Patti Russ, Region VIII TA

1

• Welcome
• Patti Russ, Region VIII TA
• Julie Shuell, Executive Director

2
The Mission

• The Child Care Bureau (CCB) supports low-income
  working families through child care financial
  assistance and promotes childrens learning by
  improving the quality of early care and education
  and after-school programs.

3
ACF

• The Administration for Children and Families
  (ACF), within the U.S. Department of Health and
  Human Services (HHS), is responsible for Federal
  programs that promote the economic and social
  well-being of families, children, people, and
  communities.
• ACF programs aim to achieve the following
• Empowering families and people to increase their
  own economic independence and productivity
• Creating strong, healthy, and supportive
  communities that have a positive impact on the
  quality of life and childrens development
• Establishing partnerships with people, front-line
  service providers, communities, American Indian
  Tribes, Native communities, States, and Congress
  that create solutions which transcend traditional
  agency boundaries
• Helping to create planned, reformed, and
  integrated services to improve needed access
• Maintaining a strong commitment to working with
  people with developmental disabilities, refugees,
  and immigrants to address their needs, strengths,
  and abilities

4
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Overview
5
CCDF Goals

• Allow States maximum flexibility in developing
  child care programs and policies
• Promote parental choice
• Provide consumer education

• Provide child care to parents trying to achieve
  independence from public assistance
• Help States implement health, safety, licensing,
  and registration standards

Source CCDF Final Rule, 45 CFR Section Parts 98
and 99. Federal Register 63142 (24 July 1998).
6
Purpose of CCDF

• Provide low-income families with financial
  resources to find and afford child care
• Enhance quality
• Provide parents with a broad range of care
  options

• Strengthen the role of the family
• Improve coordination among child care programs
  and early childhood development programs
• Increase child care availability

Source CCDF Final Rule, 45 CFR Section Parts 98
and 99. Federal Register 63142 (24 July 1998).
7
Privately Donated Funds

• States may designate a single entity to receive
  donated funds from private sources
• A designated single entity is not required if
  States receive privately donated funds directly

8
Overview of CCDF Plans

• CCDF Plans are for October 2009September 2011
• CCB provides guidance, CCDF Plan Preprint, and
  submission timelines

9
Consultation/Coordination

• Consultation involves the participation of an
  appropriate agency in the development of the CCDF
  Plan
• Coordination involves the coordination of child
  care and early childhood development services,
  including efforts to work together across
  multiple entities, both public and private

10
Consultation/Coordination, con.

• States/Territories must develop the CCDF Plan in
  consultation with representatives of general
  purpose local governments
• States/Territories must identify coordination
  with the following in their CCDF Plans
• Other early childhood programs, including other
  governmental, Tribal, and/or private agencies
  responsible for providing these services
• Public health
• Employment services/workforce development
• Public education
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Any Indian Tribes in the State/Territory
  receiving CCDF funds

11
Consultation/Coordination, con.

• States/Territories must report their
  publicprivate partnerships that improve
  private-sector involvement to help meet child
  care needs in their CCDF Plans
• States/Territories describe public-private
  partnership activities
• States/Territories include the results or
  expected results

12
MRS

• States/Territories must report/include the
  following in their CCDF Plans
• The month and year they completed the market rate
  survey (MRS)
• A copy of instrument and summary of the results
• Payment rates and information about tiered
  reimbursement
• Information about how they ensure equal access

13
Eligibility Criteria

• States/Territories must report/include the
  following in their CCDF Plans
• Year of State Median Income (SMI) used
• Effective dates of eligibility limits used
• A definition of income
• A reference to the SMI table
  www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/4person.html
• A definition of protective services

14
Sliding Fee Scale/Co-payment

• Based on income and family size
• Cannot be based on type of care
• Can vary based on cost
• Option Waived for families at or below the
  Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (FPIG)

15
Quality Activities

• States/Territories must report the following in
  their CCDF Plans
• Entities providing the activities
• Infant/Toddler, resource and referral, and
  school-age care quality activities
• Other quality activities
• Professional development and early learning
  guideline activities
• Descriptions of expected results

16
Partnering With States and Territories

• Through the CCDF Biennial Plan process, CCB
  encourages States and Territories to do the
  following
• Develop and implement voluntary statewide early
  learning guidelines
• Develop and implement statewide professional
  development plans
• Coordinate early childhood programs or funding
  streams

