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: EEC holds a biweekly meeting with our Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative grantees and we used part of the April 9, 2024 meeting to share information about our state plan and how it aligns with our strategic objectives as an agency. We also shared information regarding where they can see the full draft and share feedback via our online feedback form. CPPI grantees include school district administrators, local government employees, and child care providers all partnering to expand access to preschool through a mixed-delivery model. We also used part of the EEC Advisory and Workforce Advisory Council meeting on March 7, 2024 to discuss the state plan and receive feedback. That meeting included general-purpose local government members such as state representatives and their designees, school district representatives, and a representative from the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: To engage with our state advisory council, we used part of the February 14, 2024 board meeting to share our timeline and ensure they understood what is required for the State Plan. We also used part of the March 7, 2024 EEC Advisory and Workforce Advisory Council meeting to share information about the CCDF State Plan process and how EEC’s strategic objectives apply to the sections of the plan. Diverse stakeholders from across the state provided feedback during the meeting. Ahead of the EEC board meeting on June 12, 2024, we shared the state plan for the Board’s review. At the June board meeting we provided a summary of the plan and stakeholder feedback. We also requested and received final approval of our plan before submitting to the OCC for review. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: The CCDF co-administrator emailed the Wampanoag of Gay Head and Mashpee Wampanoag tribes on March 19, 2024 and April 15, 2024 and did not receive a response. At the time of the email, the draft state plan was still being reviewed internally and had not be distributed to any stakeholders so EEC did not send a draft of the state plan nor include information on when and where it would be posted. Since the submission of the state plan EEC has sent an email to the tribes with the link to EEC's website where the state plan can be found. 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: We attended the MA Head Start Association Directors’ Meeting on April 5, 2024 where we shared information on the latest draft of the state plan and specific topics relevant to Head Start organizations. We also fielded questions and shared information regarding where attendees could see the full draft state plan and share feedback via our online feedback form. The Advisory and Workforce meeting held on March 7, 2024 also included representatives from higher education, family child care providers, center-based providers, early education advocacy organizations, the state senate and a foundation. 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: 5/22/2024 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: 5/2/2024 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 notice and registration link were posted to the EEC website which can be accessed in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and simplified Chinese . The posting included information on interpretation and ASL being offered for the public hearing. We also shared the Public Hearing on the Commissioner’s mailing list. The notice was posted to https://www.mass.gov/event/fy25-27-state-plan-public-hearing-2024- 05-22t180000-0400-2024-05-22t190000-0400 v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The public hearing was held virtually in the evening so that a wide variety of people could participate outside of the workday and across the state. Also, translation was provided to ensure all attendees could participate. 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.): The full draft plan was posted to the EEC State Plan website on May 6, 2024. We also developed a State Plan overview which was shared during our engagement sessions. This deck was posted to the website and translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and simplified Chinese. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: Most of the public comments were already reflected in our State Plan given the close collaboration that EEC facilitates among our stakeholder groups. In response to comments we clarified supports for and collaboration with out-of-school time afterschool providers and the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership. We also clarified additional supports specific to family child care providers. 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://www.mass.gov/lists/child-care-and- development-fund-ccdf-state-plans (the draft FY25-27 state plan share with stakeholders prior to public comment can be accessed at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/fy25-27- child-care-and-development-fund-ccdf-state-plan) 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. [ ] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: iii. [ ] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: iv. [ ] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: EEC key constituents such as provider groups and advocacy groups that are not included in our provider database (LEAD) receive notifications when any CCDF change impacts policy. vi. [ ] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: vii. [x] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: Any CCDF changes that impact policy and the child care workforce are sent to all providers via our policy advisory notification. 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.