How does the new law help parents make more informed child care choices?
Answer
The statute strengthens requirements for States to provide consumer and provider education information and interact with parents to help them make the best child care choice for their families. The law explicitly identifies a number of items that States must provide to parents receiving CCDF assistance, the general public, and, where applicable, child care providers. This includes information about:
- The availability of child care services provided through CCDF and other child care services the family might be eligible for;
- The quality of providers, which can be based on a State quality rating and improvement system (QRIS), if available;
- Processes for licensing child care providers, conducting background checks, and monitoring of providers;
- Other financial assistance programs that families might be eligible for, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Head Start and Early Head Start, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (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) such as the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and the Part B Preschool Grants for Children with Disabilities;
- Research and best practices concerning children’s development; and
- Policies regarding the social-emotional behavioral health of young children, including positive behavioral intervention and support models and policies about the expulsion of preschool-aged children in early childhood programs.
(Note: Additional information about policies related to the expulsion of preschool-aged children (PDF) is available at online.
(Reference: Section 658E(c)(2)(E)(i))