Early Childhood Digital Wallet Platform

The vendor is required to provide for the purchase of a managed service solution for a statewide, public-private early childhood digital wallet platform that delivers the following capabilities:
• Easy-to-use family or parent portal where parents can 1) create digital wallet accounts for children enrolled at eligible child care and early childhood education providers; 2) receive funds from multiple entities; and 3) direct funds to eligible (licensed or regulated) child care and early childhood education providers;
• Easy-to-use donation interface where employers, family members, philanthropic organizations, local government and other entities can make and direct financial donations towards individual children enrolled in eligible child care and early childhood education provider sites;
• Easy-to-use provider portal in which eligible providers can receive payments on behalf of children served, and register for, be determined eligible to provide, and affirm delivery of qualifying services based on state-determined eligibility criteria.
- Department that will be capable of providing a customizable, multi-function online application, payment processing, and reporting application supporting donation and holding of funds from funders in child-specific accounts, directing of funds towards eligible service providers, and payments to qualifying service providers for families and children receiving qualifying services.
- The solution must be capable of managing funds associated with public programs in a manner compliant with relevant state and federal laws, policies, and regulations.
- Early childhood digital wallet processor capabilities shall:
• Include online account set-up, including verification of identity, features assisting with eligibility determinations, application submission and processing, approval/award of applications and funding, upload and transmittal of supporting documentation to substantiate eligibility and payments due to qualifying service providers, payment/fund transfer capabilities, and comprehensive reporting capabilities.
• Provide creation of user accounts that families or other entities could set up on behalf of children with verification of identity and children’s age.
• Provide creation of service provider accounts in accordance with agency eligibility criteria.
• Provide creation of third-party funder entity accounts (e.g., parents’ employer, charitable organizations) that seek to make financial contributions in accordance with agency eligibility criteria.
• Provide verification/authentication of parental/guardianship status of eligible children through tax or other government documentation uploaded in the application.
• Allow parents or guardians to input and upload data and applicable forms, including input of personal information for multiple students in household on the same application.
• Provide creation of customized application forms that may be used by the agency or other entities (e.g., employers).
• allow secure data entry, upload, and transmission of sensitive and confidential supporting documentation required for program eligibility determinations.
• If possible, allow online verification review by agency or other entities (e.g., employers) for a standard set of program eligibility criteria, such as employer, family income level or entitlement program eligibility, based on data input or file upload by the applicant, and identifying applications needing further review and processing.
• Where this is not possible, provide data required for verification review on demand, when requested.
• Compare criteria reported by the applicant (i.e., child’s parent/guardian) to criteria thresholds and requirements defined by agency or other entities (e.g., employer) to determine whether the applicant meets eligibility criteria such as age, family income level or entitlement program eligibility, student disability status.
- Contract Period/Term: 1 year
- Pre-Proposal Conference Date: May 14, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: May 14, 2025