17
ELGs and Professional Development

• States/Territories are required to report the
  following in their CCDF Plans
• Status of voluntary guidelines for early learning
• A description of the process for implementing the
  guidelines
• A description of the State/Territorys plan for
  assessing the guidelines
• Status of the professional development plan

18
CCDF Fiscal Requirements
19
Fiscal Requirements Overview

• Components of CCDF
• Discretionary, Mandatory, and Matching Streams
• Restrictions and options for meeting State Match
  and Maintenance of Effort requirements
• Obligation and liquidation periods
• CCDF requirements
• CCDF restrictions
• Other available child care funds
• Requests and reporting
• Monitoring and enforcement

20
CCDF Funding Structure
21
Basic CCDF Requirements

• No less than 4 of the aggregate amount of
  Discretionary, Mandatory, and Federal and State
  shares of Matching Fund expenditures must be used
  for quality activities
• No more than 5 of the aggregate amount of
  Discretionary, Mandatory, and Federal and State
  shares of Matching Fund expenditures shall be
  used for administrative activities
• Not less than70 of the aggregate amount of
  Mandatory and Matching Funds shall be used to
  meet the child care needs of families who are
  receiving TANF assistance, are transitioning off
  of TANF, or are at risk of becoming dependent on
  such assistance

22
CCDF Earmark Requirements

• Certain Discretionary funds are targeted for
  the following purposes
• Child care resource and referral and school-age
  child care
• Quality expansion
• Quality activities related to infant and toddler
  care
• These amounts are in addition to the 4 quality
  requirement

23
Other Available Child Care Funds

• TANF transfers
• States may transfer up to 30 of their total TANF
  grants to the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG)
  and CCDF
• TANF funds transferred to CCDF are treated as
  Discretionary Funds
• Reallotted Discretionary Funds (CCDF Reg.
  98.64(b))
• Any unobligated Discretionary Funds shall be
  reallotted to the other States in proportion to
  the original allotments
• Redistributed Matching Funds (CCDF Reg.
  98.64(c))
• Any unobligated portion of a States Matching
  Fund grant shall be redistributed to requesting
  States that have met the requirements for
  Matching Funds in the period for which the grant
  was first made

24
Other Available Child Care Funds, con.

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
• Appropriates an additional 2 billion in CCDF
  Discretionary Funding as part of the economic
  stimulus package
• The purposes of the ARRA include the following
• Preserve and create jobs an promote economic
  recovery
• Provide investments to increase economic
  efficiency by spurring technological advances in
  science and health
• Invest in infrastructure that will provide
  long-term economic benefits
• Stabilize State and local government budgets in
  order to avoid reductions in essential services
  and counterproductive tax increases

25
ARRA

• Transparency and Accountability
• Report on the use of funds, including the
  following
• Amount of funds received
• Detailed descriptions of projects for which
  recovery funds were used
• Estimated number of jobs created or retained
• Infrastructure investments made

• Targeted Funds
• Activities to improve the quality of infant and
  toddler care
• Expanded quality initiatives
• Additional funds
• 4 calculation

26
CCDF and State Subsidy Programs
27
Eligibility Rules

• Childs age
• Younger than 13
• Option Younger than age 19 and physically or
  mentally incapable of self-care or under court
  supervision
• Family income
• At or below 85 percent of SMI
• Need for child care
• Work or training
• Protective services
• Priorities
• Children from families with very low incomes
• Children with special needs

28
Eligibility Dilemma

• Too high Demand may exceed budget, causing
  waiting lists or requiring changes in other
  policies
• Too low Working families hit the wall, may
  cycle back to TANF

29
State Eligibility Policies

• Income limits range from 34 to 85 of SMI
• The average is 60 of SMI
• 11 States have tiered eligibility (i.e.,
  eligibility thresholds are dependent on income
  levels)
• In Florida, once determined eligible for services
  at 150 of FPIG, families may remain eligible for
  financial assistance up to 200 of FPIG

Source CCDF Plans for FY 2008-2009.
30
Co-Pay Policies

• Sliding fee scale required States are required
  to establish by rule a sliding fee scale that
  provides for cost sharing by families
• Based on income and family size The fee scale
  must be based on income and the size of the
  family and may be based on other factors as
  appropriate
• Affordable States must provide facts showing how
  co-payments are affordable
• Waivers States may waive fees (co-pays) from
  families at or below FPIG

31
Co-Pay Dilemma

• Too Low
• Is easier for families in the short run
• but
• Creates higher cost for the State
• and
• Creates a cliff effect for families
• and
• May change other policies to contain costs

• Too High
• Creates less cost to the State
• Reduces cliff effect
• but
• May be unaffordable for families (they may opt
  out for cheaper care)
• Other?

32
State Co-Pay Policies

• 33 States and Territories Dollar amount (flat
  fee)
• 11 States Percentage of income, ranging from 0
  to 25.5
• 12 States and Territories Percentage of cost of
  care or of the maximum reimbursement rate
• Other State choices
• 11 States and 4 Territories (27) waive fees for
  all families with income below FPIG, and 37
  States (66) waive fees for some families with
  income below FPIG
• 36 States and 3 Territories allow providers to
  charge for the unsubsidized portion of providers
  normal fees

Source CCDF Plans for FY 2008-2009
33
Reimbursement Rates

• Equal access States must certify that provider
  reimbursement rates are sufficient to ensure
  subsidized families have equal access to child
  care services that are comparable to those
  provided to nonsubsidized families
• Rate survey Rates must be based on a survey of
  the market conducted within 2 years of the CCDF
  Plan

34
Reimbursement Dilemma

• Too High
• Costs may exceed available budget, leading to
  waiting lists
• May require changes in other policies

• Too Low
• Providers may refuse to serve subsidized families
  because they are paid less than market rates
• Low reimbursements may defeat efforts to improve
  quality child care for children from low-income
  families

35
State Reimbursement Rate Policy

• 13 States and Territories Rate ceilings are at
  75th percentile or higher for the current MRS
• 44 States and Territories Tiered reimbursement
• 33 States and Territories Higher rate for
  quality care
• 31 States and Territories Higher rate for
  serving children with special needs
• 12 States Higher rate for nontraditional hours
  and weekend care
• 10 States Higher rate for infant and toddler
  care
• Limitations on in-home care
• 37 States and Territories Limit use in some way
• 27 States Require providers to receive at least
  the minimum wage in accordance in the Fair Labor
  Standards Act

Source CCDF Plans for FY 2008-2009
36
Regulation and Licensing

• Access to the Full Range of Providers

37
Regulation and Licensing

• Compliance with applicable State and local
  regulatory requirements
• Child care providers who receive subsidy payments
  must comply with State requirements
• Health and safety requirements
• States must have in effect the following
  requirements for all CCDF-funded providers,
  except relatives
• Immunization
• Building and physical premise safety
• Minimum health and safety training

38
Provider Regulation Policies

• States have broad discretion in regulatory policy
• Key decision What types of facilities can be
  exempt from licensing?
• Key decision How to approach standards and
  monitoring for nonlicensed care?

39
Regulation and LicensingCenter-Based Care

• 27 States require all center-based providers paid
  with CCDF funds to meet State licensing laws
• States indicate the following requirements for
  center-based providers that are not licensed
• 7 States rely on local fire, building, and health
  departments to inspect centers building and
  physical premises safety and prevention and
  control of infectious disease
• 7 States require CPR/first aid training.
• 6 States require center providers to self-certify
  compliance or complete checklists about
  prevention and control of infectious disease,
  building and physical premises safety, and health
  and safety requirements

40
Regulation and LicensingFamily Child Care

• 16 States require all family child care providers
  to be licensed in order to receive child care
  reimbursement
• 35 States do not require family child care
  providers to be licensed in order to receive
  child care reimbursement
• 21 of the 35 States require family child care
  providers to self-certify compliance or complete
  checklists regarding prevention and control of
  infectious disease, building and physical
  premises safety, and health and safety
  requirements

41
Regulation and Licensing In-Home Providers

• No State requires in-home providers to be
  licensed
• 29 States require in-home providers to
  self-certify compliance or complete checklists
  regarding prevention and control of infectious
  disease, building and physical premises safety,
  and health and safety requirements
• 9 States require CPR/first aid training
• 9 States require verification of tuberculosis
  tests
• 3 States require physical exams or health
  statements
• 14 States require either orientation, preservice,
  or annual training about health and safety

