Child Care and Development Fund, Report to Congress for Fiscal Years 2002 and 2003
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES
The law requires that States spend no less than 4 percent of their CCDF allocation for quality activities. In FY 2002, States actually spent 11 percent on quality (including earmarked funds for infants and toddler quality, quality improvement activities, resource and referral, and school-age care). States may use these funds for a variety of quality initiatives, including those that target-
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Infants and toddlers
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Child care resource and referral services
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School-age child care
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Comprehensive consumer education
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Grants or loans to providers to assist in meeting State and local standards
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Monitoring compliance with licensing and regulatory requirements
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Training and technical assistance
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Compensation of child care providers
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Other activities that increase parental choice and improve the quality and availability of child care
Child Care Services for Infants and Toddlers
Increasingly, States are using CCDF funds to improve the quality of care provided to infants and toddlers, and they are doing so in ways that promote systemic change. For example, the number of States that have developed a special infant-toddler credential doubled during the FY 2002-FY 2003 Biennial State Plan period. Many States also describe initiatives that link caregiver credentials, compensation, and program assessment. More Lead Agencies have launched planning efforts that target infant-toddler care, and close to 25 percent of States fund infant-toddler specialists or health consultants focused on infant-toddler issues. These efforts are frequently done in collaboration with Healthy Child Care America, a partnership between CCB and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) in HHS Health Resources and Services Administration, operating through FY 2004. After FY 2004, MCHB's new Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems grants to States will encourage improved health practices in child care.
Resource and Referral
States report they provide some type of child care resource and referral services, which include consumer information and referrals, development of new family child care homes and centers, training and/or technical assistance to child care providers, and other quality enhancement initiatives. These services are typically provided via contract with a nonprofit community-based organization, although a few States provide resource and referral services directly, and some use State or local public agencies. Several States described unique initiatives that use resource and referral agencies as coordinating bodies to support a range of services for parents and providers, including infant and toddler training programs.
Consumer Education
All States report they support child care resource and referral services that include, among other activities, consumer education. Most States also conduct a consumer education campaign that includes, at a minimum, written information about child care subsidies, services, and choosing quality child care providers (via brochures and pamphlets). Some States use broadcast and news media in their public education campaigns. A few States also dedicate staff or established regional teams to focus on consumer education.
School-Age Child Care
Most States make funds available to support school-age child care programs and services. While some Lead Agencies focus on efforts to improve the quality and supply of school-age child care, States also use CCDF funds to help make school-age child care more affordable for families. States provide this support as subsidies for low-income children (i.e., certificates that facilitate parent choice). Most States report that they use set-aside funds for school-age child care provider training. In addition to providing scholarships and other training resources, some States are developing school-age care credentials, special mentor programs, and targeted distance-learning courses.
Inclusive Child Care
Nearly all States provide child care services to children with disabilities over the age of 13, and States are required to give priority to children with special needs. States are also pursuing fiscal policies and initiatives, as well as training efforts, to expand and enhance inclusive child care. Strategies that States employ include-
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Ensuring that resource and referral entities provide child care referrals and parental education to families having children or youth with special needs
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Assessing programs to identify necessary physical or programmatic changes
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Training providers to care for children with special care needs
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Funding health consultants to provide support and technical assistance to providers for children with special needs
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Establishing lending centers for adaptive equipment and assistive devices
Grants and Loans to Child Care Providers
A number of States offer support to child care programs by providing start-up grants and loans to providers, including school districts and community-based organizations. In some cases, grants are targeted to programs that need funds to maintain compliance with health and safety standards. In others, funds are targeted to quality improvement. A number of States are also linking grant funds to deficiencies that were identified during a program assessment. In some cases, these assessments are linked to achieving accreditation or meeting benchmarks established by the State. Others are based on nationally recognized scales used to assess the quality of child care environments. In either case, the approach is an incentive: To receive grant funds, programs must make progress toward meeting specific goals.
Health and Safety Requirements
In order to improve the health and safety of children in child care settings, many States revise requirements on a periodic basis. Close to one third of all States report changes to licensing requirements since the FY 2000-FY 2001 Biennial State Plans. States also increase the number of licensing staff to intensify their monitoring efforts and thereby assure a higher compliance level with health and safety requirements. While nearly all States conduct unannounced onsite monitoring visits, many States also provide technical assistance, training, and orientation sessions in their efforts to increase compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition, many States coordinate their monitoring activities with other agencies, such as health and fire departments, to increase the health and safety of children.
Monitoring Compliance With Regulatory Requirements
CCDF funds support States in monitoring compliance with State child care licensing and regulatory requirements. Twenty-nine States-up from 25 in the FY 2000-FY 2001 Biennial State Plans-reported using CCDF to lower caseloads for licensing staff. In addition, a growing number of Lead Agencies report that they use CCDF quality funds to support training for licensing staff, with emphasis on improved observation and interaction skills as well as regulatory knowledge. Seven States also use quality set-aside funds to help pay for new or upgraded automation systems to track compliance with licensing standards.
Training and Technical Assistance
Every State reports involvement in training and technical assistance activities. The number of States that report using CCDF quality funds to help build or support a career development system for early care and education continues to climb, from 17 States in FY 2000-2001 to 28 in FY 2002-2003. In many States, these systems serve as a framework for other training, technical assistance, and quality improvement activities.
Public-Private Partnerships
Many States' public-private partnerships focus on important gaps in service. Increasingly, these partnerships are beginning to focus on special needs and early intervention, health, and early literacy efforts. Twenty-four States are establishing public-private partnerships to improve the quality of child care. Fourteen States partner with businesses to increase availability of child care. Twenty-four States partner with the private sector around the issues of training, education, and professional development. Partnerships in 12 States are assisting with facility startup and ongoing enhancements.
Compensation of Child Care Providers
As State involvement in career development efforts grow, so does the desire to have direct impact on caregiver compensation. States describe initiatives including wage supplements, mentoring programs, and one-time bonuses or quality awards. Several States have multiple initiatives. As compared with the FY 2000 and FY 2001 Biennial State Plans, nearly twice as many States report spending CCDF funds for T.E.A.C.H., a scholarship program that links increased education with compensation. Fourteen States report developing early care and education mentoring initiatives, which typically compensate skilled early childhood teachers who provide leadership and support to new staff entering the field. Twelve States report that they use CCDF to support wage and benefit initiatives for the early care and education workforce, up from eight States in the last plan period.