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 Lead Agency held virtual focus group meetings to obtain feedback on the development of the 25-27 CCDF State Plan. Representatives of general purpose local government were invited to a 2-hour stakeholder focus group session on April 30, 2024. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: In April of 2024 the Lead Agency invited members of the existing SAC to a feedback session around the CCDF state plan. It is important to note that legislation passed in the 2024 session modified the structure of Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) which houses Iowa’s State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. The Early Childhood Iowa system is in the process of reorganizing and a potential new structure for the SAC will be presented to the ECI State Board in June 2024. Historically, Lead Agency staff have coordinated with ECI staff to add CCDF relevant topics to the quarterly SAC meeting agendas as well as attending SAC meetings. Lead Agency staff will continue to do this once the reorganization is complete and a new meeting schedule is finalized. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: The Lead Agency meets with the Meskwaki Nation on a regular basis, approximately quarterly. The agenda items and topics of discussion center around topics relevant to the State Plan. 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 Lead Agency held four virtual focus group meetings in the month of April to obtain feedback on the development of 25-27 State Plan. In addition to the general stakeholder group mentioned, there were specific focus groups for families using child care (4/11/24), support professionals that work with child care providers (4/22/24) and child care providers (4/26/24). The feedback sessions allowed the lead agency to gauge perceptions of current child care assistance policies and procedures, child care regulation policies and procedures, payment practices and quality initiatives. The Lead Agency is using this information to inform priorities for policy and procedure updates as well as quality initiatives. 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: 6/5/2024 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: 5/15/2024 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 noticeThe public was notified through stakeholder distribution lists, and the lead agency website. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The public hearing had in-person and virtual options for attendance. Those that wanted to attend in person were able to go to a location within the Des Moines metro and those that were not able to or preferred not to attend in-person were able to attend through Zoom. 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.): A PDF draft of the state plan was posted on the lead agency’s website using the Preprint form provided by the Office of Child Care. All notification methods above gave information about how to access this draft. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: The Lead Agency's child care leadership attended all feedback sessions, the public hearing and reviewed all written comments. The majority of the comments were either supportive of current lead agency initiatives or addressed challenges that are currently priorities for the lead agency are priorities. This feedback was useful to affirm work on current initiatives. Additionally changes to provider regulations that were already in process were amended based on feedback. 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://hhs.iowa.gov/programs/programs-and- services/child-care 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. [ ] Working with advisory committees. Describe: ii. [x] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: CCR&R has an email distribution list which the lead agency uses to send messages to child care providers and stakeholders throughout the State. iii. [ ] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: iv. [x] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: CCR&R uses Facebook Instagram and YouTube to connect with child care providers and stakeholders and sends messages for the lead agency. v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) has a monthly email for those involved in the initiative and information on the State Plan is included in that monthly email when applicable. vi. [ ] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: vii. [ ] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: 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.