42
Regulation and LicensingRelative Providers

• More than half of the States subject relative
  care providers, grandparents, great grandparents,
  aunts, uncles or siblings, to the same health and
  safety requirements as center-based, group home,
  family child care, and in-home care providers
• 14 States subject some or all relative providers
  to different health and safety requirements from
  those required of center-based, group home,
  family child care and in-home providers

43
CCDF Management of Quality Programs
44
Allowable Quality Activities

• Quality activities include, but are not limited
  to (45 CFR 98.51) the following
• Resource and referral
• Direct operations or financial assistance to
  organizations
• For development, establishment, expansion,
  operation, and coordination of resource and
  referral programs
• Grants or loans to child care providers
• To meet applicable State, local, and Tribal child
  care standards, including health and safety
  requirements
• For improving monitoring of compliance with, and
  enforcement of, State, local, and Tribal
  requirements
• Improving monitoring of compliance with, and
  enforcement of, State, local, and tribal
  requirements

45
Allowable Quality Activities, con.

• Quality Activities include, but are not limited
  to (45 CFR 98.51) the following
• Offering training and technical assistance, such
  as training about the following
• Health and safety
• Nutrition
• First aid
• Recognition of communicable diseases
• Child abuse detection and prevention
• Care of children with special needs
• Improving salaries and other compensation (fringe
  benefits) for staff who provide child care
  services
• Implementing any other activities consistent with
  the intent of improving the quality and
  availability of care

46
Targeted Funds

• CCDF funds are targeted for three specific
  purposes
• School-age care/resource and referral services
• Quality expansion
• Infant and toddler care
• These funds are in addition to the 4

47
Earmarks Infant/Toddler

• 52 States and Territories offer specialized
  training for providers caring for infants and
  toddlers
• 34 States and Territories provide technical
  assistance services
• 21 States and Territories use the Infant/Toddler
  Environmental Rating Scale in their initiatives
• 26 States and Territories provide financial
  incentives such as stipends, scholarships,
  bonuses, wage supplements, or higher
  reimbursement rates
• 21 States and Territories use infant/toddler
  specialists or health consultants
• 12 States provide train-the-trainer sessions

48
Earmarks Resource and Referral and School-Age
Programs

• All States contract with public or private
  entities to provide resource and referral
  services for families served by CCDF as well as
  for all other families
• In all Territories, the CCDF Lead Agency provides
  resource and referral services
• 41 States and Territories provide school-age
  practitioner training
• 17 States provide technical assistance for
  school-age programs
• 15 States and Territories offer grants to improve
  quality for school-age programs

49
How States Are Spending Quality Funds
GAO Report indicates the types of expenditures by
States for quality improvement initiatives during
Fiscal Year 2000
The following indicates the types of expenditures
by States for quality improvement initiatives
during FY 2000
50
How States Are Spending Quality Funds, con.
51
How States are Spending Quality Funds, con.
52
How States are Spending Quality Funds, con.

• Tiered strategy systems
• 36 States have implemented a tiered strategy
  system
• 20 States have implemented a tiered strategy
  system with more than two levels
• Four types of tiered strategy systems
• 1. Tiered reimbursement
• 2. Rated license
• 3. Quality rating system/quality rating and
  improvement system (QRS/QRIS)
• 4. Combination of strategies

53
Quality Dilemmas

• How does your State do the following
• Balance subsidy and quality priorities?
• Prioritize quality initiatives?
• Make the case for quality initiatives?

54
QRS/QRIS

• 18 States implemented statewide QRS/QRIS
• At least 25 States are exploring or designing a
  QRS/QRIS
• 33 States and Territories provide higher rates
  for child care providers who achieve one or more
  levels of quality beyond basic licensing
  requirements

55
ELGs

• States and Territories report different stages of
  early learning guidelines (ELGs) development and
  implementation

56
ELGs, con.

• States and Territories are aligning preschool
  ELGs with other State/Territory standards and
  national standards

57
ELGs, con.

• Many States and Territories report additional
  domains in ELGs

58
Professional Development Plans

• States and Territories report different stages of
  professional development plan implementation

59
CCDF Plan Materials
CCDF Plan resources are available on NCCICs Web
site at http//nccic.org/pubs/stateplan/stateplan-
intro.html
60
State Early Care and Education Profiles
61
CCDF Administration Resources
62
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