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: Prior to the initial submission of the State Plan to the Office of Child Care for review, the Lead Agency submitted the State Plan to United Way in Mississippi to disseminate to local government entities (city and county level) and receive feedback on the Plan’s development. Although, the State Plan was shared with United Way of Mississippi, we did not receive any feedback from any local (city or county) government entities. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: The Lead Agency provided members of the State Early Childhood Advisory Council (SECAC) with multiple opportunities for input on the State Plan as part of the development of a statewide asset mapping and strategic vision project taken on by the SECAC. All members were contacted initially to submit information on each State Plan item during the Plan writing phase. Once the final draft is completed, the SECAC will once again solicited for feedback prior to final submission. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: Representation from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians sits on the State Early Childhood Advisory Council and was consulted as described above in item 1.3.1.b. 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: The Lead Agency will create a Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) Advisory Council whose membership will be comprised of parents and or guardians who participate in the CCPP, child care providers who participate in the CCPP, and other stakeholders who provide support to families and child care providers that participate in the CCPP. This council will meet quarterly to discuss the Lead Agency’s implementation of CCPP and advise the Lead Agency on ways to better meet the needs of families and child care providers who participate in the CCPP. 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: 6/19/2024 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: 5/29/2024 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 noticeNotice of Public Hearing was made available on the Lead Agency's website: www.mdhs.ms.gov/early- childhood-care-development and emailed to providers and other stakeholders. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The public hearing was virtually, allowing all interested parties to 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 Plan was made available on the Lead Agency website and emailed to child care providers, parents, and other stakeholders on May 29, 2024 allowing for a two week written comment period prior to the public hearing which will be held on June 19, 2024. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: When seeking comment, the Lead Agency asked for comments pertaining to specific sections of the State Plan. Upon receiving comments, the Lead Agency reviewed comments pertaining to specific sections of the State Plan and evaluated if the comment justified any changes to the State Plan. This process was completed for all verbal and written comments that were received. For example, two different parties made comment pertaining to Section 7: Quality Improvement Activities. One comment was made in favor of the newly designed quality improvement standards outlined in Section 7, one comment was made against the newly designed quality improvement standards outlined in Section 7. Upon reviewing both comments, the Lead Agency decided to keep the quality improvement standards in place as outlined in Section 7 based on the feedback received. 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.mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/ 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 State Plan was shared with the State Early Childhood Advisory Council for feedback during both the writing and the revising stages of Plan development. ii. [x] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: The State Plan was shared with the Resource and Referral staff for feedback during both the writing and the revising stages of Plan development. iii. [x] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: The final Plan will be translated into Spanish and Vietnamese and made available on the Lead Agency’s consumer education website. iv. [x] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: Notification of the public hearing was made available via the Lead Agency Facebook social media account. v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: Notification of the public hearing and link to allow parents to make written comment was emailed out to all parents participating in the Child Care Payment Program. 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: Notification of the public hearing and link to allow parents to make written comment was emailed out to all child care providers via the Lead Agency email listserv and the Mississippi State Department of Health. 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.