9.3 Increasing Engagement and Access to Information

Lead Agencies must collect and disseminate information about the full range of child care services to promote parental choice to parents of children eligible for CCDF, the general public, and child care providers. 9.3.1 Information about CCDF availability and eligibility Describe how the Lead Agency shares information with eligible parents, the general public, and child care providers about the availability of child care services provided through CCDF and other programs for which the family may be eligible. The description should include, at a minimum, what is provided (e.g., written materials, the website, and direct communications) and what approaches are used to tailor information to parents, the general public, and child care providers. Eligible parents, the general public, and child care providers are able to access information on the Lead Agency website about a variety of providers whose services are available to families, including private child care centers, Type III early learning centers, not-for-profit centers, faith- based providers, school-based child care centers, family child care providers, in-home providers, and military child care centers (though there are no military child care centers in Louisiana currently). Information about eligibility criteria for the Child Care Assistance Program is also shared. Provider site information, including information about each provider site’s capacity, enrollment, academic offerings, a link to the website for the Community Network Lead Agency which contains information on how to enroll, information about how to contact individual sites, and academic performance, is available on the Louisiana School and Center Finder site (louisianaschools.com). 9.3.2 Information about child care and other services available for parents Does the Lead Agency certify that it provides information described in 9.3.1 for the following required programs? • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. • Head Start and Early Head Start programs. • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). • Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) program. • Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). • Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). • Programs carried out under IDEA Part B, Section 619 and Part C. [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 9.3.3 Consumer statement for parents receiving CCDF services Lead Agencies must provide parents receiving CCDF services with a consumer statement in hard copy or electronically that contains general information about the CCDF program and specific information about the child care provider they select. Please certify if the Lead Agency provides parents receiving CCDF services a consumer statement that contains the following 8 requirements: 1. Health and safety requirements met by the provider 2. Licensing or regulatory requirements met by the provider 3. Date the provider was last inspected 4. Any history of violations of these requirements 5. Any voluntary quality standards met by the provider 6. How CCDF subsidies are designed to promote equal access 7. How to submit a complaint through the hotline 8. How to contact a local resource and referral agency or other community-based organization to receive assistance in finding and enrolling in quality child care Does the Lead Agency provide to families, either in hard copy or electronically, a consumer statement that contains the required information about the provider they have selected, including the eight required elements above? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 9.3.4 Informing families about best practices on child development Describe how the Lead Agency makes information available to parents, providers, and the general public on research and best practices concerning children’s development, including physical health and development, and information about successful parent and family engagement. At a minimum, the description should include what information is provided; how the information is provided; any distinct activities for sharing this information with parents, providers, the general public; and any partners in providing this information. The Lead Agency has published its early learning and development standards online and provides information regarding the early learning and development standards with the Community Network through professional development offered through annual conferences and webinars. The Lead Agency has developed guidance documents that provide concrete examples for learning and development that coincide with developmental milestones for anyone who utilizes the early learning and development standards. In addition, the Lead Agency has established a definition for Kindergarten readiness that is available online. The Lead Agency also provides links to several resources that are provided by the federal Administration for Children and Families within the ￿Families Library,￿ including a link to ￿Child Development Resources for Families,￿ which provides information to families on developmental milestones, health and safety, developmental screening, and early learning. 9.3.5 Unlimited parental access to their children Does the Lead Agency have procedures to ensure that parents have unlimited access to their children whenever their children are in the care of a provider who receives CCDF funds: [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 9.3.6 Informing families about best practices in social and emotional health Describe how the Lead Agency shares information with families, providers, and the general public regarding the social-emotional and behavioral and mental health of young children, including positive behavioral intervention and support models based on research and best practices for those from birth to school age: The Lead Agency has contracted for Mental Health Consultation services to support the behavioral and mental health of Louisiana’s youngest children and their early childhood teachers by embracing a full spectrum of supports. These supports include providing mental health resources and information for providers and families, training for child care providers focused on the prevention of challenging behaviors, and supports for families focused on finding treatment for specific mental health needs. The contracted program has three primary goals: 1) to support the mental health development of young children, 2) to support caregivers’ ability to promote multiple levels of children’s development, and 3) to refer children for treatment and/or to design behavior support plans for children in need of specific supports. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants understand and consider the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on children and adults in our communities. They use trauma-informed mental health consultation to lessen the effects of ACEs on the children, families, and caregivers they serve through formal (e.g., professional development for early childhood educators, parent seminars) and informal (e.g., meeting with a teacher to discuss a child in their class, supporting a parent to find community resources) methods. Furthermore, the CCR&R agencies provide professional development opportunities to early learning sites using a set of accessible, high-quality trainings designed by experts on ACEs. Evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies are also discussed in the training. In addition to the training, early learning sites are given resources, videos, and hard copies of handouts. In training the sites, the CCR&Rs also provided suggested strategies on how early learning sites could redeliver ACEs education to families. Some strategies include holding open houses with this topic focus, distributing flyers explaining ACEs, discussing ACEs at parent-teacher conferences, and including information about ACEs in newsletters. Finally, the Lead Agency provides training opportunities for early learning sites regarding behavior management through dissemination of informational emails, newsletters, webinars, and additional CCR&R training. Some information is tailored to early learning sites through on-site technical assistance visits in which providers can receive one-on-one support in this area. 9.3.7 Policies on the prevention of the suspension and expulsion of children a. The Lead Agency must have policies to prevent the suspension and expulsion of children from birth to age 5 in child care and other early childhood programs receiving CCDF funds. Describe those policies and how those policies are shared with families, providers, and the general public: All licensed CCDF providers must establish in writing and prominently post or show parent’s signature of receipt of the policy to prevent suspension and expulsion of children. Providers must establish steps for addressing behaviors identified by the site as dangerous and/or out-of-control behaviors. Suspension or expulsions should only be considered as a final action after the implementation of behavior support strategies, including at a minimum engaging parents by written communication and/or parent conference and providing a referral to EarlySteps (Part C), Child Search, and/or mental health consultant if appropriate. b. Describe what policies, if any, the Lead Agency has to prevent the suspension and expulsion of school-age children from child or youth care settings receiving CCDF funds: All licensed CCDF providers must establish steps for addressing behaviors identified by the site as dangerous and/or out-of-control behaviors. Suspension or expulsions should only be considered as a final action after the implementation of behavior support strategies, including at a minimum engaging parents by written communication and/or parent conference and providing a referral to Child Find/Search and Part B and/or mental health consultant if appropriate.