2.3 Prioritizing Services for Vulnerable Children and Families

Lead Agencies must give priority for child care assistance to children with special needs, families with very low incomes (considering family size), and children experiencing homelessness. A Lead Agency has the flexibility to prioritize other populations of children. Note: Statute defines children with disabilities, and CCDF rule gives flexibility to Lead Agencies to include vulnerable populations in their definition of children with special needs. CCDF defines “child experiencing homelessness” as a child who is homeless, as defined in Section 725 of Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a). 2.3.1 Lead Agency definition of priority groups Describe how the Lead Agency defines: d. “Children with special needs.” Children with special needs is defined as a child with an area of physical, intellectual and/or sensory impairments where individuals may require accommodations or specialized services to participate in everyday activities. e. “Families with very low incomes.” Families with very low incomes are defined as a family with income at or below 100% of the federal poverty level. 2.3.2 Prioritization of child care services Identify how the Lead Agency will prioritize child care services for the following children and families. a. Complete the table below to indicate how the identified populations are prioritized. Population Prioritized Prioritize for enrollment in child care services Serve without placing on waiting list Waive co- payments as described in 3.3.1 Pay higher rate for access to higher quality care Use grants or contracts to reserve spots Other Children with special needs [x] [x] [x] [x] [ ] [ ] Describe: Families with very low incomes [ ] [ ] [x] [ ] [ ] [ ] Describe: Children experiencing homelessness, as defined by CCDF [x] [x] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Describe: Population Prioritized Prioritize for enrollment in child care services Serve without placing on waiting list Waive co- payments as described in 3.3.1 Pay higher rate for access to higher quality care Use grants or contracts to reserve spots Other (Optional) Families receiving TANF, those attempting to transition off TANF, and those at risk of becoming dependent on TANF [x] [x] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Describe: a. Does the Lead Agency define any other priority groups? [ ] No. [x] Yes. If yes, identify the populations prioritized and describe how the Lead Agency prioritizes services: The Lead Agency has eight (8) priority categories of eligibility. 1. JOBS- Families receiving TANF and participating in the JOBS (Job Opportunity and Basic Skills) Program. 2. Homeless- Families meeting the homeless definition under the McKinney-Vento Act. 3. At-Risk Minor Parent- Minor parents under the age of 18, or under the age of 19, if the parent remains in high school or its equivalent. 4. Foster Care- Children that are in the legal custody of the state of Alabama. 5. Protective Services- Services provided by the Department to, or on behalf of, children in response to reports of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation. 6. Children enrolled in the Departments Early Head-Start Child Care Partnership Program. 7. TANF-Other Relative is assigned to a family receiving TANF for child only. 8. Special Needs- a child with qualifying diagnosis as determined by the Lead Agency. 2.3.3 Enrollment and grace period for children experiencing homelessness Lead Agencies must allow (after an initial eligibility determination) children experiencing homelessness to receive CCDF services while required eligibility documentation is obtained. Lead Agencies must establish a grace period that allows children experiencing homelessness and children in foster care to receive CCDF assistance while providing their families with a reasonable time to take any necessary actions to comply with State, Territory, or local immunization and other health and safety requirements. The length of such a grace period must be established in consultation with the State, Territorial, or Tribal public health agency. Note: Any payment for such a child during the grace period may not be considered an error or improper payment. a. Describe the strategies to allow CCDF enrollment of children experiencing homelessness while required eligibility documentation is obtained: Families are allowed up to ninety (90) days of service to allow time to obtain required documentation to establish eligibility. b. Describe the grace period for each population below and how it allows them to receive CCDF assistance while providing their families with a reasonable time to take any necessary actions to comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements. i. Provide the policy for a grace period for: Children experiencing homelessness: Families are allowed up to ninety (90) days of service to allow time to obtain required documentation to establish eligibility. Failure to provide immunization does not prevent the family from receiving services even after the grace period has expired. Child Care Licensing staff also grants a 90- day grace period to the childcare provider to obtain immunization before being issued a deficiency report for failure to have updated children's records. the deficiency report will remain active until the child's record has been updated with the immunization record. The Lead agency met with AL Department of Health on Feb 8, 2023, to discuss procedures regarding immunization grace periods for homelessness and children in foster care. There were no concerns regarding the lead agency's policy. Children who are in foster care: Children who are in foster care are in the legal custody of the lead agency and therefore no grace period has been established as families receive services upon a completed referral by the foster care social/caseworker. Failure to provide immunization does not result in the termination of services. However, the licensing performance standards require all children to have immunizations or an exemption in the child’s record at the facility. Based on the child’s enrollment date determines when the 90 day grace period is enacted and knowledge to the child care consultant from the provider that the child is homeless or in foster care. At that point, a determination is made if the facility will receive a deficiency. Failure to have an immunization or exemption on record does not make the child ineligible for CCDF nor affects placement at the facility. It remains an on-going deficiency until it is corrected. ii. Does the Lead Agency certify that the length of the grace period was established in consultation with the State, Territorial, or Tribal public health agency? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: c. Describe how the Lead Agency coordinates with licensing agencies and other relevant State, Territorial, Tribal, and local agencies to provide referrals and support to help families with children receiving services during a grace period comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements: The Lead Agency is also the licensing agency. The licensing consultants inform providers of the access and use of Immprint, the Alabama Department of Public Health’s online database of immunization certificates. Child Care Providers can locate a child’s immunization certificate in the system to print a copy themselves for the record to ease the burden of the parent having to provide it themselves. Families seeking information on how to obtain vaccinations may locate this information on the lead agency's website. Referrals can be made by the Child Care Management Agencies and in the lead agency's county (local) offices or visiting their local health department.