Joint Meeting of the Healthy Counties Advisory Board,

Health Steering Committee and the Human Services and Education

Committee’s Education, Children and Families Subcommittee on Early Childhood Development

Marriott Wardman Park Hotel February 22, 2015

THANK YOU TO OUR HEALTHY COUNTIES SPONSORS

Tell Your County’s What’s Happening at the Joint Meeting

@NACoTweets #NACoHealth #NACoHumanServices

Early Childhood 2015

Joan Lombardi February, 2015

Lets talk about….. • Growing interest in early childhood • Young children today • Trends • Policies and proposals

But first time to reflect back………..

How the world has changed….

Growing scientific knowledge about why the early years are important

Increased evidence of program effectiveness

New champions

INCREASED RECOGNITION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EARLY YEARS

Early Learning

Health, Nutrition

and Mental Health

Family Support/Child

Protection

Increased interest coming from multiple perspectives

Reducing

Inequality

Status of young children today

• Estimated 4 million children born in the United States

Percentage of people in poverty by age group, 1966-2012

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Poverty Tables, Table 3. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/historical/people.html

9.9 12.6

21.1 25.3

43.2 48.1

0

20

40

60

80

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

perc

ent

Deep poverty (<50% FPL)PovertyLow Income (<200% FPL)

*Year reflects the year that the question was asked. Question was asked regarding the previous 12 months. Data refer to children residing with and related to the householder.

Infants/toddlers living in deep poverty, poverty, and with low income Nearly half face economic hardship

12 The Youngest Americans / A report by The Robert R. McCormick Foundation and Child Trends

The word gap

Disparities between higher and lower income infants at 9 and 24 months

Source: Halle, T., Forry, N., Hair, E., Perper, K., Wandner, L., Wessel, J., & Vick, J. (2009). Disparities in Early Learning and Development: Lessons from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). Washington, DC: Child Trends.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Mean Reading Scale Scores - Fall Mean Math Scale Scores - Fall

Less than HS

HS or Equiv.

Some College or Voc.

Bachelor's

Grad/Prof

Mean Reading and Math Scores for Children in Kindergarten for the First Time in the

2010-2011 School Year, by Parents’ Highest Level of Education

Source: Mulligan, G.M., Hastedt, S., and McCarroll, J.C. (2012). First-Time Kindergartners in 2010-11: First Findings From the Kindergarten Rounds of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) (NCES 2012-049). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved [January 30, 2013] from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch. Note: The assessment scale was 0-83 for the reading assessment and 0-75 for the mathematics assessment. Estimates based on a preliminary version of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) restricted-use data file.

Child Well- Being in Rich Countries: A Comparative Overview

“Child well-being in rich countries. A comparative overview.” UNICEF Office of Research, Innocenti Report Card 11

Where are We Today: The Challenge in the U.S.

Opportunity gap •Opportunity Gap

Achievement gap

•Achievement Gap

Productivity Gap

•Productivity gap

Trends

Early childhood prenatal- 8

PATH TO SUCCESS

Parenting and

Family Support

Maternal Health

and Prenatal

Care

Family Economic Supports

and Ongoing

Education

Child Health

And Nutrition

Quality Early

Childhood Programs

Quality Primary Schools

PATH TO EARLY SUCCESS PATH TO EARLY SUCCESS Two Generation Path

to Early Success

Healthy pregnancy and birth

Thriving at 3

Eager and ready at 5

Successful at 8

Tracking Child Development

Community hubs

Emerging Vision Old Think • Learning begins at school • Health or education • Care vs education • Child focus vs parent focus • Individual programs at a

single age

New Think • Learning begins at birth • Health and education • Care and education • Two generations • Continuity prenatal- 8 • Place based

$5 billion invested in the recovery

Quality improvement plan for Head Start

New Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program

Early Learning Challenge Fund- 20 states

Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships

Preschool Development Plans

Bipartisan reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Fund

STEPS FORWARD

Budget Proposals

• Expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (tripling the maximum credit to $3000.00 per young child)

• Paid leave proposal • Child care funding for infants and toddlers,

innovation and changes in the law • Head Start expansion including full day and

EHS-Child Care Partnerships • Preschool Development Grants

What’s Next?

