care assistance program. Anyone looking to apply for assistance needed to submit applications by mail, fax or by physically dropping off the application at the county’s Department of Social Services office.
After the State of New York increased its eligibility thresholds, the county needed to transition off paper processes to support the increase in families seeking child care assistance.
Schenectady County ultimately partnered with Spatial Data Logic after identifying that SDL Connect offered a flexible solution that both its Department of Social Services and other county departments could use to offer public-facing services. Starting with Department of Social Services, the county used SDL Connect to create its online portal, digitize its CCAP forms and customize the backend workflow when processing requests in SDL’s software.
With SDL Connect, Schenectady County was able to:
See an immediate increase in applications to become a certified caregiver, receiving 16 applications in 1 month
Improve access to child care assistance
Accept applications online, with over 50% of applications now coming in digitally
Remove barriers preventing child care providers from becoming certified
Incorporate visibilty rules into their digital forms to simplify the applications for residents
Securely collect, store and view birth certificates, pay stubs, and other PII documents
Establish a public-facing platform that the DSS and other county departments can use to offer services online
The SDL Portal has been a great way for families to apply for child care assistance online. One of the best features is that the forms include all of the paper requirements in one digital application.
