Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) FFY 2024 Tribal Annual Report Form ACF-700 for Tribal Lead Agencies

ACF-OCC-CCDF-PI-24-08

Publication Date: November 18, 2024
Current as of:

PROGRAM INSTRUCTION

  1. Log No: ACF-OCC-CCDF-PI-24-08
  2. Issuance Date:Nov. 7, 2024
  3. Originating Office: Office of Child Care
  4. Key Words: Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF); Data Reporting Requirements and Instructions for Indian Tribes; Tribal Annual Report Form ACF-700

TO

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Tribal Lead Agencies and Other Interested Parties.

SUBJECT

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Tribal Annual Report Form ACF-700 for Tribal Lead Agencies.

REFERENCES

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 1990, as amended (42 USC 9857, et seq.); regulations at 45 CFR 98.70(c).

PURPOSE

To remind Tribal Lead Agencies of the annual reporting requirements (i.e., ACF-700 Report), consistent with the terms and conditions of the CCDF program. The ACF-700 form is attached.

This PI does not apply to Tribes that have consolidated their CCDF program into an approved Public Law 102-477 Plan under the Indian Employment, Training, and Related Services Demonstration Act.

BACKGROUND

Tribal aggregate information on services provided under the CCDF must be submitted annually via the CCDF Tribal Annual Report --also known as the ACF-700-- as required by the CCDF regulations at 45 CFR 98.70(c). The ACF-700 report provides the Office of Child Care (OCC) information about how CCDF program dollars are being spent to deliver child care services to eligible children and families.

The ACF-700 Tribal Annual Report collects information annually on all children and families receiving direct CCDF-funded child care services during the period October 1 through September 30 (i.e., Federal Fiscal Year (FFY)).

As a reminder, the ACF-700 report included several changes beginning with the FFY 2021 report. These changes, which remain in place for the FFY 2024 report, include:

  • Introduction: Program Characteristics. This section identifies which CCDF dollars -- CCDF Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act moneys, or CCDF Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act dollars, or CCDF American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act Discretionary Supplemental funds—were used to serve families and children as reported under Part 1: Administrative Data.
  • Part 1: Administrative Data. The Administrative Data section should include information about families and children who meet CCDF eligibility requirements and whose direct child care services were provided during the Federal fiscal year, regardless of which year’s CCDF funds paid for those services. These funds could be CCDF discretionary or mandatory funds, or CCDF CARES Act funds, or CCDF CRRSA Act funds, or CCDF ARP Act Discretionary Supplemental funds.
  • Part 2: Tribal Narrative. The Tribal Narrative section should include information about quality improvement efforts the Tribal Lead Agency funded during the Federal fiscal year, regardless of which year’s CCDF funds paid for those services. These funds could be CCDF discretionary or mandatory funds, or CCDF CARES Act funds, or CCDF CRRSA Act funds, or CCDF ARP Act Discretionary Supplemental funds.
  • Part 3: ARP Act stabilization grants. This section should include information about the ARP Act stabilization grants awarded to providers during the Federal fiscal year.

The ARP Act included funding for child care stabilization grants to stabilize the child care sector and build back a stronger child care system that supports the developmental and learning needs of children, meets parents’ needs and preferences with equal access to high-quality child care, and supports a professionalized workforce that is fairly and appropriately compensated for the essential skilled work that they do. Stabilization funds support the stability of the child care sector during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency.

If a Tribal Lead Agency has set-aside ARP Act stabilization funds to use for construction or major renovation of a child care facility, please describe this under item 7 “Comments” in this part.

WHO MUST REPORT

All Tribal Lead Agencies (i.e., Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Tribal consortia) that received FFY 2024 (or prior year) CCDF funds—and expended any of these funds during FFY 2024—must submit a complete Tribal Annual Report Form ACF-700 by December 31, 2024. It is each Tribal Lead Agency’s responsibility to ensure that child care program data are collected and reported to the Office of Child Care in a timely manner each year.