• Extending the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting Program

• ESEA reauthorization • Appropriation process

What does all this mean for your community ?

Child Care & Development Block Grant

Reauthorization: Opportunities for County Leaders

February 22, 2015

What is CCDF Reauthorization? • The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 (P.L.

113-186) was signed into law November 19, 2014. Reauthorizes the CCDF program for the first time since 1996.

• CCDF is a $5.3 billion block grant program that provides funding to States, Territories, and Tribes to provide access to child care services for low-income families and improve the quality of child care.

• The CCDBG Act of 2014 renews authority for CCDF through FY 2020 and represents an historic re-envisioning of the program.

• Focused on better balancing dual purposes – to promote economic stability for low-income families and support healthy development and learning needs of children.

New Purposes for CCDF Reauthorization provides a two-generational approach focused on the family as a whole, as well as helping parents support their children’s development and learning. New language added by Congress includes: • Promoting involvement by parents and family members in the

development of their children in child care settings; • Delivering high-quality, coordinated early childhood care and education

services to maximize parents’ options; • Improving the overall quality of child care services and programs; • Improving child care and development of participating children; • Increasing the number and percentage of low-income children in high-

quality child care settings.

Key Features of Reauthorization

• 12-month Eligibility Policies • Payment Rates & Provider

Payment Practices • Consumer Education &

Family Engagement • Health & Safety Minimums

in Licensing/Training • Criminal Background Checks • Monitoring

• Training & Professional Development

• Increased Quality Spending • Infant & Toddler Set-aside • Supply-building for

Underserved Populations • Tribal Provisions

Opportunities for Impact Children

Families

Teachers/Providers

Communities

Provide Stable Child Care Assistance to Families Eligibility Policies(658E(c)(2)(N)): • Establishes 12-month eligibility re-determination periods.

– CCDF families remain eligible during the 12-month period as long as income remains below 85% SMI.

– States have option to terminate assistance prior to re-determination if a parent loses employment, but must allow for a 3-month period for job search.

• At re-determination, must provide for a graduated phase-out of assistance for families whose income has increased beyond the initial State threshold, but remains below 85% of SMI.

• Eligibility re-determination should not require parents to unduly disrupt their employment.

Equal Access to High Quality for Low-income Children Equal Access and Rates(658E(c)(4)):

• Requires States to conduct a market rate survey, or use an alternative methodology, such as a cost estimation model, and describe how payment rates will be established based on results of the survey or alternative methodology, taking into account cost of providing higher quality services.

Provider Payment Practices(658E(c)(2)(S)):

• States must establish policies that reflect generally accepted payment practices for child care providers, including (to the extent practicable) paying for absence days, and timely reimbursement for child care services.

Build Supply for Underserved (658E(c)(2)(M)):

• States must develop strategies for increasing supply and quality of services for children in underserved areas, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children in non-traditional hour care—which may include use of grants/contracts and alternative payment.

Consumer Education & Linkages to Services • States must collect and disseminate consumer education to parents

receiving CCDF, the general public, and, where applicable, child care providers, including: – Other financial assistance programs that families might be eligible for,

including TANF, Head Start and Early Head Start, LIHEAP, SNAP, WIC, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Medicaid, and the State children’s health insurance programs (SCHIP);

– Programs carried out under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA); – Information on existing resources and services the State can provide to

conduct developmental screenings and to provide referrals to services for children receiving CCDF assistance, including the coordinated use of EPSDT and development screening services available under section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA); and How a family or provider may use these resources to obtain developmental screenings.

