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. Michigan shares eligibility information with parents through multiple formats. The Great Start to Quality (GSQ) website, which allows parents to search for a licensed provider that meets their needs and has an eligibility calculator to help families determine whether or not they meet scholarship eligibility criteria. Ten GSQ Resource Centers located throughout the state offer direct support to parents and the public searching for child care. Partnerships with multiple stakeholders, including providers of early intervention, Great Start Family Coalitions (GSFCs), Great Start Collaboratives (GSC), Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC), TriShare hubs, FCCNs, Regional Child Care Coalitions, and local Michigan Department of Health Human Services (MDHHS) offices dissemination information about child care eligibility and application processes. The CDC website, which houses information and resources for parents about program requirements and resources. MiKidsMatter (consumer education website) provides a one stop location for parents to find a multitude of information and resources to support their needs. Social media channels and listservs may be used in addition to these to increase awareness of important changes related to eligibility, assistance, and facilitating programs (providers). All materials and sites are aimed at presenting information in an accessible and easy to understand manner for consumers of all types. 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 Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) supports the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) website which has several downloadable resources for both families and providers that gives information on social and emotional development, daily routines, separation anxiety, and adult caregiver stress reduction. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants also provide professional development opportunities leveraging the MiRegistry system to make a variety of topics related to social and emotional development available to child care providers. An example of some of the topics that have been offered include Pyramid Model Social Emotional Training for Infant, Toddler and Preschool Providers, Reflective Leadership approaches for child care directors, using mindfulness in caregiving practices and open Office Hours facilitated by an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health consultant, where providers can attend and discuss behaviors or situations that challenge them or other social- emotional concerns they are having. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also partners with Michigan’s Part C program to provide accessible virtual social emotional professional development training that is open to all early childhood providers across the state, including child care professionals. These trainings include social and emotional screening and assessment training using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers, Parent Child Interaction Observation Training, and Trauma Informed Care. MDHHS is also working with the PDG 0-5 Initiative, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and parents in MI to develop an Early Relational Health learning series that once completed will be made available across the state to parents and providers. Michigan also shares information through our MiKidsMatter website about Steps, which was created using Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge grant funds. Michigan utilized a contractor who completed a statewide communications audit of which the findings indicated a dearth of communication about the importance of early childhood education targeted to families with infants and toddlers. Steps were created as an initiative to increase families’ awareness of the importance of supporting brain development and early learning for kids ages 0￿5, with an emphasis on ages 0￿3. HOPEful Conversations content, based on the popular and highly regarded Caregiving Conversations training series for child care providers focused on building the Strengthening Families Protective Factors for families, Michigan’s PDG B-5 grant included funding to develop, pilot and train trainers throughout the state in a second series called HOPEful Conversations. This training series is designed around Tufts Medical Center’s HOPE (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences) research about brain architecture and positive childhood experiences, highlighting the power of nurturing and supportive relationships and communities. The HOPE framework focuses on creating a paradigm shift in systems of care, communities, and policies to value and actively bolster positive experiences. This shift builds on the understanding of the power of relationships within families and communities and between those who provide and receive supportive services and strives to improve empathy, drive respect for human dignity, and foster trust with families. The training series has been created for license exempt providers and will be adapted with cross-sector partners to be delivered to other child care providers, home visitors, pre-school teachers, and health and human services staff and service providers. In addition, MiLEAP is partnering with the state’s Pure Michigan campaign to provide information about the building blocks of HOPE on the MiKidsMatter site over the next several years. 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: Promotion/Prevention: A promotion-based social and emotional toolkit for families was developed cross systems and is available via the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) website at: www.michigan.gov/socialemotionalhealth. This toolkit includes a parent guide with information on typical and atypical social and emotional development, parenting tips to support social and emotional well-being and links to community resources for further support. Additionally, the toolkit includes a simple two-page fact sheet with a definition of social and emotional health and simple milestones. This toolkit is disseminated to front line staff working with families via state-level webinars, conferences and is available for free download. Social and emotional developmental wheels for families or those caring for infants and young children birth to five are available for purchase through the Michigan Infant Mental Health Association (MI- AIMH) (http://mi-aimh.org). Additionally, MI-AIMH has developed and distributed a social and emotional developmental wheel with strategies specifically targeted to fathers. Part C, MDHHS and MDE have all purchased wheels and distributed to front line staff for distribution to families across the state. Michigan's Part C program, Early-On® , has developed and distributes a 0-5 developmental milestone wheel for families. This wheel includes social and emotional behaviors and can be ordered online by staff to use with families or by families directly at no charge. Michigan's GSQ website links families to free Early-On® developmental wheels and other resources, targeted digital media campaigns, print advertisement, social media (Facebook and Twitter), and access to online and phone referral systems. Intervention Early-On® Michigan offers early intervention services for infants and toddlers, birth to three years of age, with developmental delay(s) and/or disabilities, and their families. Families can access information for evaluation through: www.1800EarlyOn.org. Through the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement (MiLEAP), and Potential Early On®, Part C program, in partnership with MDHHS, ongoing virtual training is provided to early care and education providers, across systems, on the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) for Infants and Toddlers as well as the DECA Clinical for children ages 24 months to age six. These tools help providers work with families to observe, assess, interpret, and support the attachment, initiative, and self-regulation of young children. Additionally, through the Part C/MDHHS partnership, virtual training and coaching are provided on the Pyramid Model framework for infants and toddlers. The Pyramid Model is a positive behavioral intervention and support (PBIS) framework that uses systems- thinking and implementation science to promote evidence-based practices that promote social and emotional health in early care and education settings. Through a partnership of MiLEAP and MDHHS, leveraging CCDF, Mental Health Block Grant and MiKids Now funds, some communities in Michigan (31 out of 83 counties) have access to infant and early childhood mental health consultation. Additionally, when a family is eligible, these services can be supported through a MDHHS Prevention-Direct Service. This prevention direct service is part of the Behavioral Health and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities chapter of the Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual. Michigan implements an evidence-based, state-driven Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) model originally developed in the 1990’s and refined based on science and practice. Master’s prepared, IECMH consultants use this evaluated approach that includes partnering with early care and education providers to listen, observe, assess, plan and coach around the specific mental health needs of children and providers. This process enhances the overall quality of care and environmental climate. Additionally, in Michigan IECMHC services help to raise adult awareness of racial inequities and implicit bias. Consultants intentionally do this work with the goal of reducing suspensions and expulsions from caregiving environments, and ultimately increasing equitable, high-quality care for all young children. Mental health and developmental disability services in Michigan are delivered through county- based community mental health service programs (CMHSPs). The MDHHS Division of Mental Health Services to Children and Families, along with 46 regional CMHSPs, contracts public funds for intervention- based mental health, and developmental disability services. Medicaid funds, which are paid on a per Medicaid- eligible capitated basis, and require diagnosis, are contracted with CMHSPs, or affiliations of CMHSPs, as prepaid inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs). Substance Abuse services are provided through the 10 PIHPs. CMHSP's across the state providing intervention-based services to children 0-47 months must have an infant mental health endorsed practitioner. Example services for children 0-5 with a diagnosis include Infant Mental Health Infant services which is a home- based parent-infant support and intervention service to families where the parent's condition and life circumstances or the characteristics of the infant threaten the parent-infant attachment and the consequent social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development of the infant. Services reduce the incidence and prevalence of abuse, neglect, developmental delay, behavioral and emotional disorder. CMHSPs may provide infant mental health services as a specific service (Medicaid B 3 Service) or as part of a Department of Health and Human Services enrolled home- based program. The population served by an infant mental health specialist will vary community by community but typically involves children and families with multiple risks. Those risk factors may include adolescent parents, poor, single parents, firstborn infants, low birth weight infants, infants/toddlers with serious emotional disturbance, and parents with a diagnosis of mental illness, developmental disability, or substance abuse. The infant mental health specialist provides home visits to families who are enrolled during pregnancy, around the time of birth and infant/toddler's up to age 3. The specialist provides weekly home visits or more frequent visits if the family is in crisis. The service includes addressing the needs of the infant/toddler and other young children in the family and the mental health needs of the mother. Home-Based Services Michigan's home-based family service philosophy promotes delivery of services to families in their homes to achieve permanence for children, while maintaining and strengthening the family integrity. These services are provided to Medicaid-eligible individuals in families with multiple service needs who require access to a continuum of mental health services. The Mental Health Home-Based Services intervention combines the use of individual therapy, family therapy, case- management, and family collateral contacts as an approach to reducing reliance on placement in substitute care settings such as hospitals or residential treatment. In addition to the Infant Mental Health Home Visiting model, we also have clinicians trained in Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) which is an evidence-based model for young children and their families who have experienced trauma. Mom Power is an evidence-informed 10-week group model that supports learning about attachment relationships, increasing social connections and self-care practices, and decreasing symptoms of depression. 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: The Lead Agency recommends and encourages all early education and care providers to develop a clear suspension-expulsion policy that prevents or significantly limits suspensions and expulsions for children under eight-years-old. The recommendation also presents a set of quality indicators for providers to consider when developing their policy. The recommendation with information and resources to support creating a policy is posted on MiKidsMatter (Consumer Education website) for families, providers, and the general public. To help prevent the suspension and expulsion of children from birth to age 5 in child care and other early childhood programs receiving CCDF funds, the Department has an interagency agreement with the Department of Health Human Services (DHHS) to support of a continuum of care created to assist child care providers in supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of themselves, the infants and young children in their care and their families. The DHHS Infant Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation team provides relationship-based activities including learning opportunities and coaching to support staff wellbeing and implementation of social emotional practices to increase positive child and family outcomes, including the prevention of suspension and expulsion. 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: Early childhood programs are strongly encouraged to establish policies to eliminate or limit expulsion and suspension and recommends parents read their child care provider’s policy about suspension and expulsion. The lead agency consumer education site has a link titled: Preventing Suspension and Expulsion in Early education and Care Programs. This webpage has Frequently Asked Questions along with links to resources that are available.