Resource Library

Tribal leaders or their designated representatives were invited to join OCC in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 29 and 30, 2023 for an in-person consultation regarding the RFI titled: Meeting the Child Care Needs in Tribal Nations.  This report captures the information gathered during this consultation.

Tribal leaders in Alaska or their designated representatives were invited to join OCC in Anchorage, Alaska, on November 27, 2023, for an in-person consultation regarding a RFI titled: Meeting the Child Care Needs in Tribal Nations. This report captures the information gathered during this consultation.

Tribal Leaders or their designated representatives were invited to join the Office of Child Care (OCC) for a virtual consultation regarding a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled: Improving Child Care Access, Affordability, and Stability in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the primary federal funding source for child care assistance to help eligible working families with low-incomes access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children. CCDF gives funding to states, territories, and tribes to provide child care subsidies through vouchers or certificates to families with low incomes, or through grants and contracts with providers. CCDF provides access to child care services for working families with low incomes, so parents can work, attend school, or enroll in training. Additionally, CCDF promotes the healthy development of children by improving the quality of early learning and school-age experiences for both subsidized and unsubsidized children. Within the federal regulations, lead agencies administering CCDF decide how to administer the CCDF subsidy programs. Lead agencies determine payment rates for child care providers, copayment amounts for families, specific eligibility requirements, and how to prioritize CCDF services.

On an annual basis, Tribal Lead Agencies for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) are required to submit aggregate information on services provided via the CCDF Tribal Annual Report, also known as the ACF-700 report. The ACF-700 report offers the Office of Child Care (OCC) a glimpse into how CCDF program dollars are being spent. The submitted report helps to tell the CCDF Tribal child care “story.” The data are essential for demonstrating the accomplishments of Tribal child care programs.

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the primary federal funding source dedicated to providing child care assistance to families with low-incomes.  As a block grant, CCDF gives funding to states, territories, and tribes to provide child care subsidies through vouchers or certificates to families with low incomes, and grants and contracts with providers in some states.  CCDF provides access to child care services for working families with low incomes, so parents can work, attend school, or enroll in training.  Additionally, CCDF promotes the healthy development of children by improving the quality of early learning and school-age experiences for both subsidized and unsubsidized children.  Within the federal regulations, lead agencies administering CCDF decide how to administer the CCDF subsidy programs.  States determine payment rates for child care providers, copayment amounts for families, specific eligibility requirements, and have some flexibilities on how to prioritize CCDF services.

The following reports include the initial CCDF Plan data submitted by states and territories as of July 1, 2021. The preliminary reports and information are subject to change. The Plans are currently under review and will become effective as of October 1, 2021. For more detailed information about the sections listed below, please refer to the CCDF State/Territory Plan Preprint (PDF).

The state-level aggregate report, or ACF-800, is one of two data collections undertaken by the Office of Child Care (OCC) pursuant to the requirements of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act. The other data collection is accomplished through the ACF-801 Report, which requires detailed, case-level data on families served through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). All CCDF lead agencies in the States, the District of Columbia, and Territories (including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianna Islands, and the US Virgin Islands) are responsible for completing the ACF-800. For more information, please see the OCC website at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/resource/acf-800-annual-aggregate-child-care-data-report.

This issue brief—based on interviews with eight Tribal Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (Tribal MIECHV) grantees1— focuses on the ways in which home visiting programs can promote the development of early language and literacy skills, which are important aspects of child development. The brief starts with a short overview of early child development to illustrate how language, literacy, and culture are nested within overall development. It reviews why early language and literacy is important and the need for home visiting programs to be intentional in helping families support children’s language and literacy development. The brief shares examples of how Tribal MIECHV grantees are helping families build upon everyday activities from storytelling to singing, talking, reading, and other strategies. It also highlights
how some grantees are tapping into community resources to extend language and literacy offerings.

This summary provides cumulative information obtained from state ACF-696 financial reports submitted for the Grant Year (GY) 2016 CCDF award showing cumulative expenditures through September 30, 2018. The GY 2016 state reports detail expenditures from each of the CCDF funding streams (Mandatory, Matching, and Discretionary), as well as funds transferred from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to CCDF. Included are expenditures for administration, direct and non-direct services, and congressionally mandated quality activities and activities to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers.