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Part II – Developing the Child Care Program

Section 2.1 – Consultation and Results of Coordination

Describe the consultations the Lead Agency held in developing this Plan. At a minimum, the description must include the following: 1) the representatives of local governments (including Tribal organizations when such organizations exist within the boundaries of the State) that were consulted (658D(b)(2), 98.12(b)); and 2) the results of coordination with other Federal, State, local and Tribal (if applicable) agencies and programs including those involved with public health, employment, public education, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).(658D(b)(1)(D), 98.12(a), 98.14(a)(1)&(2))
Coordination and Consultation Partners Reflect Changing Priorities

More States reported consultation and collaboration efforts in the design and implementation of their child care subsidy programs. In particular, coordination of service delivery with TANF agencies, State health departments, and the Department of Labor reflect prioritization of welfare reform, children's physical health, and apprenticeship, respectively.

Lead Agencies work with many Federal, State, local, and Tribal entities in developing State Plans. Many States have established State and local coordinating councils or advisory boards that meet regularly to provide input and direction on CCDF-funded programs. Table 2.1 compares coordination and consultation partners engaged by States in 2000-2001 and 2002-2003. A description of some of the approaches States reported in 2002-2003 CCDF Plans follows.

  • Forty-four States (AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, GA, HI, ID, IN, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY) reported that their Lead Agencies coordinate with their Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) programs in the delivery of child care services.

    In Alabama, the Lead Agency administers both CCDF and TANF programs. The two programs also closely coordinate with workforce development programs through the Department of Labor. This collaboration has resulted in a more effective and seamless delivery of services to families.

    In Delaware, the Lead Agency administers both CCDF and TANF programs. This has resulted in closely coordinated programs to ensure that child care is available to TANF participants. For example, the State's transportation program provides, at minimal costs, access to transportation for both employment- and child care-related needs.

    In Pennsylvania, the Lead Agency, together with the TANF program, collaborated in developing a streamlined delivery system of child care assistance to TANF and non-TANF families. The collaboration jointly developed forms, mailings, training modules, and a jointly designed child care automated management information system to assist families in making a smooth transition from TANF to non-TANF child care assistance.

    In Puerto Rico, coordination with TANF has resulted in $1.5 million transferred into child care. The TANF program contracts with case management agencies to manage TANF caseloads and refer families for child care assistance.

    In Texas, coordination with the TANF agency has resulted in uniform procedures in referring TANF applicants into workforce orientations and in assisting families to make informed choices about child care arrangements.

  • Twenty States (AL, AZ, CA, GA, HI, KS, IL, MA, MN, NV, NH, NC, ND, OR, PR, RI, SC, SD, UT, WV) collaborate with the State Department of Education or other public or private entity to expand services for school-age children.

    California's After School Learning and Safe Neighborhoods Partnerships Program links schools with communities to provide literacy, academic enrichment, and safe, constructive alternatives for children from kindergarten through ninth grade. This initiative includes collaboration with parents, youth, schools, government agencies, community-based organizations, and the private sector. The funding for this program has increased significantly in recent years.

    Hawaii provides financial assistance for TANF children in the After School Plus Program through a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Education. The Lead Agency pays a portion of the monthly costs associated with after-school activities. This initiative is a way to reach the State's earmarks for after-school participation in FY 2002.

    In North Carolina, the Lead Agency collaborates with the Department of Public Instruction and 4-H Youth Development to increase the availability and quality of school-age care. An availability grant made it possible for an additional 2,053 school-age children to receive services during a nine-month period.

    North Dakota works with schools to implement school-age programs and provides technical assistance. Over 100 programs have been developed Statewide, and every year new programs are added.

    South Dakota established the Out-of-School Time program to meet communities' needs for school-age care. The Governor's Office held a Statewide conference to support communities in their efforts to develop out-of-school programs. The Lead Agency and out-of-school time programs established an affiliate of the National School-Age Care Alliance and together sponsored conferences and events at the Capitol.

    In West Virginia, the Lead Agency and Department of Education developed the School Day Plus program. CCDF funds are provided to the Department of Education for grants to school-age programs for start-up and supporting programs in low-income neighborhoods. Child care centers and schools must work together to provide services either at schools or off-site.

  • Twenty States (AZ, AR, DE, CO, CT, GA, HI, KS, ME, MA, MS, MT, NY, OH, PR, SC, SD, TX, WA, WV) reported that they collaborate with the Department of Education or other educational entities on preschool projects.

    Colorado partners with the Department of Education in administering the Consolidated Child Care Pilots in 18 communities. The Pilots target children under age 5 in an extensive, collaborative effort between the Colorado Preschool Program, the CCDF child care assistance program, Head Start grantees, and multiple members on local early childhood councils. The goal is to meet families' full-time, full-year care needs and increase the quality of child care. Pilots are authorized to seek waivers from any State regulation or statute that hinders their ability to consolidate early childhood programs to meet the needs of families. New initiatives undertaken by the pilots are implementation of a credentialing system, development of outcomes-based licensing models, and programs for children with emotional/behavioral problems.

    In Connecticut, the Lead Agency has partnered with the Department of Education—which includes early childhood education, Head Start, and State-funded family resource and preschool programs—to manage the State's School Readiness preschool initiative.

    Delaware developed a comprehensive plan to meet early care and education needs for the next 10 years. A newly created Office of Early Care and Education was established in the spring of 2000, with three State departments contributing to the funding of staff positions. The Early Success initiative is an interagency effort between the Departments of Education; Services for Children, Youth and their Families; and Health and Social Services.

    In Georgia, extended-day services for children enrolled in the prekindergarten program are made available through an agreement between the Lead Agency and the Office of School Readiness.

    In Kansas, discussions have been initiated between the Lead Agency and the Department of Education on funding preschool programs.

    New York is expecting its Universal Pre-kindergarten Education Program to expand and become universal within the next three years. The Lead Agency collaborates with the State Education Department on policy and standards and actively participates on the interagency advisory board. At least 10 percent of the funding to school districts must be dedicated to contracts with other agencies.

    Washington implemented a Statewide transition system in early childhood, affiliated with the Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools national project. Effective planning and community involvement prepare children to enter school ready for success. The Lead Agency and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction plus four other State entities work in conjunction with the Washington State Project Steps Team on this project.

  • Forty-seven States (AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY) reported collaboration with the Department of Health. Sixteen States described Healthy Child Care America initiatives (AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, IL, MD, MN, MT, NY, PA, SD, WV) involving the health departments and other health-related partners.

    Arizona's Healthy Child Care America project is administered by the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The advisory board has a diverse membership and works on the following goals: to link child care providers with health care consultants, to link families with access to children's health insurance through child care providers, and to enhance health and safety standards in child care settings through recommendations published by the AAP and the American Public Health Association.

    Delaware is implementing a comprehensive child care health consultant program including consultants from child care licensing; Women, Infants and Children (WIC); Family and Workplace Connection; public health nurses; health educators; environmental health inspectors; social workers; early childhood specialist and educators; pediatricians; and college nursing professors and graduate nursing students. Providers are linked with consultants to meet their needs. The Public Health agency is developing and managing the database. Once established, the Family and Workplace Connection will maintain the database.

    In the District of Columbia, a collaborative agreement with the Department of Health has resulted in expedited health exams for TANF families entering the workforce.

    Georgia's Lead Agency collaborates with Public Health on a grant from the Federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau to focus on health service delivery in child care by integrating health care, child care, and social support services at the State and community levels. A State-level network has been established that developed information to assist child care providers in finding resources, developed and updated a train-the-trainer program, and provides child care health consultant training.

    Idaho contracts with regional district health offices to monitor child care providers in compliance with health and safety standards. The health districts also provide health consultation and technical assistance to providers.

    Massachusetts shares data with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to identify families eligible for WIC and child care assistance.

    In North Carolina, collaboration with the Division of Public Health has enhanced health care by increasing outreach for the children's health insurance program, providing training on lead abatement, increasing the number of children receiving immunizations and health screenings, continuing a toll-free telephone number for child care providers to call for health and safety information, funding a newsletter in English and Spanish, and implementing child care health consultant services funded by the Infant/Toddler project.

    Pennsylvania collaborates with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and its Early Childhood Education Linkage System. This system created linkages to over 8,700 child care facilities. In addition, health and safety information is distributed to child care providers on the Web and through a quarterly newsletter, and child health record checks are conducted on 10 percent of the children enrolled in the Lead Agency's 3,900 licensed child care centers.

    Wisconsin collaborates with the Health Department, child care health consultants, and the Healthy Child Care America work group to focus on children's health issues in designing quality improvement programs.

  • Forty-five States reported consultation and/or collaborative efforts with Head Start programs (AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY).

    Alaska began the State Planning process with a Statewide Child Care–Head Start collaborative meeting. Over 100 people, representing Tribal, child care and Head Start entities attended the meeting.

    In Illinois, the Governor's budget includes $10 million for Head Start collaboration with child care serving more than 1,900 children from working families with all-day comprehensive Head Start services. Three policy changes have improved services to families: annual redetermination of eligibility, 90-day job-loss grace periods, and indefinite eligibility for families whose participation is part of their Responsibilities and Service Plan.

    Montana's Head Start and Head Start Collaboration representatives identified challenges in serving children under Head Start–Child Care partnership facilities. This resulted in recommended changes in State eligibility to help stabilize payments to partnership facilities.

    Pennsylvania's Head Start State Collaboration Project has prioritized child care and education and job training for families transitioning from welfare to work. Increased awareness, resources, and technical assistance have supported development of full-day, full-year services through Head Start–Child Care partnerships.

    In West Virginia, Head Start Collaboration Supplement Grants are used to promote the development of an early education professional development system.

  • Twenty-five States reported collaborations with Tribal organizations (AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, LA, ME, MN, MS, MT, NE, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, RI, SD, TN, TX, WA, WI).

    Minnesota's counties collaborate with Tribes to ensure equal access into child care assistance programs. Tribal programs also apply for State and regional grants to support coordinated community planning to increase the availability and quality of child care.

    Montana collaborates with Tribal programs through the Montana Early Childhood Advisory Council. The council is the State's forum to raise concerns and recommendations from the seven Tribes. Tribal families are dually eligible for assistance under both the State and Tribal State Plans. Montana's automated child care computer system was updated to include Tribal TANF families.

    In North Carolina, collaboration between local agencies administering child care assistance and the Cherokee Center for Family Services ensures effective use of State and Tribal CCDF funds for families. Also, partnerships with local Smart Start and Head Start agencies increase access to high-quality child care and family services for Tribal families.

    North Dakota convenes several meetings with Tribal programs annually. An ongoing exchange of information about changes in child care assistance programs and families receiving assistance is shared between the Lead Agency and Tribal programs.

    Oklahoma works cooperatively with Tribes in establishing licensing requirements and child care assistance programs, and in monitoring licensed facilities. In addition, the Lead Agency contracts with the Cherokee Tribe to provide resource and referral services, and together with the Delaware Tribe, the two Tribes administer a family child care home network.

    Washington convened a Tribal-State work group of all 26 Indian Tribes to resolve issues related to dual eligibility, accessibility of child care assistance programs, State certification for payments in Tribes' licensed facilities, improved communication, policy interpretation, and Statewide health and safety standards for facilities licensed by Tribes.

  • Twenty-nine States reported consultation and/or collaboration efforts with the Department of Labor (AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, ID, IN, KS, LA, MA, MN, MT, NE, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, RI, SD, TX, WA, WV). One of the more common collaborative efforts has resulted in the implementation of Apprenticeship Programs for the child care workforce.

    Arkansas partnered with the Department of Workforce Education in a recently implemented apprenticeship project.

    New Jersey's county-based advisory councils completed a comprehensive planning process to identify child care needs for working families. This effort was coordinated in conjunction with workforce boards and welfare-to-work committees.

    Ohio merged the Department of Human Services and the Bureau of Employment Services to form the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. This merger strengthens the connection between employment services and child care for consumers.

    In Rhode Island, the apprenticeship project is a cross-agency effort supported by the Lead Agency, and the Departments of Labor and Training, Education, Health, and Children, Youth and Families.

  • Thirty-six States (AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, IL, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MN, MS, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, PR, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, WV, WY) indicated that consultation with parents occurs in developing State Plans. In most of these States, parents are involved by participating on existing State and local councils and committees. A few States intensified their efforts to solicit input from parents:

    In New York, the Commissioner of the Lead Agency convened a series of Statewide parent forums. The purpose of the forums was to share child care information and to give parents an opportunity to voice their issues and concerns.

    Rhode Island conducted an intensive outreach effort to solicit consultation from parents over an eight-month period. The Lead Agency conducted 16 focus groups with 12-20 participants in each. The groups consisted of TANF and income-eligible child care parents. Participants were offered a stipend of $30 to cover child care and transportation costs. Three groups were held in Spanish, Cape Verdean, and South East Asian languages. The input from families resulted in a redesign of the child care assistance program as reflected in the State Plan.

    In Washington, a Statewide survey was sent to approximately 27,000 providers and parents to solicit input on child care issues.

  • Twenty-three States (CO, CT, DC, GA, IL, IN, MA, ME, MN, MS, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NY, NC, PR, RI, SC, SD, UT, VT, WV) reported collaborations with developmental disabilities, mental health, and early intervention entities to increase quality child care for children with special needs.

    Colorado's Map to Inclusive Child Care Team continues to increase the quality and availability of inclusive child care through collaborative efforts with community developmental disabilities boards and child care providers.

    Illinois continues its Map to Inclusive Child Care initiative by combining efforts with the Birth to Three on Unmet Needs Project to implement provider training and community support for serving children with special needs.

    Maine, as a result of a caucus meeting, has changed its CCDF Plan to include identification of special needs referrals.

    In Massachusetts, the Lead Agency and Department of Public Health have collaborated to help providers, families and resource and referral agencies provide better services for children with disabilities by developing regional consultation teams. The teams assist in referrals and provide training and support to programs.

    In another effort, the Lead Agency and Department of Public Health recently began a pilot collaboration in which vouchers for infants and toddlers with disabilities are provided by the Lead Agency for the health department's early intervention program. The Lead Agency also is addressing mental health needs by conducting a training session to explain what types of mental health services are available to child care providers, and contributing funds (along with the Division of Medical Assistance) to begin several pilot programs to provide a mental health social worker on child care facility sites.

    Minnesota developed Project EXCEPTIONAL to increase the availability of care for children with special needs. Local training teams representing early childhood special education, child care, Head Start, and parents of children with disabilities provided training in communities.

    New York's Lead Agency is working collaboratively with the Department of Education to integrate child care and special education preschools in providing inclusive programs for children with special needs. Approved special education preschools will become licensed as child care center programs. Also, a video-conference training session on working with children with special needs was conducted for child care providers.

    South Dakota implemented an Inclusion Workgroup made of 19 representatives from State, public, private, nonprofit, and higher education sectors. Results of this effort include increased training requirements for regulated child care providers, provision of inclusion training for child care providers, incentives for providers who increase capacity to serve children with special needs, creation of a resource directory, and increased reimbursement rates for providers caring for children with special needs.

    In Vermont, interagency agreements to assure access to services for children with special needs have been implemented. Grants for early childhood mental health services support consultation and direct services to child care programs.

  • Thirty-six States (AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MS, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, WV, WI) reported that planning and collaboration efforts are directed by State and/or local councils, committees, and advisory boards that are established by the State or through legislation. Typically, the representative composition of these entities is diverse, meetings are scheduled regularly, and the entities are responsible for making recommendations and reviewing child care policies and programs to a State Department, the Governor, or the Legislature.

    Alabama established the Governor's Early Learning Commission, which is charged with making recommendations to enhance programs for children ages 0-6 and their families.

    California implemented the CalWORKs Principals Group at the State level to address funding, program, and quality issues. In addition, the Child Development Policy Advisory Committee is a statutorily created entity under the Governor. At the local level, Child Care and Development Planning Councils in 58 counties conduct child care needs assessments, identify local needs, and prepare plans.

    In Colorado, the statutorily created Child Care Commission is made up of legislators and Governor appointees to study and make recommendations on child care issues.

    Indiana established the State Step Ahead Panel in statute to encourage collaborations for early childhood programs. This effort is active at both the State and local county levels, with local county coordinators meeting regularly with State members.

    Kentucky established the Governor's Early Childhood Initiative to enhance early childhood care, education, and development. This initiative generated a high level of public participation at early childhood issues forums.

    Maryland established the Child Care Administration Advisory Council, which coordinates and reviews the State Plan and regulations, and is the recipient of child care initiatives such as the Healthy Child Care America grant.

    Mississippi recently created the Early Childhood Services Interagency Coordinating Council through legislation. The purpose of the council is to ensure coordination among agencies serving preschool children for the purpose of achieving the school readiness goal, and to facilitate communication and maximize resources to promote high standards for preschool children and their families.

    Oregon established the State Childhood Care and Education Coordinating Council, which advises the Lead Agency on developing the State Plan, building a child care infrastructure, coordinating programs and service delivery, and creating and prioritizing new projects.

    In Tennessee, the Lead Agency's Intradepartmental Child Care Committee collaborates with the Child Care Resource Centers Advisory Committee to review and make recommendations on child care programs.

  • Twelve States (AR, CA, DC, CO, CT, GA, ID, MA, MT, NC, PR, WV) reported collaboration with higher education in child care initiatives.

    In Arkansas, the Lead Agency collaborates with three university entities to provide orientation, certification, and endorsement training for child care providers.

    In Montana, collaboration between the Lead Agency and the University of Montana and Western Montana College has resulted in implementation of the apprenticeship program, an online 24-credit CDA course, an infant/toddler curriculum offered on weekends and in the summer, availability of college credits for a business practices course for child care providers, and a collaborative application that was awarded for the Map to Inclusion Project.

    Puerto Rico collaborates with the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences College, which has produced and published a curriculum for infant/toddler care and provides technical assistance to child care providers.

  • Thirty-five States (AL, AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI) coordinate with resource and referral agencies. Resource and referral agencies are involved in a multitude of different initiatives.

    Idaho's resource and referral agencies coordinate training with higher education and vocational education, provide services to the Tribes, and provide consumer education.

    Minnesota's resource and referral agencies administer grants to child care providers for start-up and improvement activities. The agencies engage businesses by developing options for employers.

    In North Carolina, the resource and referral agencies publicize CCDF-funded services and provide the Lead Agency with feedback on CCDF initiatives.

    In North Dakota, nurses—who are located in resource and referral agencies—work with child care providers by providing on-site training.

    West Virginia's resource and referral agencies deliver core competency professional development training, are part of the Healthy Child Care America initiative, and increase participation in the Children's Health Insurance Program.

  • Additional collaborative efforts reported by States include:

    Kansas collaborates with the Juvenile Justice Authority in adapting an intervention curriculum for school-age children and coordinating funding in communities for prevention and school-age activities.

    Massachusetts works with the Latino Family Child Care Association to identify and accommodate the needs of Latino child care providers. Also, the State has developed developmentally appropriate drop-in child care programs for children who accompany their parents to Massachusetts' trial courts.

    Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont are part of a grant-funded initiative made up of a coalition of public and private agencies. The coalition's purpose is to compile and analyze data on the child care workforce in New England.

    Minnesota's Lead Agency is collaborating with the Departments of Human Services and Economic Security to conduct a Statewide longitudinal study of TANF families. The study will examine the relationship between availability of appropriate child care and families' transition to self-sufficiency. A second collaboration is with the Department of Revenue to provide assistance to employers in increasing pre-tax child care accounts and supporting parent choice in child care.

    In Nebraska, the Department of Economic Development assists in identifying child care needs from local government, chambers of commerce, and colleges and universities.

    North Carolina is embarking on a Business Process Implementation Project to provide a family-centered, seamless service delivery system between TANF, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, the food stamp program and child care, with links to child support, child welfare, and adult and family services.

    Pennsylvania is collaborating with the Department of Education on a family literacy initiative. Evaluation tools, including a self-assessment for family literacy providers, were jointly developed. In another project, the Lead Agency along with the Department of Community and Economic Development is implementing the Governor's CyberStart Initiative. This initiative will provide computers and training to 1,600 child care centers.

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Section 2.2 – Public Hearing Process

Describe the Statewide public hearing process held to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the provision of child care services under this Plan. At a minimum, the description must include the date(s) of the hearing(s), how and when the public was notified Statewide of the hearing(s), the hearing site(s), and how the content of the Plan was made available to the public in advance of the hearing. (658D(b)(1)(C), 98.14(c))

Section 658D(b) of the CCDBG Act requires the Lead Agency to hold at least one hearing in the State with sufficient time and Statewide notification to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the provision of child care services. Plans were required to be sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by July 1, 2001.

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Public Hearing Dates and Locations Summary
  • States held an average of 2.8 public hearings, slightly lower than the 2.92 average reported in the 2000-2001 Plans:
    • 16 States held 1 hearing
    • 2 States held 1 video conference hearing that was accessed by multiple sites
    • 9 States held 2 hearings
    • 10 States held 3 hearings
    • 13 States held 4 or more hearings
  • States held public hearings in an average of 4.22 different meeting locations, again slightly lower than the 4.4 average reported in 2000-2001:
    • 16 States held hearings in 1 location
    • 7 States held hearings in 2 locations
    • 9 States held hearings in 3 locations
    • 18 States held hearings in 4 or more locations
  • Seven States (KS, NM, RI, UT, VT, WA, WY) held community forums or focus groups preceding the official public hearings to solicit input in developing the Plans.

    Kansas held a public forum as part of the Statewide Child Care and Early Education Advisory Committee meeting six weeks before the public hearings.

    New Mexico held town hall meetings and presented components of the child care program at the Interim Legislative Committee Hearings, where input was received from legislators, citizens, providers, and others.

