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: An announcement of the proposed revision to the Missouri CCDF State Plan was sent to various stakeholders of Missouri’s childhood system. The Lead Agency ensured representatives from community leadership in all areas of the state as well as local government and municipalities in the St. Louis, Kansas City, and Jefferson City areas received the announcement, shared concerns and suggestions, and were encouraged to attend a public hearing or provide written comments or both, prior to the Lead Agency finalizing the plan. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: The Lead Agency presented a summary of the proposed changes to the Missouri’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council (ECSAC) on April 15, 2024, prior to posting the draft version for stakeholders online. The presentation included an overview of the recent federal final rule and proposed changes to the 2025-2027 plan, with an opportunity for council members to provide feedback. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: N/A 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: To assist with the development of the Missouri CCDF State Plan, the Lead Agency provided the federal final rule, pre-print, and the state’s current plan to key stakeholders of the childhood system, including child and family advocacy organizations (Kids Win Missouri and Child Care Aware of Missouri), the Early Care & Education Research and Referral (ECER&R) agency, Missouri Head Start State Collaboration Office; and Missouri AfterSchool Network. Feedback was solicited from these stakeholders, summarized in the presentation to the Early Childhood State Advisory Council, and incorporated into the plan posted for public comment. 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: 5/6/2024 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: 4/15/2024 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 public was notified of the draft plan, comment period, and public hearings through a message to over 12,500 childhood stakeholders in Missouri, including child care providers and community partners who signed up to receive information from the Office of Childhood. Additionally, stakeholders were reminded of these events through a weekly child care message and the Childhood Connections monthly e-newsletter, using the same email distribution list. The draft plan, information on the public comment period, and the public hearings were posted at: https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/child-care-subsidy/child-care-dev-fund. The Lead Agency did not receive any requests for the materials related to the public hearing and comment period to be translated into another language. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: Five public hearings were held between May 6, 2024, and May 18, 2024. Two hearings were held in person in Jefferson City, Missouri and three hearings were held virtually. A variety of days of the week and times of the day, including weekends, were offered to give the child care community an opportunity to participate during non-operating hours. 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 draft state plan was published online at: https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/child-care-subsidy/child-care-dev-fund. The state plan is available in English. Using Google Chrome allows users to translate the document into another language. Upon request, the Lead Agency provides a translator to interpret the state plan. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: During the public hearings, the general public had an opportunity to ask clarifying questions and provide additional comments. The Lead Agency considered and responded to all comments. A complete list of all comments and Lead Agency responses are posted online at: https://dese.mo.gov/media/pdf/child-care-and-development- fund-state-plan-fy-2025-2027-public-comment-summary. In the final version of the state plan, the Lead Agency corrected formatting, grammatical errors, and names of groups/organizations as per comments received; however, there were no significant changes to policies, which the Lead Agency attributes to ongoing stakeholder engagement in the development of the draft state plan. 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://dese.mo.gov/childhood/child-care- subsidy/child-care-dev-fund 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. [x] Working with advisory committees. Describe: The Lead Agency included Missouri’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council (ECSAC) members in the notice that the draft plan was posted, and the public comment period was open. ii. [x] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: The Lead Agency included the Early Care & Education Resource and Referral contractor in the notice that the draft plan was posted, and the public comment period was open. iii. [x] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: Posting the plan online allows users to use Google Chrome to translate to other languages as needed. 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: The Lead Agency included Missouri Head Start State Collaboration Office, Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Advisory Council, Parent Advisory Council, statewide childhood community leaders, Department of Mental Health, Missouri Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, and other advocacy groups in the notice that the draft plan was posted, and the public comment period was open. vi. [x] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: The Lead Agency included the Missouri AfterSchool Network in the notice that the draft plan was posted, and the public comment period was open. vii. [x] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: The Lead Agency included current licensed, license-exempt, and subsidy-contracted child care providers in the notice that the draft plan was posted, and the public comment period was open. 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.