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: d. “Children with special needs.” A "child with special needs" is defined as a child with one or more of the following conditions: (1)The child has been diagnosed by a physician or by a person endorsed for service as a school psychologist by the Iowa Department of Education to have a developmental disability which substantially limits one or more major life activities, and the child requires professional treatment, assistance in self-care, or the purchase of special adaptive equipment. (2) The child has been determined, by a qualified intellectual disability professional, to have a condition which impairs the child's intellectual and social functioning. (3) The child has been diagnosed by a mental health professional to have a behavioral or emotional disorder characterized by situationally- inappropriate behavior which deviates substantially from behavior appropriate to the child's age, or which significantly interferes with the child's intellectual, social, or personal adjustment. e. “Families with very low incomes.” Children in families with an income of less than 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level(FPL) who meet the need for service requirements. 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] [ ] [ ] Describe: Families with very low incomes [ ] [ ] [x] [x] [ ] [ ] Describe: Children experiencing homelessness, as defined by CCDF [x] [x] [ ] [x] [ ] [ ] Describe: (Optional) Families receiving TANF, those attempting to transition off TANF, and those at risk of becoming dependent on TANF [ ] [x] [x] [x] [ ] [ ] Describe: a. 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: Families with protective child care needs that are involved in the child welfare system, licensed foster parents who need care for foster children, and families receiving a state adoption subsidy are served without placing on waiting lists. 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: Information regarding immunization and other health and safety requirements for a child’s file is not part of Iowa’s child care assistance eligibility determination. Families provide this documentation directly to the child care program upon enrollment and regulatory requirements state that providers must give a grace period to obtain those documents. 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: Child care provider regulations require providers to allow families experiencing homelessness 60 days to obtain child immunization and health and safety information for the child’s file. Children who are in foster care: Child care provider regulations require providers to allow foster families 60 days to obtain child immunization and health and safety information for the child’s file. 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: 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 lead agency coordinates with internal licensing staff, Child Care Resource and Referral staff, Child Care Nurse Consultants and child care programs to support families to comply with immunization and health requirements. The lead agency has published guides for Child Development Homes(Comm 143), Child Care Homes with a CCA agreement (Comm 95) and Centers/Preschools (Comm 204). These guides give information about what immunization and medical forms are acceptable and how to access them so providers can help direct families to the correct forms. These guides are available to child care providers and lead agency licensing staff frequently direct providers to this information if they or their families have questions about documents required for child files. The lead agency also contracts with CCR&R to provide free consultation support to child care providers on understanding of and compliance regulations including this one. Additionally, Child Care Nurse Consultants are available free of charge to child care providers to provide consultation and technical assistance including resources and referrals for families in obtaining these documents.