    Rhode Island held the first public hearing nearly four months before the second to review proposed regulatory changes to the child care assistance program.

    Utah held seven public forums several months before the public hearings to gather community input on developing the Plan.

    Vermont held community forums in 11 regions beginning eight months prior to the public hearing.

    Washington sponsored a stakeholder meeting several months previous to the public hearings.

    Wyoming held 26 town meetings in the year previous to the public hearing. In addition, four months before the public hearing, the Lead Agency met with associations, parents, and partners to solicit input on development of the Plan.

  • Nine States (AK, AR, DC, IA, MT, NV, ND, SD, VT) conducted the public hearings through video-conferencing.

    In addition to six public hearings, Alaska held a Statewide audio conference.

    Arkansas held a hearing via satellite at eight locations.

    In the District of Columbia, a cable television station recorded and aired the public hearings several times a day.

    In Iowa, public hearings were held through the Iowa Communications Network at 38 sites.

    In Nevada, the second public hearing was teleconferenced to increase participation in the southern part of the State.

    North Dakota reached eight sites through the North Dakota Video Network.

    South Dakota's public hearings were held at nine sites through the Dakota Digital Network.

    In Vermont, six sites participated in the public hearing via the Vermont Interactive Television.

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Notification of Public Hearings

States used a variety of methods to notify interested parties about the CCDF public hearings.

  • Thirty-four States published notifications of the public hearings in the legal notice sections of newspapers (AL, AR, CO, CT, DE, DC, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, ME, MD, MS, NV, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, UT, VA, WA,WV, WI,WY). Nine States (AZ, KS, MT, NE, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX) issued press releases to print media outlets. In addition to newspaper notification, Georgia advertised on radio and television and Delaware on local radio stations.
  • Twenty-seven States (AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, IL, MD, MA, MN, MT, NE, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY) sent direct mailings to a variety of stakeholders such as child care providers, county offices, advisory committees, parents, and advocates.

    In New Jersey, over 10,000 notices were mailed to all providers, human service agencies, county human service advisory councils, schools, State departments, and other entities.

    Washington sent notices of the public hearing in English and Spanish.

  • Thirty-five States (AK, AZ, AR, CA, CT, DC, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MA, MN, MO, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NC, OH, OK, OR, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY) used Web sites as a mechanism to disseminate information on public hearings and/or to post and receive comments on the Plans. Oklahoma developed a survey on its Web site to solicit input on child care services.
  • Twenty States (AL, AK, AZ, CO, CT, DC, GA, HI, IL, IA, KY, ME, MD, MO, NC, ND, OK, PR, SC, UT) enlisted the assistance of other agencies and partners in notifying the public of the hearings. Resource and referral agencies, county agencies, Lead Agency contractors, and other entities distributed information. Georgia contracted with the resource and referral agencies to conduct the public hearings.
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Section 2.3 – Public-Private Partnerships

Describe the activities, including planned activities, to encourage public-private partnerships that promote private-sector involvement in meeting child care needs. (658D(b)(1), 98.16(d))

All States address the need to expand quality and availability of child care through public-private partnerships. A variety of approaches, both at the State and local levels, are described in the State Plans. States speak to the importance of developing private-public partnerships in order to meet the demands and challenges in child care. This section highlights examples of approaches described in the State Plans.

  • Seven States (AZ, CA, DC, IL, MD, OR, WA) implemented public awareness initiatives with their partners, targeting the importance of early childhood care and education and increasing families' access to child care. The following examples are illustrative:

    Arizona is involved with United Way to enhance community awareness of the importance of early care and learning relative to success in school and later life. The partnership hosts an annual summit to bring attention to this issue.

    In California, the consumer education campaign is focused on increasing the involvement of private child care programs and private businesses by focusing on the importance of quality child care. The partners include the Packard Foundation, Mervyn's Department Stores, and Target Stores. A parent resource guide has been produced as a result of this partnership.

    In Maryland, over 30 organizations and businesses conduct the Maryland Earned Income Credit (EIC) Awareness Campaign to educate eligible families to apply for the Federal EIC and Maryland EIC credits. A multi-media approach is used, together with a United Way telephone hotline.

    An educational campaign, Oregon's Child: Everyone's Business, focuses on brain research. It involves more than a dozen public and private partners and provides resource information in English and Spanish.

  • Fourteen States (AZ, AR, CO, DC, IL, KS, LA, MA, NJ, NY, OK, TX, VT, WV) have created initiatives that specifically target business involvement to increase the availability of child care. Some examples include:

    In Arkansas, a nonprofit foundation was established through legislation in 2001 to implement a public-private partnership. The foundation's goal is to increase corporate involvement and leverage private investment in early care and education to enhance the quality, affordability, and availability of child care for all children in the State.

    Louisiana is actively working with child care providers and the hotel/motel association, a coalition of housing developers who rent apartments to low-income families, and a casino to provide on-site child care.

    Massachusetts requires all businesses with 50 or more employees that contract with the Commonwealth to provide their employees with on-site, nearby, or subsidized child care, or the option to participate in a dependent care assistance program.

    New Jersey has a longstanding commitment to promote business involvement in child care. Through consultations, materials, and team visits, the number of employer-supported child care centers has grown to 147.

    In New York, the Lead Agency, together with the Rockefeller Institute of Government and the Business Council of New York State, has initiated three regional forums to generate ideas on how public-private partnerships can help private companies address the needs of working parents. The Institute is developing policy options and action steps. The first action step is initiation of a new grant program to support community collaboration efforts.

    Oklahoma's Lead Agency collaborated with the Office of Personnel Management and a private company to operate an on-site child care center for State employees in Tulsa.

