Introduction
Research Questions
- How did States and Territories adapt CCDF policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides federal money to States and Territories to subsidize the cost of child care for families with low incomes. The detailed policies used to administer the programs vary widely across jurisdictions, with States and Territories establishing different policies for family eligibility, family copayments, provider payment rates, and provider eligibility requirements.
This report serves as an appendix to the report “Key Cross-State Variations in CCDF Policies as of October 1, 2021” (available at https://ccdf.urban.org ), which provides detailed information about State and Territory CCDF policy variations as of October 1, 2021. This report provides supplemental information about how states changed their policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the changing needs of families and child care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, States and Territories adapted their Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) programs to further support families in need of child care assistance and providers experiencing pandemic-related fluctuations in enrollment and income. This report addresses whether States and Territories made changes to the following policies: family eligibility policies, application and redetermination policies, income and copayment policies, provider payment policies, and provider health and safety policies. This report includes policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic that were in effect at any point between March 2, 2021 and March 1, 2022.
Purpose
The CCDF Policies Database tracks State/Territory CCDF policies over time, with hundreds of variables tracking policies related to family eligibility, application and waiting list procedures, family copayments, provider reimbursement rates, and other provider policies. This report serves as an appendix to the project’s 2021 annual report, providing supplementary information about State and Territory child care subsidy policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Findings and Highlights
Key findings for State and Territory CCDF policy changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic include:
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Between March 2021 and March 2022, nineteen States/Territories used modified job search eligibility policies. Of these, six considered job search a qualifying activity for initial eligibility rather than only for families already receiving subsidies. One newly allowed job search as an approved activity for eligibility.
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Sixteen States/Territories used different income eligibility thresholds for families with essential workers. Eleven of these States waived eligibility thresholds for essential workers entirely. Five States/Territories established higher eligibility thresholds for essential workers than for other families.
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Thirty-nine States/Territories did not require families to pay a copayment in certain circumstances. Of these, 33 States/Territories waived copayments for all families.
Methods
The information in the database is based primarily on the documents that caseworkers use as they work with families and providers (often termed “caseworker manuals”). The initial set of manuals coded for the database reflected policies in effect on or before October 1, 2009. Ongoing policy updates have been collected since that point to capture policy changes when they occur in each State and Territory.
Each year, the project produces a set of tables containing selected policies from the database. The tables are then reviewed by State/Territory administrators and verified for accuracy. The policies presented in this report were reviewed as part of the annual review process.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, project staff also reviewed the summary of policy waiver requests States and Territories submitted to the Office of Child Care and confirmed the policy changes through published State/Territory policy updates and communication with State/Territory administrators.
Citation
Dwyer, Kelly, Sarah Minton, Danielle Kwon, and Margaret Todd (2022). Appendix to the 2021 CCDF Policies Database Book of Tables: Child Care Subsidy Policies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic from March 2021 to March 2022. OPRE Report 2023-021, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- CCDBG:
- Child Care and Development Block Grant
- CCDF:
- Child Care and Development Fund