Child Care and Development Fund, Report to Congress for Fiscal Years 2002 and 2003
THE TERRITORIES
Introduction
Five Territories receive Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Discretionary Funding:
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American Samoa
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Guam
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The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
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Virgin Islands
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Puerto Rico
Discretionary Funds include earmarks for-
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Child care quality improvement activities
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Infant and toddler quality improvement
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Child care resource and referral and school-age care activities
The Territories do not receive CCDF Mandatory or Matching Funds, which means they are not required to meet the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) or Matching Fund requirements for CCDF (which are tied to accessing the Matching Funds). However, they are required to meet the same CCDF Biennial State Plan and reporting requirements as States.
The Territories received the following CCDF Discretionary Fund allocations in FY 2002 and FY 2003:
Figure 4.2 |
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|---|---|---|
| Territory | FY 2002 | FY 2003 |
| American Samoa | $2,663,480 | $2,646,159 |
| Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) | $1,636,489 | $1,625,883 |
| Guam | $4,000,757 | $3,974,740 |
| Puerto Rico | $47,373,817 | $44,888,941 |
| Virgin Islands | $2,199,244 | $2,184,938 |
Activities To Increase Quality and Availability of Child Care
Territories use earmarked funds to support a variety of activities that increase the quality and availability of child care. For example, American Samoa is collaborating with the Department of Education's Early Child Education Program to develop plans and activities in support of early language, literacy, prereading, and early math concepts development. CNMI is developing a continuum of training opportunities for skill building in prereading, language, vocabulary, and early math concepts. Other training includes followup mentoring and coaching of child care providers and staff. Guam uses quality earmarks for provider training, support, and technical assistance in language and early literacy skills. The Virgin Islands plan development of a seamless system for professional development in early childhood education. Puerto Rico is developing a plan for professional development based on its early learning standards to be implemented in child care and other preschool settings.
Challenges Specific to Territories
The CCB and ACF Regional Offices have worked to overcome some of the challenges of delivering services to the Territories. Challenges include travel restrictions and limited access to the internet, which hinder the ability to receive technical assistance. In addition, technical assistance must be delivered across the international date line, making it difficult to schedule conference calls during their regular business hours. The lack of early childhood education (ECE) resources available to some Territories is another problem that prevents improving child care services.
Technical Assistance
CCB has employed a variety of strategies-nationally, regionally, and locally focused-to address these challenges. Examples include-
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Onsite or nearby technical assistance that is responsive to the specific needs of the population served by the Territories
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A technical assistance session specifically for the Pacific Territories at the Bureau's annual Child Care State Administrators Meeting
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Onsite training on the early learning, professional development, and coordination provisions of the President's Good Start, Grow Smart initiative in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
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Onsite technical assistance for data collection software