    In Texas, the majority membership of the Local Workforce Development Boards is from the private sector—owners of businesses, chief executives or chief operating officers, or executives who have substantial management responsibilities. Each year the Texas Workforce Commission awards 15-20 grants to employer coalitions in local communities.

Public-Private Partnerships Target Ongoing and Emerging Issues

Many public-private partnerships continue to focus on important needs such as availability and quality of child care, business involvement, professional development, and public awareness through State and local partnerships. Increasingly, these partnerships are also beginning to focus on special needs and early intervention, health, and early literacy efforts.

  • Four States (CA, ME, MD, MN) have focused their partnership activity on recruiting providers and offering incentives for individuals to become child care providers. This is one method of addressing the challenges of high job turnover and low wages in child care.

    California's Child Care Initiative Project began in 1985. The resource and referral network manages the project, which is funded with State funds that are matched on a 2-1 basis with private corporate or foundation funds. The project's goal is to increase family child care home providers and provide training and other necessary supports to retain the providers.

    In Maine, the Lead Agency uses the Head Start Supplemental Grant to fund 11 regional collaborative groups to coordinate programs and services with private organizations and businesses.

    In Maryland, the Maryland Child Care Business Partnership developed a plan to increase the availability of child care for low-wage workers in local communities that demonstrate support by the employers and communities. Through a Request for Proposal process, it is anticipated that five communities will be funded for two years.

    Minnesota focuses on encouraging employers in rural areas to provide child care for their employees. A change was made to licensing regulations to allow employers to provide child care as a family group provider in converted housing sites.

  • Efforts at increasing professional development through training and education are yet another way 24 States (AL, AK, AZ, CA, CT, DC, ID, IL, IA, KS, MA, MN, MT, NH, NY, NC, OR, RI, SC, SD, TX, UT, WA, WV) are addressing the quality and availability issues in child care.

    California is addressing professional development through two public-private partnership initiatives. The Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers trains a minimum of 240 new trainers per year and provides graduate seminars for endorsed trainers every two years, using monies from three private foundations.

    Through a second initiative, seven public television stations provide training for 2,500 family child care providers and parents on how to use television appropriately in the education of young children via the Public Broadcasting Preschool Education Project.

    In Illinois, the Chicago Accreditation Partnership assists Head Start and other child care programs that serve low-income families to become accredited. The McCormick Tribune Foundation, the American Business Collaborative, the Harris Foundation, and the Prince Charitable Trusts support the project. In addition, the resource and referral system provides mentor support to child care programs pursuing accreditation in another region of the State.

    Massachusetts developed three distance-learning courses in collaboration with colleges, universities, and child care advocacy groups. The courses include training in the areas of infant/toddler, school-age, and children with disabilities. Students can earn credits toward child care professional certifications.

    In Minnesota, the McKnight and Bush Foundations have each pledged $1 million as a match to public funds to begin the T.E.A.C.H.® initiative.

  • Twenty-four States (AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DC, GA, IL, IN, IA, MA, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, WV, WI) have developed partnerships to improve quality in other aspects in child care.

    Colorado's voluntary child care check-off contributions on the State income tax return are used to fund quality enhancement in child care facilities. The resource and referral agency administers the fund and the Lead Agency matches the donations with CCDF funds. Through a competitive process, grants are awarded to licensed facilities in the State.

    In Georgia, the Georgia Early Learning Initiative is an education and retention program to ensure children ages 0-5 are prepared to succeed in school. In addition to the Lead Agency, the funding partnership includes the United Way of Metro Atlanta and the Office of the Governor. The initiative will implement a demonstration project for tiered reimbursement and a financial incentive program for teachers to increase the quality of child care. Teachers who increase their education will receive bonuses.

    Indiana has embarked on an effort to shift the investment of quality funds from an entitlement approach to one that is more competitive and focused on generating Matching Funding. Communities need to demonstrate that local business partnerships are actively involved in mobilizing local resources. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. And quarterly negotiated performance benchmarks will drive payments to the contractors instead of annual grant awards.

    Two initiatives focus on quality improvement in Pennsylvania. Child Care Matters is a collaboration of five advocacy groups to increase quality in the southeastern part of the State. The William Penn Foundation and United Way fund this effort. In the second initiative, funding from the Howard D. Heinz Endowment and the Pew Charitable Trusts enabled the York Foundation to recruit the United Way and Penn State to become partners in a community-wide initiative to increase quality, affordability and accessibility of child care for families with children under age 6.

    In 1997, South Dakota was awarded $3.3 million from the Bush Foundation to improve the quality of infant/toddler care in the State. The WestEd curriculum is used to educate trainers throughout the State. Since late 1998, over 752 training sessions have been conducted across the State.

  • Three States (AZ, MO, MT) described welfare-to-work initiatives.

    In Arizona, under the Early Childhood Business Partnership Project, a priority is to focus on recruitment, training, and job placement of TANF recipients into the field of early care and education.

    In Missouri, six Welfare Reform Coordinators oversee welfare reform initiatives in the State. One of their responsibilities is to develop public-private collaborations to build child care centers in industrial park locations that hire high numbers of TANF recipients.

  • Five States (AK, IL, IA, NV, RI) described efforts to build public-private partnerships through the resource and referral systems. The partnerships reflect the versatility of resource and referral systems.

    In Alaska, the resource and referral agencies provide services at Job Centers. In Anchorage, a child care facility located at the Job Center is operated by the resource and referral agency.

    In Illinois, the Child Care Community and Employer Initiative was implemented by a resource and referral agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A multi-agency task force helped to shape four quality child care resource manuals.