Keeping Children Safe and Healthy

New state requirements include:

• Establish licensing policies and provide training in 10 specific health and safety areas for CCDF providers*: (658E(c)(2)(I))

• Explain any exemptions to licensing and why exemptions do not endanger health and safety of children in the care of such providers. (658E(c)(2)(F)(ii))

• Conduct criminal background checks on all child care providers and their staff members. Not limited to providers serving CCDF children. Relative caregivers excluded. (658H)

• States must make available by electronic means provider-specific information showing results of monitoring and inspection reports. 658E(c)(2)(D)&(E)) *States continue to have the option to exempt relatives from CCDF health and safety

requirements.

Ensure Health and Safety of Children in Child Care

Ensure Health and Safety – Monitoring Monitoring and Inspections (658E(c)(2)(K))

States must have monitoring and inspection requirements for CCDF providers that include:

• Licensed CCDF Providers – 1 pre-licensure inspection for health, safety, and fire standards and annual, unannounced inspections.

• License-Exempt CCDF Providers – Annual inspections for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards.

• States must ensure licensing inspectors are qualified and have received training in related health and safety requirements.

• Ratio of inspectors to providers must be sufficient to ensure visits occur in a timely manner.

Recruit & Retain Qualified and Effective Workforce Training & Professional Development (658E(c)(2)(G)):

• Requires establishment of professional development and training requirements to improve knowledge and skills of CCDF providers and the child care workforce.

• Professional development requirements should: – Include ongoing, annual training and a progression of professional

development (which may include postsecondary education) – Include focus on social-emotional behavioral intervention models

• Incorporate State’s Early Learning and Development Guidelines describing what children should know and be able to do. (Required at 658E(c)(2)(T))

• New list of quality activities specifically identifies professional development and provider accreditation as allowable quality activities.

Increased Quality Set-Asides

Federal Fiscal Year

% Quality Set-aside

% Infant and Toddler

Total Quality Set-aside

FFY 2016 7% -- 7%

FFY 2017 7% 3% 10%

FFY 2018 8% 3% 11%

FFY 2019 8% 3% 11%

FFY 2020 (and ongoing) 9% 3% 12%

Effective Dates

CCDF State & Territory Plan (3-yr) FY 2016-2018

CCDF State & Territory Plan (3-yr) FY 2019-2021

New CCDF Program Requirements

FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 10/01/14 –

9/30/15 10/01/15 –

9/30/16 10/01/16 –

9/30/17 10/01/17 –

9/30/18 10/01/18 –

9/30/19 10/01/19 –

9/30/20 10/01/20 –

9/30/21

Criminal Background Checks Planning/Implementation Compliance by 9/30/2017

Monitoring of Licensing and Regulatory Requirements

Planning/Implementation Compliance by 11/19/2016

Posting Results of Monitoring and Inspection Reports (Website)

Planning/Implementation Compliance by earlier of 11/19/2017 or 1 year after monitoring in place.

State compliance with Priority for Services

Planning/ Implementation Compliance by 9/30/2016

The President’s FY 2016 Proposed Budget for Child Care

The FY 2016 request for Child Care of $9.4B is +$4B over FY 2015 enacted. • Child Care Entitlement to States: +$3.6B in FY 2016 and +$82B

over ten years to ensure that all low-income working families with young children have access to high-quality child care.

• Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG): +$266M targeted to help states implement new provisions of the CCDBG reauthorization that will increase quality, ensure continuity of services, and provide parents clear information about child care providers so they can make informed choices.

• Child Care Pilots for Working Families: +$100M for new pilots to test innovative strategies to better serve working families by addressing gaps in the delivery of child care.

Office of Child Care (OCC) Reauthorization Info • CCDF Reauthorization Resource Page:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/ccdf-reauthorization • Child Care Technical Assistance Network Reauthorization

Resources can be found at https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/ccdf-reauthorization

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) email address: ccdf.reauthorization@acf.hhs.gov

• Comment on the CCDF pre-print for States FY 2016-2018 by March 2nd: https://federalregister.gov/a/2015-01723

Thank you for all you do for children and families

Home • Briefing Room • Statements & Releases

For Immediate Release January 21, 2015

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

FACT SHEET: Helping All Working Families with YoungChildren Afford Child Care

“In today’s economy, when having both parents in the workforce is an economic necessity for many families, weneed affordable, high­quality childcare more than ever. It’s not a nice­to­have ­­ it’s a must­have. So it’s time westop treating childcare as a side issue, or as a women’s issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that itis for all of us.”– President Obama, State of the Union Address, January 20, 2015 Helping working Americans meet the needs of their jobs and their families is a key part of the President’s plan tobolster and expand the middle class. Access to high­quality child care and early education not only promotes achild’s development, but it also helps support parents who are struggling to balance work and family obligations.A safe, nurturing environment that enriches children’s development is critical to working families and is one of thebest investments we can make in our economy. Yet today, a year of child care costs higher than a year of in­statetuition at most colleges – putting a significant strain on parents.

Ensuring that children have access to high quality and affordable early childhood programs can help childrenprepare for school and succeed in later life while strengthening parents’ ability to go to work, advance theircareer, and increase their earning potential. Research shows that money spent on young children is an effectiveinvestment, yielding benefits immediately to parents and for many decades to come for the children. For example,the President’s Council of Economic Advisors’ report on the Economics of Early Childhood indicate thatinvestments in high­quality early education generate economic returns of over  $8 for every $1 spent. 

Today, President Obama outlined his plan to make affordable, quality child care available to every working andmiddle­class family with young children. His plan includes:

Making a landmark investment in the Child Care and Development Fund that helps every eligible familywith young children afford high­quality child care.

Tripling the maximum child care tax credit to $3,000 per young child.

Creating a new innovation fund to help states design programs that better serve families that face uniquechallenges in finding quality care, such as those in rural areas or working non­traditional hours.

Two years ago, the President called for a continuum of high­quality early learning for America’s children –including support for children and their parents beginning prenatally with evidence­based home visitation foryoung children and new and expecting parents and continuing through high­quality preschool for America’s 4­year olds. Over the past two years, the federal government, states, philanthropists, and business leaders haveinvested nearly $3 billion in high­quality preschool and early education. Today’s announcement builds on thesecontinuing efforts to make high­quality early education and child care available for all. These investments toexpand and strengthen child care and early education programs complement the Administration’s other efforts tohelp working families, including offering workers the opportunity to earn paid sick and family leave, a higherminimum wage, and equal pay for women.

NEW INVESTMENTS IN CHILD CARE AFFORDABILITY, QUALITY, AND AVAILABILITY

Parents who work in low­wage jobs can face real difficulties affording quality child care – in 2013, the averagecost of full­time care for an infant at a child care center was about $10,000 per year – higher than the average costof in­state tuition at a public 4­year college ­  and much higher in some locations. Without help, many families canface the untenable choice of not working or leaving their children in unsafe, unstable, or poor quality child carearrangements. Affordable, quality childcare can help parents so they can go to work to support their family.

Learning begins at birth, and the earliest years of a child’s life are those most critical for building foundationalcognitive skills, social and emotional skills, and patterns of engagement in school and learning. Studies show thatchildren who attend high­quality early learning programs – including high­quality child care – are more likely todo well in school, find good jobs, have fewer interactions with the justice system, and have greater earnings asadults than those who don’t.  Increasing the supply of high­quality, affordable child care can help parents balance

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work and family responsibilities while also investing in young children. 

That’s why this year the President proposes unprecedented investments in making quality child care affordableand available for working families by:

Expanding access to child care assistance for all eligible families with children under four years ofage, within ten years. The federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) helps low­ and moderate­income families with the cost of child care and increases the availability and quality of that care. Statescontribute matching resources for a portion of the CCDF funding they receive. But currently, federal andstate funding for child care assistance falls well short of the need, and only a small share of young childrenreceive federally­funded child care subsidies. The President’s proposal will ensure that all low­ andmoderate­income families (those with incomes below 200 percent of the poverty line, or approximately$40,000 for a family of three) with children age three and under have access to a subsidy to pay for qualitychild care so they can work or attend school or job training. By 2025, this investment will expand access tohigh­quality care to more than 1 million additional young children, reaching a total of more than 2.6 millionchildren served monthly through the child care subsidy system. To qualify for this funding, states will berequired to develop sound plans for how they will build the supply of quality care for infants and toddlersand ensure that the subsidies they provide (when combined with reasonable copayments families canafford) will  cover the cost of quality care.