Note: CCDF Tribal grantees with an approved Pub. L. 102-477 Plan are not required to complete the ACF-700 form. Contact your OCC Regional Office for questions or additional information.

PENALTIESFOR NON-COMPLIANCE

The statute provides that the Secretary of Health and Human Services may impose sanctions on a Lead Agency for non-compliance with any requirement of the CCDF program [CCDBG Act, Section 658I(b)(2)(B); 42 USC 9858g(b)(2)(B)]. For example, the regulations provide that the Secretary may impose a penalty of not more than 4 percent of the discretionary funds for a fiscal year, if it is determined that a Lead Agency has failed to implement a provision of the Act, the regulations, or the Lead Agency’s Plan (45 CFR 98.92(b)(2)). Tribal Lead Agencies failing to provide reports may be subject to this penalty or other sanctions.

DATA USES

The data received through this collection provides the Office of Child Care with the means to analyze and evaluate the CCDF program and the child care stabilization grant program. This information will provide ACF with data for its biennial report to Congress, and it will help to inform technical assistance efforts to assist grantees.

GUIDANCE FOR REPORTING

The CCDF Tribal Annual Report (ACF-700) Manual: Guide for CCDF Tribal Lead Agencies contains detailed guidance for completing and submitting the CCDF ACF-700 Tribal Annual Report. The CCDF Tribal Annual Report (ACF-700) Manual: Guide for CCDF Tribal Lead Agencies (PDF) is available on the Office of Child Care website.

DUE DATE

The CCDF ACF-700 Tribal Annual Report for FFY 2024 is due by December 31, 2024.

ACF-700 SUBMISSION

CCDF Tribal Lead Agencies are required to submit the ACF-700 Tribal Annual Report. Tribal Lead Agencies are to submit the following:

  • Introduction: Program Characteristics — All Tribal Lead Agencies
  • Part 1: Administrative Data report — All Tribal Lead Agencies who provide direct child care services. If a Tribal Lead Agency with a small allocation is using their CCDF dollars to support only quality initiatives, they are exempt from reporting Part 1: Administrative Data
  • Part 2: Tribal Narrative report — All Tribal Lead Agencies
  • Part 3: ARP Act Stabilization Grants — All Tribal Lead Agencies. A Tribal Lead Agency should report zero for all items in Part 3 if they did not spend stabilization funds in FFY 2024. A Tribal Lead Agency should include a comment in the Comments section under Part 3 if they have not yet funded any ARP stabilization grants to providers.

Tribal Lead Agencies should enter their ACF-700 reports to the Child Care Automated Reporting System (CARS) . CARS is a password-protected web-based system that checks the ACF-700 data for compliance with data standards at the time of submission.

Use of the paperless Internet data entry site streamlines submission processing and improves data quality. With electronic submission of the ACF-700 report, it is NOT necessary to also send a paper copy of the report via mail or fax.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Tribal Lead agencies may contact the CARS team at their toll-free number: 877-249-9117, weekdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) or by email to cars@gdit.com for any questions about accessing or navigating CARS.

REPORTING PROBLEMSOR POLICY QUESTIONS

Tribal Lead Agencies anticipating problems in completing the reporting requirements should contact their respective ACF Regional Office of Child Care. Tribal Lead Agencies should also contact their ACF Regional Office of Child Care for policy questions. Contact information for ACF Regional Child Care Offices is available on the Office of Child Care’s website.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT

Collection of the information for the ACF-700 Report is expected to average 19 hours per response for Tribes with small allocations, and 26 hours per response for Tribes with medium/large allocations, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. This is a mandatory collection of information as required by 42 U.S.C. 9857, and sections 98.70 and 98.71 of the CCDF Final Rule (45 CFR Parts 98 and 99). An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The information collection required under this Program Instruction is approved under OMB Control Number 0970-0430, which expires March 31, 2026.

/s/ 
Ruth Friedman 
Director 
Office of Child Care 
 

ATTACHMENTS

ACF-700 Form (PDF) 
Tribal Annual Report (ACF-700) Manual  (PDF)