    Iowa's resource and referral system has expanded business and private sector involvement in meeting child care needs. Some activities include Statewide delivery of ChildNet training, a CDA training for child care home providers; and development and expansion of a child care home consultation initiative; development of the Every Child Reads initiative to promote reading readiness skills.

    In Nevada, the resource and referral agencies operate the child care assistance programs.

    The Lead Agency in Rhode Island partners with the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce in funding the State's centralized resource and referral program. Resource and referral services maintain data on the availability of tax credits for businesses; work with commerce and business councils to explore ways of financing a quality early care and education system in the State; reach out to businesses and employers to educate them about the welfare reform program; co-sponsor an annual Child Care Champions Award program, to recognize individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to building public-private partnerships and who have implemented family friendly workplaces; and work with businesses to train providers in effective small business practices.

  • Seven States (AL, AK, CT, DC, ID, OR, SD) described forming public-private partnerships to improve the quality of child care for children with disabilities and to increase emphasis on health initiatives for children in child care settings.

    Alabama's partnership with United Cerebral Palsy of Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley increases service accessibility to children with special needs.

    In Alaska, the Alaska Inclusive Child Care Initiative increases the number of child care providers who meet the needs of children with special needs. The initiative provides an enhanced referral system for children with special needs and offers individualized training to providers.

    Connecticut's health initiative provides training to child care providers in basic child health development. In partnership with the Child Health and Development Institute, this initiative has trained nearly 4,000 providers.

    The District of Columbia implemented three health initiatives. Healthy Kids, D.C. is funded by the Office of Maternal and Child Health, the World Bank, the Pan American Health Organization, and the Head Start Program. The purpose is to develop an informational, integrated health and child care system. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation funds a second initiative, training to child care providers and parents on asthma allergies. The Asian American Lead Initiative is funded by private foundations and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The goal of this initiative is to nurture and develop a more holistic approach to strengthening parents' abilities to support their children's healthy development.

    In South Dakota, the Lead Agency and the Council on Developmental Disabilities support a train-the-trainer initiative. The trainers conduct inclusion training for child care providers in their local communities in order to increase child care accessibility for children with special needs.

  • Three States (DC, MA, PA) described implementing literacy initiatives through public-private partnerships.

    In the District of Columbia, the Early Childhood Collaborative of D.C., Inc. convened a forum to address the need for a citywide effort to improve literacy in early care and education programs.

    In Massachusetts, the Lead Agency obtained 21,000 books from a private foundation. The books are distributed to children who receive care in the trial court child care program and to children enrolled in the child care assistance programs.

    In Pennsylvania, the Lead Agency and the Heinz Foundation piloted the Heads Up! Reading initiative in 35 sites. During 2001-2002 funding will be made available for up to 65 new sites. The initiative provides a distance-learning, satellite-delivered course for child care providers to help young children improve reading skills and to promote school readiness.

  • In nine States (CA, KS, MS, NE, NH, NM, OK, SC, WY), local community leadership is building strong public-private partnerships in early childhood care and education programs.

    In Kansas, Regional Support Teams are being formed in local communities across the State. Community members are working together to assess their local child care needs and strategies for meeting identified needs.

    Through the Head Start State–Collaboration Project in Nebraska, strategies are being developed to build partnerships in communities, particularly in those communities with limited child care opportunities. Businesses are encouraged to offer a variety of child care opportunities to employees.

    New Hampshire developed seven teams under the "Creating Professional Development: Community Action Teams" initiative. The teams have created scholarship packages, credentialing campaigns, and a Web site with local training.

    In New Mexico, the Albuquerque Child Care Roundtable has focused on business partnerships to increase employer awareness about child care issues and work with human resource representatives to adopt family-friendly policies. This initiative started in the four-county area surrounding and including Albuquerque, and will also be implemented in the southern part of the State.

    In South Carolina, the Lead Agency is involved with the SC First Steps program. The program is a comprehensive, results-oriented initiative to improve early childhood development by providing public and private funds through county partnerships. The goal is to enable children to enter first grade ready to succeed. Emphasis is placed on comprehensive, high-quality early care and education programs including health and preventive care, family support services, parent education and training, and early education.

    Wyoming is emphasizing public-private partnership building. Community meetings across the State will bring businesses, local government, parents, child care providers and other partners together to build community-based sustainable programs. In the fall of 2001, one county completed this process, and it will be duplicated in other communities in the State.

  • Twelve Lead Agencies (DE, DC, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, MN, NJ, RI, TN, WA) reported using partnerships to address the need for child care facility start up and ongoing enhancements. Public-private partnerships are an important vehicle to address these needs because States cannot use CCDF funds for construction or major remodeling projects.

    Delaware established a loan program for child care providers seeking to start up or expand services. The Working Capitol or First Community Loan Fund is managed by a local resource and referral agency. Low-cost loans enable providers to meet the demand for child care in their communities.

    In 2001, the Legislature in Iowa took action to allow cities to issue general obligation and revenue bonds and loan agreements to fund the construction and equipping of child care centers.

    In Kansas, requiring a 15 percent local match for access to CCDF funds for start up or expansion funding encourages business participation.

    A grant and loan program was established by Minnesota's legislature to enhance and expand child care facilities. Public funds are used to attract contributions from banks and foundations. Foundations and corporate grants have raised approximately $1.2 million.

    In New Jersey, the Intergenerational Child Care Incentive Demonstration Program makes low-interest loans up to a maximum of $50,000 available to retirement and assisted living entities interested in establishing child care centers. This approach benefits employees' children and children from the surrounding communities.