Cutting taxes for families paying child care with a credit of up to $3,000 per child. The President’s taxproposal would streamline child care tax benefits and triple the maximum child care tax credit for middleclass families with young children, increasing it to $3,000 per child. The President’s child care taxproposals would benefit 5.1 million families, helping them cover child care costs for  6.7 million children(including 3.5 million children under five), through the following reforms:

Triple the maximum Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) for families with children under five,increasing it to $3,000 per child. Families with young children face the highest child care costs. Underthe President’s proposal, they could claim a 50 percent credit for up to $6,000 of expenses per childunder five.

Make the full credit available to most middle­class families. Under current law, almost no families qualifyfor the maximum CDCTC. The President’s proposal would make the maximum credit – for youngchildren, older children, and elderly or disabled dependents – available to families with incomes up to$120,000, meaning that most middle­class families could easily determine how much help they can get.

Eliminate complex child care flexible spending accounts and reinvest the savings in the improvedCDCTC. The President’s proposal would replace the current system of complex and duplicativeincentives with one generous and simple child care tax benefit.

 Improving the quality of child care. Last year Congress acted on a bipartisan basis to pass child carelegislation that includes much­needed reforms to improve the quality and safety in child care settings,including  requiring training for providers to prevent sudden infant death syndrome, instituting annualinspections of child care facilities, and comprehensive background checks of all providers. This proposalwould provide the resources to help states implement those important reforms and support the expansionof access to quality child care programs staffed by early educators that can provide developmentallyappropriate services that promote the healthy development and school readiness of young children

 Promoting Innovation in the Child Care Subsidy System.  The President will also invest $100 million innew competitive grants to states, territories, tribes and communities to develop, implement and evaluatemodels of providing child care to address the unmet needs for families who face unique challenges tosecuring child care. These pilots could be used to develop promising practices for families in ruralcommunities or have children with disabilities, parents who work non­traditional hours, and other familieswho struggle to find and use high­quality child care.

A COMPREHENSIVE EARLY EDUCATION AGENDA

In addition to the historic investment in helping every low­income and middle­class family afford child care, thePresident’s FY16 budget will make critical investments to expand access to high­quality early education,including:

 Providing Preschool for All:  In his 2013 State of the Union, the Obama Administration announced aproposal to provide high­quality preschool to every American child and the FY 2016 Budget will continue tosupport this historic public investment in early education and in the future of America’s children.  This $75billion partnership with states would extend federal funds to expand high­quality preschool to reach all low­and moderate­income four­year­olds from families at or below 200% of poverty.  The proposal, financedthrough an increase in tobacco taxes which will discourage youth smoking and save lives, alsoencourages states to broaden participation to reach additional middle­income families and to expand theavailability of full­day kindergarten. In December 2014, the President and Vice President hosted the WhiteHouse Summit on Early Childhood Education, highlighting over $1 billion in investments dedicated to early

childhood education and development, including new efforts to expand preschool across 18 states and inover 200 high­need communities, reaching an additional 33,000 children. 

 Supporting Infants and Toddlers  through Early Head Start­Child Care Partnerships: ThisAdministration has more than doubled the number of infants and toddlers in Early Head Start and, in 2014,created the new Early Head Start­Child Care Partnerships program – an effort to  provide quality care totens of thousands of additional infants and toddlers through a partnership between Early Head Start andchild care providers that meet the highest standards of quality to serve children from birth through agethree.  The Obama Administration has invested $500 million to support communities and proposesadditional funding as they improve and expand comprehensive early care and education through the EarlyHead Start­Child Care Partnerships program, reaching over 30,000 infants and toddlers this year.

