1.3 Consultation in the Development of the CCDF Plan

The Lead Agency is responsible for developing the CCDF Plan, and consultation with and meaningful input and feedback from a wide range of representatives is critical for CCDF programs to continually adapt to the changing needs of families, child care programs, and the workforce. Consultation involves meeting with or otherwise obtaining input from an appropriate agency in the development of the State or Territory CCDF Plan. As part of the Plan development process, Lead Agencies must consult with the following: (1) Appropriate representatives of general-purpose local government. General purpose local governments are defined by the U.S. Census at https://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/g12_org.pdf. (2) The State Advisory Council (SAC) on Early Childhood Education and Care (pursuant to 642B(b)(I)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act) or similar coordinating body pursuant to 98.14(a)(1)(vii). (3) Tribe(s) or Tribal organization(s) within the State. This consultation should be done in a timely manner and at the option of the Tribe(s) or Tribal organization(s). 1.3.1 Consultation efforts in CCDF Plan development Describe the Lead Agency’s consultation efforts in the development of the CCDF Plan, including how and how often the consultation occurred. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with appropriate representatives of general- purpose local government: Input on the State Plan was requested from local government agencies by mailing a draft of the state plan to the League of Municipalities and the Association of County Commissions of Alabama requesting input on the CCDF Plan from their membership. The entities were instructed to submit comment via email and invited to attend the public hearing. Contact with these entities occur once per plan development. Other general-purpose local government entities, i.e. Department of Education and Department of Early Childhood Education has representation on the lead agency's advisory council and met quarterly during the plan development. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: The Lead Agency met with its Child Care Citizen's Coordinating Committee, which serves as the agency's state advisory council, on the development of the plan in March 2024. The committee is charged with advising the Lead Agency on child care issues and making recommendations for ongoing services. The committee was also given a survey to complete in assisting with the development of the plan. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the federally recognized tribal organization in the state. The tribal organization is represented on the Lead Agency's Child Care Coordinating Committee and participated in the survey for plan input. c. Identify other entities, agencies, or organizations consulted on the development of the CCDF Plan (e.g., representatives from the child care workforce, or statewide afterschool networks) and describe those consultation efforts: The Lead Agency created a survey instrument seeking input from stakeholders on the state plan development. The survey was sent to local government agencies, tribal organization, advisory council members, child care advocacy groups, child care providers, and parents participating in the Child Care Subsidy Program. 68 responses were received after the distribution of 165 surveys. 1.3.2 Public hearing process Lead Agencies must hold at least one public hearing in the State or Territory, with sufficient Statewide or Territory-wide distribution of notice prior to such a hearing to enable the public to comment on the provision of child care services under the CCDF Plan. Describe the Statewide or Territory-wide public hearing process held to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the provision of child care services under this Plan. i. Date of the public hearing: 5/29/2024 Reminder: Must be no earlier than January 1, 2024. If more than one public hearing was held, enter one date (e.g., the date of the first hearing, the most recent hearing date, or any hearing date that demonstrates this requirement). ii. Date of notice of public hearing: 4/29/2024 iii. Was the notice of public hearing posted publicly at least 20 calendar days prior to the date of the public hearing? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: iv. Describe how the public was notified about the public hearing, including outreach in other languages, information on interpretation services being available, etc. Include specific website links if used to provide noticeNotice of the hearing was advertised in Alabama's 10 largest newspapers and online platforms. The notice advised of the date and location of the public hearing. To reinforce the notification process, notice of the public hearing was sent to the Lead Agency's 67 county offices, Child Care Management Agencies, and Quality Enhancement Agencies to facilitate broad access by the public. These agencies gave notice of the hearing through communication with parents and providers. Letters were sent to statewide provider associations within the state . Email notification and the draft plan were sent to members of Lead Agency's advisory group, the Child Care Citizen's Coordinating Committee. Members of this advisory group were asked for their input on the document. Notice of the date and location of the public hearing was posted on the Lead Agency's website. The lead agency do not perform outreach in other languages however should requests were made, the lead's interpreter services would be available for use. However the newspaper outlets' online platforms utilized google translator to change written documents into various languages. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The hearing was held virtually through the Zoom platform. Participants had the opportunity to call in or join via the internet. Also, the public notice advised that written comments could be accepted by mail or email and contact information was provided in the notice. vi. Describe how the content of the Plan was made available to the public in advance of the public hearing (e.g., the Plan was made available in other languages, in multiple formats, etc.): The draft plan was posted to the Lead Agency's website for viewing prior to the public hearing. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: The lead agency established an open comment period during the time the draft plan was made available for public view. The public could submit comment to the agency via email. The agency received one response from the public and was reviewed for content applicable to the state plan, which was not. 1.3.3 Public availability of final Plan, amendments, and waivers Lead Agencies must make the submitted and approved final Plan, any approved Plan amendments, and any approved requests for temporary waivers publicly available on a website. a. Provide the website link to where the Plan, any Plan amendments, and waivers (if applicable) are available. Note: A Plan amendment is required if the website address where the Plan is posted changes. https://dhr.alabama.gov/child-care/ b. Describe any other strategies that the Lead Agency uses to make submitted and approved CCDF Plan and approved Plan amendments available to the public. Check all that apply and describe the strategies below, including any relevant website links as examples. i. [x] Working with advisory committees. Describe: The lead agency shares plan changes, amendments to its advisory council via email. ii. [ ] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: iii. [ ] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: iv. [ ] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: v. [ ] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: vi. [ ] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: vii. [ ] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: viii. [x] Other. Describe: The plan and any approved plan amendments are added to the lead agency's website for public viewing. 2 Child and Family Eligibility and Enrollment and Continuity of Care Stable and reliable child care arrangements facilitate job stability for parents and healthy development of children. CCDF eligibility and enrollment policies can contribute to these goals. Policies and procedures that create barriers to families accessing CCDF, like inaccessible subsidy applications and onerous reporting requirements, interrupt a parent’s ability to work and may deter eligible families from participating in CCDF. To address these concerns, Lead Agencies must provide children with a minimum of 12 months between eligibility determinations, limit reporting requirements during the 12-month period, and ensure eligibility determination and redetermination processes do not interrupt a parent’s work or school. In this section, Lead Agencies will identify how they define eligible children and families and how the Lead Agency’s eligibility and enrollment policies support access for eligible children and families.