Why does the conditional approval of the Plan not constitute a final determination regarding payment rates and equal access?
Answer
A top priority of the CCDBG Act is to ensure equal access for eligible families to child care services comparable to those provided to families not eligible to receive CCDF assistance. In addition, States/Territories were required to take into consideration the cost of providing higher quality child care services than were provided prior to the enactment of the new law in November 2014. OCC continues to be concerned about payment rates and have plans to conduct a more extensive review and analysis as part of onsite monitoring visits to States and Territories. OCC recognizes that some states currently have rates in place sufficient to meet the equal access requirement. Including a focus on payment rates in the conditional approval letter was not to undermine those States but to encourage continued focus on those efforts.