Increasing the duration of Head Start to a full school day and year. Head Start is a key element of theAdministration’s efforts to help all children meet their full potential. The Obama Administration has alreadytaken dramatic steps to raise the bar on Head Start quality, including requiring low­performing programs tocompete for continued funding, and is revising performance standards to reflect the best available scienceon early learning and development. The President’s Budget includes a new proposal to further increasethe impact of Head Start – while also helping the working parents of Head Start children – by providingenough resources to make sure all children in Head Start benefit from a full school day and full school year(at least six hours a day, 170 days a year), which research shows leads to better outcomes for youngchildren.

Investing in Voluntary, Evidence­Based Home Visiting: Established in 2010, the Maternal, Infant andEarly Childhood Home Visiting program builds on research showing that home visits by a nurse, socialworker, or other professional during pregnancy and in the earliest years of life has benefits to parents andto children. These programs have been shown to significantly improve maternal and child health,development, and learning.  These effects have proven to be long­lasting, with one study showingimproved language and math abilities at age 12.  Additionally, these programs have led to increases inparental employment and reductions in child maltreatment. To date it has supported more than 1.4 millionvisits in over 700 communities. The President’s Budget would ensure the program does not end whenfunding is scheduled to expire in March 2015 and expand the program to reach additional families andcommunities. This proposal is also supported by the increased tobacco tax.

CCDF-ACF-PI-2015-02 ATTACHMENT: Timeline of Effective Dates for States and Territories: Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014

CCDF State & Territory Plan (3-yr) FY 2016-2018

CCDF State & Territory Plan (3-yr) FY 2019-2021

New CCDF Program Requirements FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021

10/01/2014 – 9/30/2015

10/01/2015 – 9/30/2016

10/01/2016 – 9/30/2017

10/01/2017 – 9/30/2018

10/01/2018 – 9/30/2019

10/01/2019 – 9/30/2020

10/01/2020 – 9/30/2021

Minimum Quality Spending Requirement (658G(a)(2)(A))

Planning/ Implementation at least 7% at least 7% at least 8% at least 8% at least 9% at least 9%

Infant and Toddler Spending Requirement (Additional 3% quality set-aside) (658G(a)(2)(B))

Planning/Implementation at least 3% at least 3% at least 3% at least 3% at least 3%

Criminal Background Checks (658H(j)) Planning/Implementation Compliance by 9/30/2017: Not later than the last day of the 2nd full fiscal year after enactment (states may request an extension of not more than 1 year).

Monitoring of Licensing and Regulatory Requirements (658E(c)(2)(K)) Planning/Implementation Compliance by 11/19/2016: Not later than 2 years after the

date of enactment. Posting Results of Monitoring and Inspection Reports (Website) (658E(c)(2)(D))

Planning/Implementation Compliance by earlier of 11/19/2017 or 1 year after monitoring in place.

State compliance with Priority for Services (658E(c)(3)(B)(ii)) Planning/Implementation

Compliance by 9/30/2016: Not later than September 30 of the first full fiscal year after the date of enactment (ACF will make an annual determination and report thereafter). The requirement to submit this report applies to ACF. However, prior to submission of this report, states will need to provide information to ACF regarding their compliance with priority for services.

Other Requirements Planning/ Implementation

If a state or territory provides justification for why it cannot certify compliance with one or more of the requirements of the new law in its FY 2016-2018 Plan, ACF may allow the Lead Agency to submit a state-specific timeline for achieving compliance with such provision(s). We expect the need for additional time would be limited to provisions that require significant policy revisions or implementation and that the timeline for implementation would not exceed a 1-year period (i.e., September 30, 2016).

Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 Plain Language Summary of Statutory Changes

HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILD CARE PROVIDERS

• Requires States to establish health and safety requirements in 10 different topic areas (e.g., prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), first-aid, and CPR).

• Child care providers serving children receiving assistance through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program must receive pre-service and ongoing training on such topics.

• Requires States to conduct criminal background checks for all child care staff members, including staff members who don’t care directly for children but have unsupervised access to children, and specifies disqualifying crimes.

• Requires States to certify child care providers will comply with child abuse reporting requirements. • Requires States to conduct pre-licensure and annual unannounced inspections of licensed CCDF

providers and annual inspections of license-exempt CCDF providers. • States must establish qualifications and training for licensing inspectors and appropriate inspector-to-

provider ratios. • Requires States to have standards for CCDF providers regarding group size limits and appropriate child-

to-provider ratios based on the age of children in child care. • Requires emergency preparedness planning and statewide disaster plans for child care.

TRANSPARENT CONSUMER AND PROVIDER EDUCATION INFORMATION • States must make available by electronic means, easily accessible provider-specific information showing

results of monitoring and inspection reports, as well as the number of deaths, serious injuries, and instances of substantiated child abuse that occur in child care settings each year.

• Requires States to have a website describing processes for licensing and monitoring child care providers, processes for conducting criminal background checks, and offenses that prevent individuals from being child care providers.

• Funds a national website to disseminate consumer education information that allows search by zip code and referral to local child care providers, as well as a national hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY ELIGIBILITY POLICIES

• Establishes a 12-month eligibility re-determination period for CCDF families, regardless of changes in income (as long as income does not exceed the federal threshold of 85% of State median income) or temporary changes in participation in work, training, or education activities.

• Allows States the option to terminate assistance prior to re-determination if a parent loses employment, however assistance must be continued for at least 3 months to allow for job search.

• Eligibility re-determination should not require parents to unduly disrupt their employment. • Provides for a graduated phase-out of assistance for families whose income has increased at the time of

re-determination, but remains below the federal threshold. • Requires procedures for enrollment of homeless children pending completion of documentation, and

training and outreach to promote access to services for homeless families. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CHILD CARE

• Phases-in increase in minimum quality set-aside from 4% to 9% over a 5-year period. In addition, requires States to spend minimum of 3% to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers.

• Requires States to spend quality funds on at least 1 of 10 specified quality activities, which include developing tiered quality rating systems and supporting statewide resource and referral services.

• Requires establishment of professional development and training requirements with ongoing annual training and progression to improve knowledge and skills of CCDF providers.

• Requires States to implement Early Learning and Development Guidelines describing what children should know and be able to do, appropriate from birth to kindergarten entry.

• Includes provisions on social-emotional health of children, including providing consumer and provider education about policies regarding expulsions of children from early care and education programs and developmental screenings for children at risk of cognitive or developmental delays.

TRIBES

• Tribal set-aside: Establishes a set-aside of not less than 2% (prior law said up to 2%) for Tribes. • The law does not indicate the extent to which many of the new provisions apply to Tribes.1

OTHER PROVISIONS

• Equal Access: Requires States to conduct a market rate survey, or use an alternative methodology, such as a cost estimation model, and describe how payment rates will be established based on results of the survey or alternative methodology, taking into account cost of providing higher quality services.

• Supply-building: States must develop strategies for increasing supply and quality of services for children in underserved areas, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children in non-traditional hour care—which may include use of grants/contracts and alternative reimbursement.

• Provider payment practices: States must establish policies that reflect generally accepted payment practices for child care providers, including (to the extent practicable) paying for absence days, and timely reimbursement for child care services.

• Technical assistance set-aside: Establishes a set-aside of up to ½ of 1% for technical assistance on administering the CCDF program.

• Research set-aside: Establishes a set-aside of up to ½ of 1% to conduct research and demonstration activities, as well as periodic, external, independent evaluations of the CCDF program.

• Plan period: Changes CCDF Plan period from 2 to 3-year Plan cycle. • Waiver authority: Allows HHS to waive provisions or penalties in the statute for up to 3 years (with the

option of a 1 year extension) based on a request from a State identifying duplicative requirements preventing effective delivery of child care services, extraordinary circumstances, or an extended period of time for a State legislature to enact legislation to implement the statute.

1 The Office of Child Care will issue policy guidance on how provisions apply to Tribes after consultation with Tribal Leaders and administrators.