8.1 Coordination with Partners to Expand Accessibility and Continuity of Care

Lead Agencies must coordinate child care services supported by CCDF with other federal, State/Territory, and local level programs. This includes programs for the benefit of Indian children, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care. 8.1.1 Coordination with required and optional partners Describe how the Lead Agency coordinates and the results of this coordination of the provision of child care services with the organizations and agencies to expand accessibility and continuity of care and to assist children enrolled in early childhood programs in receiving full-day services that meet the needs of working families. The Lead Agency must coordinate with the following agencies: a. State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care or similar coordinating body (pursuant to 642B(b)(I)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) Advisory Panel serves as the state council for both CCDF and Head Start to improve the quality of child care by linking services for children when possible and aligning systems to enhance services. The results of aligning systems is a more efficient and accessible program for Idaho families and providers, who access ICCP subsidy and IdahoSTARS services. b. Indian Tribe(s) and/or Tribal organization(s), at the option of the Tribe or Tribal organization. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination, including which Tribe(s) was (were) involved: The State will continue to partner with all Tribes that share borders with Idaho. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) meets quarterly with all Tribes to ensure communication is happening both ways around programmatic information and policy changes. We use both the IDHW-wide meetings as well as the Idaho Child Care Program Advisory Panel meeting as avenues for sharing information, gathering feedback and providing opportunities for alignment where necessary. These actions results in stronger relationships with Tribal Nations which in turn allow us both to serve children and families to the best of our collective services. [ ] Not applicable. Check here if there are no Indian Tribes and/or Tribal organizations in the State/Territory. c. State/Territory agency(ies) responsible for programs for children with disabilities, including early intervention programs authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency sits on the Infant Toddler Advisory Council with both Part C and 619 state leads. The CCDF administrator sits on the Infant Toddler Sub Committee for transitioning of children and coordinates inter-program efforts to share information and develop plans for linking comprehensive services between infant toddler, child care and school transitions. This results in a shared language across programs and clear expectations of programs for parents who participate in the programs identified. d. State/Territory office/director for Head Start State collaboration. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Head Start collaboration director sits on the ICCP Advisory Panel. The CCDF administrator and Head Start collaboration director meet regularly to discuss information between both programs, problem solve and develop long range plans for partnership. The CCDF administrator worked in partnership with the Head Start collaboration director to develop both the CCDF and Head Start grant applications with the focus on collaboration and alignment of activities to strengthen knowledge and understanding around CCDF and Head Start systems. Long term goals include: (1) Increasing enrollment of Head Start programs within Idaho's Steps to Quality program; and (2) aligning Head Start and Subsidy as an expanded effort to improve the standards around health and safety and staff qualifications of child care staff to better align with Head Start. e. State/Territory agency responsible for public health, including the agency responsible for immunizations. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Quarterly meetings are held with the Health District state lead, the CCDF program, Licensing, and 2- 1-1 Careline to share information on changes, problem solving situations, and coordination of efforts for a more streamlined process for providers and families. IdahoSTARS child care health consultants (CCHC) work closely with each regional public health office to coordinate efforts in training, outreach and Idaho technical assistance regarding public health issues including immunizations, health and safety inspections, etc. f. State/Territory agency responsible for employment services/workforce development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Both Employment Services and Child Care share the goal of ensuring that employment opportunities taking place within Idaho are being developed in tandem with the child care infrastructure to support families seeking care for their children as they relocate for these jobs. Reviewing workforce data and poverty levels as a component to community assessments will be critical in placement of jobs and recruitment of businesses. These efforts results in more families having access to child care programming as well as workforce and child care working together to recruit new child care businesses in areas of need, as identified through shared data evaluation. g. State/Territory agency responsible for public education, including pre-Kindergarten. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency is part of efforts to align and coordinate services where possible with both McKinney-Vento and 619, both programs within the State Department of Education (SDE). State funded prekindergarten is not available in Idaho, so the partnership with the SDE pertains only to McKinney-Vento and 619. The goal is to improve access to and alignment with McKinney- Vento services between the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the SDE. The process will be accomplished via cross training staff and teams throughout the state and providing professional development opportunities for teachers on how best to serve families experiencing homelessness. These efforts result in more unhoused children having access to child care and school districts knowing what resources are available for serving families. h. State/Territory agency responsible for child care licensing. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Idaho state licensing is housed under the Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP). Alignment of programming and services is a comprehensive aspect of the daily work of ICCP and all aspects of provider management. IdahoSTARS assists providers in starting and renewing child care licenses and Health Districts monitor to the health and safety requirements. Together in coordination, all three entities (DHW, IdahoSTARS, Health Districts) contribute to the execution of a license. Idaho's data system is coordinated, so providers upload all content in one location, even though various entities contribute to the components of compliance. This results in streamlined efforts for the provider, through simplified review and processing of all required documents, clear communication and availability of information at any point for a provider. i. State/Territory agency responsible for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and other relevant nutrition programs. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: CACFP sponsoring organizations such as St. Vincent de Paul administer the CACFP for child care homes, affiliated and unaffiliated child care centers, after school programs, and youth emergency shelters. For independent center sponsors, the responsibility for the CACFP lies with the State Department of Education, Child Nutrition Programs. The Lead Agency works with CACFP sponsoring organizations to promote and articulate CACFP education for providers. The goal of this coordination is to ensure all providers have nutritional information and/or subsidies in order to ensure children are provided nutritious snacks and meals and that parents are educated and have access to adequate nutrition. The Lead Agency ensures that all subsidized providers receive information about voluntary CACFP participation. j. McKinney-Vento State coordinators for homeless education and other agencies providing services for children experiencing homelessness and, to the extent practicable, local McKinney-Vento liaisons. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The CCDF administrator and McKinney-Vento coordinator sit on various state councils together, and they strive to coordinate meetings when mutually beneficial to share information and develop resources and tools that can assist both statewide coordinators in the schools and community partners serving families in local communities \who are experiencing homelessness. k. State/Territory agency responsible for the TANF program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency is a part of the same state Department and Division responsible for TANF administration. In Idaho, the CCDF Administrator also serves as the TANF Administrator. Our goal is to coordinate meetings when necessary to improve access and continuity of care for children served by our two programs. Child care assistance is currently provided to families participating in the work services program mandatory for cash assistance families. l. State/Territory agency responsible for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency is a part of the same state Department and Division responsible for the state Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid eligibility determination. Our goal is to coordinate meetings when necessary to share information and develop plans on a per-topic basis. m. State/Territory agency responsible for mental health services. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency is a part of the same state Department responsible for Mental Health. Our goal is to coordinate meetings when necessary to improve access and continuity of care for children, served by our two programs. n. Child care resource and referral agencies, child care consumer education organizations, and providers of early childhood education training and professional development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Child care resource centers (CCRC) are present in all seven regions of Idaho targeted at providing resources and education to both families and child care providers. CCRC staff provides technical assistance and coaching to child care providers enrolled in the state’s Quality Ratings and Improvement System (QRIS) to improve the quality of care, expand accessibility and continuity of care, and assist children enrolled in early childhood programs to receive full- day services. The Lead Agency partners with the CCRCs through the implementation of activities as defined within the statewide contract with the University of Idaho. CCRCs are a part of IdahoSTARS, the state project working to improve the quality of child care, as defined by the Department. o. Statewide afterschool network or other coordinating entity for out-of-school time care (if applicable). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Director of the Idaho Out-of-School Network sits on the ICCP Advisory Panel. The coordination goals for Idaho’s Out-of-School Network are the following: Increase awareness about and access for out-of-school programs Organize policy and partnerships for out-of-school programs Nurture quality and professional development for out-of-school programs This is completed through partnership between a statewide coalition, made up of leaders in Idaho, for which the Child Care Administrator is one participant. The process of aligning professional development for out-of-school programs with child care’s Step to Quality (STQ) Program ensures consistency and a clear pathway for all programs serving children birth to age 13. STQ is a voluntary system for child care centers and home-based programs. Programs participating in STQ work with regional quality consultants to assess, improve, and communicate quality practices p. Agency responsible for emergency management and response. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency is a part of the state's emergency management and response team. Our goal is to coordinate meetings with our Lead Agency coordinator when necessary to share information and develop plans on a per- topic basis. q. The following are examples of optional partners a Lead Agency might coordinate with to provide services. Check which optional partners the Lead Agency coordinates with and describe the coordination and results of the coordination. i. [x] State/Territory/local agencies with Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants. Describe: The Lead Agency works alongside the Head Start office to continue education and knowledge building around the benefits of the Early Head Start - Child Care partnership. The long range goal is to increase the number of partnerships if given the opportunity to expand in future years. ii. [x] State/Territory institutions for higher education, including community colleges. Describe: IdahoSTARS is a joint project between the University of Idaho's (UIdaho) Center on Disabilities and Human Development (CDHD) and the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC). The project is funded by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). A function of the responsibilities of IdahoSTARS is to advance scholarships and incentives for students in early childhood education across Idaho's two- and four-year higher education institutions, headed by the director of academics and certifications on the IdahoSTARS project. iii. [ ] Other federal, State, local, and/or private agencies providing early childhood and school-age/youth-serving developmental services. Describe: iv. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for implementing the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) programs grant. Describe: The CCDF administrator sits on the statewide advisory panel for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MICHV) Program. The goal is to increase the number of children receiving early intervention programming and continuity of care as families make progress through the years with their children. We are striving to increase collaboration and coordination of shared resources to professionals in the field of early care and education. v. [ ] Agency responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program. Describe: vi. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for child welfare. Describe: The Lead Agency is a part of the same state Department responsible for Child Welfare. Our goal is to coordinate meetings when necessary to improve access and continuity of care for children served by our two programs. Child Care partners with Child Welfare in determining eligibility for foster children in need of child care services. Specifically, children in state licensed foster homes have a streamlined eligibility process with a simplified application that does not count the foster parents' income when determining co-pays or eligibility for the foster child. This partnership is defined in an agreement, and when processes or procedures change, both divisions coordinate communication and training strategies. vii. [ ] Child care provider groups or associations. Describe: viii. [ ] Parent groups or organizations. Describe: ix. [ ] Title IV B 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinators. Describe: x. [ ] Other. Describe: