This ACF online toolkit includes five steps you can take to improve health coverage for the ECE workforce, sample emails, social media graphics, and an HHS train-the-trainer webinar, demonstrating how to sign up on the Marketplace.
Watch our Workforce Wednesday train-the-trainer webinar on this topic from December 7, 2022, here .
The early care and education (ECE) workforce deserves affordable and accessible health care. Supporting the health of staff who work in child care centers, family childcare, Head Start, preschool, home visitors and other early childhood settings is crucial to sustaining their role for children, families, and communities. We need your help to reach ECE staff, administrators, and partners that work in the early childhood community. They may qualify for savings (like tax credits and reduced cost-sharing amounts) on a Marketplace plan. Consumers who want health coverage starting January 1 should enroll in coverage by December 15.
Take action by sharing these resources in your newsletters, social media, meetings, or conferences.
This toolkit is designed to guide ECE staff, administrators, and partners through the Health Insurance Marketplace® Open Enrollment Period (November 1 — January 15), highlighting potential savings and support available. Take action duing Open Enrollement and join us in our Week of Action for Early Care and Education Workers - dates coming soon!
Here are five tasks you can do throughout Open Enrollment as a leader to help early care and education staff in your community understand the affordable health care options, and help them enroll in health coverage.
1. Share this resource for the early care and education workforce.
What Do Early Childhood Educators Need To Know About The Marketplace? (English (PDF)and Spanish (PDF))
2. Facilitate connections between early care and education workforce with navigators/assisters through Find Local Help to get help with their application and more.
3. Share targeted posts (PDF) on social media to engage early care and education staff. (updates coming November 2024)
4. Send targeted email or newsletter messages to early care and education providers, leaders and partners.
Sample email to ECE Providers
Subject: Time limited opportunity for more affordable health insurance for early childhood staff
Early Childhood Providers in [INSERT STATE/COMMUNITY] May Now Be Eligible for Affordable Health Insurance
Early childhood providers may now be eligible for more affordable health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace®, due to continued expanded tax credits. As early childhood providers, you have played a crucial role for children, families, and communities, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is pleased to have the opportunity to expand more affordable health coverage to early childhood providers due to the Inflation Reduction Act.
Learn more
(PDF) about what coverage you may be eligible for through the Health Insurance Marketplace® and follow along to this step-by-step training
as you fill out applications.
Sample email to Early Childhood Leaders and Partners
Subject: Time limited opportunity for more affordable health coverage for early childhood staff
The early childhood workforce is critical to the development of our youngest children, yet they are less likely to have access to health insurance than teachers in the K-12 system or the general population. Early childhood providers may now be eligible for more affordable health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace®, due to continued expanded tax credits.
Learn more about how to apply for or re-enroll in Health Insurance Marketplace Coverage, and get ready with this checklist. (PDF)
Visit the ACF's ECE Workforce Shortage Strategy Resource Pages to learn more and access other resources, webinars and tools that support the ECE workforce.
5. Encourage the early care and education workforce to watch this HHS train-the-trainer webinar, demonstrating how to sign up on the Marketplace.
Follow along and share this individualized step-by-step training to feel confident as you complete your enrollment applications. A recording from the Workforce Wednesday webinar on December 7, 2022 can be found here .
Key Resources:
- Partner tools & toolkits website: https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/in-person-assisters/outreach-education/partner-tools-toolkits
- See if your state uses HealthCare.gov or has its own Marketplace: https://www.healthcare.gov/create-account
- Find out if you Qualify/Apply: HealthCare.gov or State Marketplace website
- Find Local Help: https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/
- Become a Champion for Coverage: https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/technical-assistance-resources/assister-programs/become-a-champion
- HealthCare.gov Technical Assistance Resources: https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/in-person-assisters/technical-resources
- Marketplace resources in multiple languages: https://www.cms.gov/marketplace/in-person-assisters/outreach-education/materials-multiple-languages
Recordings