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4 | P a g e FFY 2025–2027 CCDF State Plan

Overview Introduction The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG) (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.), together with section 418 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 618), authorize the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the primary federal funding source devoted to supporting families with low incomes afford child care and increasing the quality of child care for all children. The CCDF program is administered by the Office of Child Care (OCC) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and provides resources to State, Territory, and Tribal governments via their designated CCDF Lead Agency. CCDF plays a vital role in supporting family well-being and child development; facilitating parental employment, training, and education; improving the economic well-being of participating families; and promoting safe high-quality care and learning environments for children when out of their parents’ care. As required by CCDBG, this CCDF Plan serves as the State/Territory Lead Agency’s application for a three-year cycle of CCDF funds and is the primary mechanism OCC uses to determine Lead Agency compliance with the requirements of the statute and regulations. CCDF Lead Agencies must comply with the rules set forth in CCDBG and corresponding ACF-issued rules and regulations. The CCDF Plan is a fundamental part of OCC’s oversight of CCDF and is designed to align with and complement other oversight mechanisms including administrative and financial data reporting, the monitoring process, error rate reporting, audits, and the annual Quality Progress Report. Organization of Plan In their CCDF Plans, State/Territory Lead Agencies must describe how they implement the CCDF program. The Plan is organized into the following sections: 1. CCDF Program Administration 2. Child and Family Eligibility and Enrollment and Continuity of Care 3. Child Care Affordability 4. Parental Choice, Equal Access, Payment Rates, and Payment Practices 5. Health and Safety of Child Care Settings 6. Support for a Skilled, Qualified, and Compensated Child Care Workforce 7. Quality Improvement Activities 8. Lead Agency Coordination and Partnerships to Support Service Delivery 9. Family Outreach and Consumer Education 10. Program Integrity and Accountability Completing the Plan