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: The Florida Alliance of Children’s Councils and Trusts (FACCT) represents local county Children’s Services Councils. They work to support statewide policies that build effective prevention and early intervention systems of supports for Florida’s children and families. FACCT participated in the CCDF Sub-Committee meeting held February, 7, 2024. They were also provided two drafts of the Plan for comments. The DEL consults with executive leadership from FACCT regularly throughout the year. In addition, each ELC has a local board that meets monthly, including a FACCT member. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: DEL convened a CCDF Sub-committee that included all the key stakeholders. The stakeholders were provided with a draft of the plan for comments. When comments were received, the DEL addressed those comments within the plan and, as necessary, reached out to CCDF Sub-committee members to discuss and amended language as applicable. The DEL invited the CCDF Sub- committee to an in-person meeting with a virtual option to finalize the plan on February 7, 2024. The DEL provided the CCDF Sub-committee with a second draft of the plan prior to submission. While the DEL does not have a formal State Advisory Council, the DEL regularly consults with stakeholders that would hold council membership, such as local ELCs, DCF, FACT, Early Steps, Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resource Systems, Technical Assistance and Training Systems (TATS), Head Start, and FLDOE Bureaus of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS). Additionally, the DEL holds biweekly statewide calls with ELC executive leadership. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: As the same with past plan cycles, the Miccosukee Indian tribe was emailed an invitation to be a part of the CCDF Sub-committee and a copy of the plan for input. The Miccosukee Indian tribe was provided an opportunity to participate in the CCDF Sub-committee meeting as well as two opportunities to offer comment on the draft plan. As with previous years, the Miccosukee Indian tribe did not respond to the DEL’s request. 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 DEL consulted with the following entities by inviting them to participate in the CCDF Sub-committee meeting and sharing a draft of the plan for their input. These agencies, and organization in development of the CCDF Plan include: public school district representatives, Florida After School Inc, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the Florida DOE, Florida Child Care Early Childhood Educators Network, DCF, Florida Head Start Association, 4C Head Start/Early Head Start, ELC of Miami-Dade/Monroe, Florida Department of Health (DOH), The Association of Early Learning Coalitions, Florida State University Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, the Children’s Forum, United Way of Florida, the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions, Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida KidCare, Early Steps, Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resource Systems, Help Me Grow Florida, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Child Care Aware of America, Florida Department of Commerce, RCMA, Florida Department of Emergency Management, Child Development Education Alliance, Florida Association for the Education of Young Children, Florida Association for Child Care Management, Florida Family Child Care Home Association, Florida Head Start Association, University of Florida Anita Zucker Center, and University of Florida Lastinger Center (UF Lastinger). 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: 6/10/2024 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: 5/17/2024 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 published in the Florida Administrative Register, Volume 50/98, on May 17, 2024. If a stakeholder is registered, they would have received the announcement. ELC Executive Directors were notified via email on May 24, 2024, and the draft plan was also published to the DEL’s website on June 5, 2024. It was also shared with all providers on June 13, 2024. The plan was not translated into other languages or promoted on social media platforms. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The DEL conducted a virtual hearing, providing instant access around the state. 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.): Language revised to past tense. The plan was formatted to comply with Americans With Disabilities Act and made available to the public prior to the public hearing via the DEL website (https://www.fldoe.org/schools/early- learning/) on June 5, 2024. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: The DEL recorded the hearing and captured all comments made by the public for consideration or incorporation into the final 2025-2027 CCDF Plan. The DEL also invited public comments to be submitted via email (Del.questions@del.fldoe.org) prior to and during the hearing. 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://www.fldoe.org/schools/early-learning/rep-pol- guide/ccdf-plan.stml 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 DEL created a CCDF Sub- committee to provide input on the development of the 2025-2027 CCDF State Plan. ii. [x] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: The State CCR&R Network representative and the Association of Early Learning Coalitions (which represents the ELCs and local CCRR agencies) were invited to participate as CCDF Sub-committee members and provided a copy of the draft plan to provide input. iii. [ ] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: iv. [ ] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: The DEL invited parent leader, provider, and advocacy groups to be members of the CCDF Sub-committee and provided a copy of the CCDF plan for input. These groups included organizations such as the Association for Early Learning Coalitions, Florida Association for the Education of Young Children, Florida Association for Child Care Management, Florida Family Child Care Home Association, Florida Head Start Association, The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, and Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System. vi. [x] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: DEL will strengthen collaboration efforts with the Florida Afterschool Inc., which provides support to programs by holding regular trainings, webinars for professionals, supports national standards, offers discounted access to innovative tools and resources to enhance programming, and serves as the voice for school-age programs and policies in Florida. vii. [x] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: DEL emailed child care providers directly notifying them of the public hearing and identifying where the CCDF plan was uploaded to the DEL website. 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.