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: a. “Children with special needs.” The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) defines children with special needs as “children with exceptional needs” per Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) section 10213.5 (l). “Children with exceptional needs” means infants and toddlers under three years of age who have been determined to be eligible for early intervention services pursuant to the California Early Intervention Services Act (Title 14 (commencing with Section 95000) of the Government Code) and its implementing regulations. These children include an infant or toddler with a developmental delay or established risk condition, or who is at high risk of having a substantial developmental disability, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 95014 of the Government Code. These children must have active individualized family service plans, must be receiving early intervention services, and must be children who require the special attention of adults in a childcare setting. “Children with Exceptional Needs” also means children 3 to 21 years of age, inclusive, who have been determined to be eligible for special education and related services by an individualized education program team according to the special education requirements contained in Part 30 (commencing with Section 56000) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, and who meet eligibility criteria described in Section 56026 of the Education Code and, Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 56333) of Chapter 4 of Part 30 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, and California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Sections 3030 and 3031. These children must have an active individualized education program, must be receiving early intervention services or appropriate special education and related services, and must be children who require the special attention of adults in a childcare setting. These children include children with intellectual disabilities, hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance (also referred to as emotional disturbance), orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities, who need special education and related services consistent with Section 1401(3)(A) of Title 20 of the United States Code. b. “Families with very low incomes.” The CDSS does not have a definition for families with very low incomes. Children who are receiving Child Protective Services or are identified as being abused, neglected, exploited or at risk are enrolled first. Then children and families are given priority based on family eligibility based on income and family size. Families are then enrolled based on the family income eligibility. Per WIC section 10271.5, family eligibility is determined as at or below 85 percent of the state median income. 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 ☐ ☐ Describe: Not applicable. Families with very low incomes ☐ X ☐ ☐ X ☐ ☐ Describe: Not applicable. Children experiencing homelessness, as defined by CCDF ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ X Describe: A family experiencing homelessness may establish both eligibility and need with a written referral dated within three months prior to the application for services, which identifies the child as experiencing homelessness or a written parental declaration, signed under penalty of perjury, that the family is experiencing homelessness as described in California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 18090. Additionally, the contractor must permit the enrollment of children to begin immediately upon the parent signing the application for services when the basis for eligibility is family experiencing homelessness. (Optional) Families receiving TANF, those attempting to transition off TANF, and those at risk of becoming dependent on TANF ☐ ☐ ☐ X ☐ ☐ Describe: Not applicable. b. 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: Per Welfare and Institutions Code section 10271, first priority must be given to neglected or abused children who are recipients of child protective services, or children who are at risk of being neglected or abused, upon written referral from a legal, medical, or social services agency. Second priority must be given to eligible families, regardless of the number of parents in the home, who are income eligible. Within this priority, families with the lowest gross monthly income in relation to family size, as determined by a schedule adopted by the department, must be admitted first. If two or more families are in the same priority in relation to income, the family that has a child with exceptional needs must be admitted first. If there is no family of the same priority with a child with exceptional needs, the family of the same priority in which the primary home language is a language other than English must be admitted first. If there is no family of the same priority in which the primary home language is a language other than English, the family of the same priority that has been on the waiting list for the longest time must be admitted first. 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 experiencing homelessness" is defined as set forth in Section 11302 of Title 42 of the United States Code, known as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. A family experiencing homelessness may establish both eligibility and need with a written referral dated within three months prior to the application for services, which identifies the child as experiencing homelessness or a written parental declaration, signed under penalty of perjury, that the family is experiencing homelessness as described in California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 18090. Per Management Bulletin 18-04 found at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb1804.asp, the contractor must permit the enrollment of children to begin immediately upon the parent signing the application for services when the basis for eligibility is family experiencing homelessness. The parent must provide all required documentation, including immunization records, within 30 days from the date the application for services is signed. Per Executive Order N-17-25, issued by Governor Newsom on February 4, 2025, the deadline for families in Los Angeles and Ventura counties that are experiencing homelessness and enrolling in child care and development programs to submit all required documentation of homelessness, including immunizations, is extended an additional 60 days, for a total of 90 days. The order is effective through January 1, 2026. 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: Per Management Bulletin 18-04 found at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb1804.asp, the grace period for obtaining the immunization records of families who are unhoused can be considered the 30-day period between the parent signing the application of services and the day the contractor accepts or denies the application. Contractors are allowed to enroll children experiencing homelessness without immunization records, giving families a grace period to obtain/provide proof of immunizations. Per Executive Order N-17-25, issued by Governor Newsom on February 4, 2025, the deadline for families in Los Angeles and Ventura counties that are experiencing homelessness and enrolling in child care and development programs to submit all required documentation of homelessness, including immunizations, is extended an additional 60 days, for a total of 90 days. The order is effective through January 1, 2026. Children who are in foster care: Child care must be offered to a foster child with unavailable immunization or other health and safety requirements. The child care contractor must still obtain the records. A licensee must have 30 days after the enrollment of a child to secure records requiring information from sources not in the control of the licensee, staff person, or child. An extension can be granted where the licensee can demonstrate that further delays are beyond the control of the licensee. Licensees have up to 30 calendar days to receive a written medical assessment of the child, which includes required immunizations. An extension can be granted to the licensee if they can demonstrate that further delays are beyond their controls. 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: Not applicable. 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 California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is also the licensing agency and follows California Code of Regulations, Title 22. General guidance from CDSS’ Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) is that a child who is experiencing homelessness may be admitted immediately even if the child arrives without immunization records. Contractors should utilize their resources to make sure these students have received all required immunizations as soon as possible. It is expected that if there is a delay in obtaining immunizations, this information will be documented and readily available during inspection by CCLD.