    Tennessee encourages participation of business and industry by requiring a dollar-for-dollar match in their Corporate/Community Partnership Child Care grants program. Grant funds are used to establish and provide long-term operation of community child care services.

    In Washington, the Lead Agency contracts with the Department of Community Trade and Economic Development to manage a Statewide Child Care Facility Fund for employers. Through this effort, employer-supported child care facilities have expanded to provide care for 5,500 children.

  • Six States (CO, ID, KY, ME, NE, NY) also establish commissions and councils as a method of providing strategic planning and direction for early care and education initiatives. Some of these are time-limited while others provide ongoing oversight.

    Several child care commissions in Idaho were developed to meet child care needs in three areas of the State. The membership on these commissions is diverse including public agencies, police departments, Tribal representatives, child care providers, college representatives, United Way, CampFire Boys and Girls, the Community Fatherhood Project, pediatricians, a business education partnership, and churches.

    In Kentucky, the Business Council was established through legislation to involve and obtain support from the corporate community and local governments. The Council's purpose is to focus on working families, and also to address community child care needs in low-income areas.

    In Maine, The Child Care Advisory Council of Maine has identified expansion of public-private partners as a key issue. Two subcommittees, consumer education and workforce issues, will be examining this issue.

    Nebraska's Business Commission of Child Care Finance completed its work with the development of five recommendations: 1) establish the Governor's Business Partnership for Quality Child Care; 2) raise awareness among the business community, policy-makers, parents, and child care providers about the importance of early brain development and high-quality care; 3) strengthen the system for early childhood education providers by linking levels of preparation and training with incentives; 4) coordinate, consolidate, or eliminate multiple and duplicate commissions and boards; and 5) create new sources of financing. The fourth recommendation has already been implemented.

    In New York, the Governor's Small Business Task Force brings together State agencies to work with lobbying groups, chambers of commerce, and small businesses, including child care providers, for the purpose of helping to promote an environment supportive to small business in the State.

  • Ten States (CO, HI, IA, NH, ND, OH, RI, TX, VT, WI) are developing collaborative system-building initiatives as a strategy to increase funding, partnerships, and long-term impacts on increasing the quality and availability of early care and education.

    In Colorado, Educare Colorado, a private nonprofit entity, is partnering with local communities to increase the quality of care through a star rating system approach. Educare funds the costs connected to increasing facilities' star ratings, while local human services departments pay higher rates to facilities that increase their star ratings.

    Ohio is in the process of implementing a strategic plan to enhance and improve the quality of child care. Called "Creating a Framework to Enhance Child Care in Ohio," the effort has developed 97 action steps with assigned leads for each step of the plan.

    South Dakota funds a position to work closely with all Tribes in securing available Federal child care funds and to provide on-going consultation in program development.

    Texas, through the Local Workforce Development Boards, has initiated agreements with a variety of public and private entities for private fund donations to be used as State match to draw down CCDF Federal Matching Funds. This approach has resulted in approximately 100 local Matching Funds agreements.

    Wisconsin's efforts to address systems issues are facilitated through Collaborating Partners, which focuses on building State networks and collaboration, designing professional development opportunities, and developing new and innovative funding approaches. Over 300 individuals and 50 public and private agencies and associations are part of this effort. Collaborating Partners is interested in dealing with fragmented service delivery, duplication of services, transportation issues, affordability of quality services, and the quality of care.

  • Three States (OK, OR, UT) noted they formally recognize the important work and commitment of contributors to improving child care through public recognition initiatives.

    Oklahoma's Lead Agency, together with the Governor's Office, sponsored a work/life conference to educate the business community on workforce issues and family-friendly policies. The first annual award to an Oklahoma company, which exemplified best practices in child care and eldercare benefits to employees, was awarded during the conference.

    In Oregon, the Families in Good Company campaign recognizes employers who realize the importance of family-friendly policies in the workplace. Portland General Electric, Children First, Commission on Children and Families, Oregon Child Care Commission, and other private firms organize the effort.

    Utah presents awards to Utah's Top Ten Most Family-Friendly Companies at an annual function. This project is successful in educating and engaging the business community on the importance of forward thinking and work/life policies.

  • Nine States (IA, MS, NV, NY, OH, OK, PR, VA, WV) described upcoming public-private initiatives:

    Iowa is exploring forming a partnership with the health industry to provide health and safety and mental educational materials to providers and parents. In addition, the Lead Agency is forming a partnership to develop a Statewide public awareness campaign.

    Mississippi will develop a plan to work with businesses that are interested in offering child care assistance to their employees.

    Nevada is planning a major effort to partner with the business community to improve the supply and quality of child care.

    New York's Lead Agency and the Banking Department are planning to develop a financial technical assistance center in New York City for the child care industry.

    Ohio is continuing to plan implementation of a tiered certification system. The private sector participated in the planning process.

    Oklahoma recently created a Facilities Fund Committee that is comprised of business, philanthropic, and agency representatives. The committee is proposing an initiative to provide training, technical assistance, and financing to help center-based child care programs expand and improve quality.

    Puerto Rico will provide information to private entities to encourage their participation in meeting child care needs. Information will include how to access available resources, how to establish child care centers, and benefits of providing child care assistance to employees.

    Virginia will be convening a forum of the major employers in the State to discuss the role of employers in child care, employer/employee needs, and identify endeavors in employer-supported child care.

    West Virginia is planning a recognition initiative for employers that have adopted model child care friendly policies. The Governor's Cabinet is going to implement this initiative in conjunction with the WV Family Magazine.

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