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: OSSE met with and obtained input from the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) on the District’s CCDF Plan for FY25-27. The consultation provided an overview of the CCDF Plan and process and an update on new child care policies and programs. The consultation yielded critical feedback from OSSE’s government partners and reaffirmed the District’s commitment to access to affordable and high-quality child care for District families. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: OSSE’s Deputy Superintendent of Early Learning chairs the District’s State Early Child Development Coordinating Council (SECDCC) and facilitates the SECDCC’s engagement in developing the District’s CCDF Plan for FY25-27. OSSE held four consultation sessions with the full SECDCC and offered three additional sessions for SECDCC members to contribute to the development of the CCDF Plan. Consultation sessions addressed general content and timeline for the CCDF Plan process, as well as engagement on specific topics, including the District’s alternative methodology, disaster response and preparedness planning, quality activities, subsidy policies, and supply building. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: N/A 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: OSSE worked with DC Action for Children and the Under 3 DC Coalition, two local stakeholder organizations with networks of early childhood educators, child care program leaders, and DC families, to host a townhall on the CCDF Plan. This event involved the participation of directors and teachers from child development facilities, as well as District parents. OSSE also engaged the District’s Child Care Recovery Workgroup, a group of child development facility leaders who serve as an advisory body to OSSE, and representatives from the Multicultural Spanish Speaking Providers Association (MSSPA). Finally, OSSE engaged with parents on the District’s child care subsidy policies, consumer education, and quality initiatives through CCDF consultation sessions with the Quality Improvement Network (QIN) Parent Policy Council (the parent policy council of the District’s Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) program). A complete list of the agencies and partners OSSE consulted with is included in Section 8, Lead Agency Coordination and Partnerships to Support Service Delivery. 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; 5/30/2024 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: 5/1/2024 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 noticeOSSE hosted two public hearings for the CCDF Plan for FY25-27, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, and Thursday, May 30. OSSE notified the public of the two public hearings through a Notice of Public Hearing (NOPH) published on OSSE’s website on May 1, 2024 (https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/No tice%20of%20Public%20Hearings%202024.pdf). OSSE also notified the public about the public hearing during the three CCDF Plan Stakeholder Engagement Sessions, during monthly Early Childhood Stakeholders calls, and the monthly convening of the Child Care Recovery Working Group. Both sessions included interpretation in Spanish. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The District has only one geographic region. 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 CCDF Plan was made available through OSSE’s website (https://osse.dc.gov/publication/dc-child-care-and-development-fund) along with instructions for submitting public comments on the CCDF Plan. An announcement regarding the availability of the CCDF Plan was also shared during the OSSE’s DC Early Childhood Stakeholders call on May 13, with interpretation in Spanish. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: OSSE collected public comments through three methods: (1) virtual listening sessions with early childhood partners, (2) written comments submitted to OSSE via email or an online form, and (3) public testimony presented during a virtual public hearing. OSSE staff analyzed the comments following the completion of the comment period, grouped them based on the CCDF topic, and identified places where plan changes were needed in response to feedback. Feedback that addressed topics outside of the scope of the plan or recommended actions that require a longer timetable to address was recorded to inform OSSE’s work in the future. 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://osse.dc.gov/publication/dc-child-care-and- development-fund 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 link to the CCDF Plan and Plan amendments is shared with advisory groups, including the Child Care Recovery Working Group and the SECDCC. ii. [x] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: OSSE works with DC CCC to publish announcements on the District’s draft CCDF Plan, the public hearing, and the process for the public to provide comments. DC CCC also directs incoming questions on the CCDF Plan to the appropriate OSSE staff. https://dcchildcareconnections.org/about-us/ iii. [x] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: OSSE translates a summary of the District’s final CCDF Plan into Spanish and Amharic and posts it to the website. iv. [x] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: Notices related to the CCDF Plan planning and publication cycle are posted to OSSE’s social media channels: https://www.facebook.com/OSSEDC/ and https://twitter.com/ossedc. v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: The CCDF Plan is shared during OSSE’s monthly DC Early Childhood Stakeholder calls, which include child development facility operators, staff, and advocates and are open to the public. vi. [x] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: OSSE works with the District’s DME’s Office of Out of School Time (OST) Grants and Youth Outcomes and DC Action, which convenes a coalition of OST advocates and stakeholders, to circulate information on the CCDF Plan. vii. [x] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: OSSE circulates notice of the CCDF Plan publication directly to child care providers. The CCDF Plan is shared during OSSE’s DC Early Childhood Stakeholder meetings, which are attended by child development facility operators, staff, and advocates. viii. [ ] Other. Describe: 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.