9.1 Parental Complaint Process

Lead Agencies must maintain a record of substantiated parental complaints against child care providers and make information regarding such complaints available to the public on request. Lead Agencies must also provide a detailed description of the hotline or similar reporting process for parents to submit complaints about child care providers; the process for substantiating complaints; the manner in which the Lead Agency maintains a record of substantiated parental complaints; and ways that the Lead Agency makes information on such parental complaints available to the public on request. Lead Agencies are not required to limit the complaint process to parents. 9.1.1 Parental complaint process a. Describe the Lead Agency’s hotline or similar reporting process through which parents can submit complaints about child care providers, including a link if it is a Web-based process: Parents have multiple options to report complaints: - The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) provides a Child Care Facility Complaint toll-free hotline (1-866-489-8734), listed on the MSDH website (https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/4,721,85.html); The Lead Agency maintains a CCPP service request form ( https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/service-requests-complaints/); - The Lead Agency has a toll-free Complaint Hotline (1-800-877-7882), which is answered during regular business hours by staff from the MSDH Bureau of Child Care Licensing. b. Describe how the parental complaint process ensures broad access to services for families that speak languages other than English: The Lead Agency offers features on the consumer education website to non-English speaking families to translate all information available into Spanish or Vietnamese, the two most common languages in the state after English. The Lead Agency implemented user friendly features on the consumer education website. These features optimize the navigation experience of all site visitors (parents, providers, community), increase the accessibility of English and non-English speakers, and include: a Google plug-in translator for converting website information from English language into Spanish or Vietnamese, the two most common languages in the state after English; dubbing the informational video about the state strategic plan into Spanish and, also, offers the video with subtitles in Vietnamese; and ADA compliant features, such as tagging images and videos. c. Describe how the parental complaint process ensures broad access to services for persons with disabilities: The Lead Agency utilizes the following agency-wide website accessibility statement: We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability. To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1(WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more. This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs. Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments. If you wish to contact the website's owner, please use the following emailvanessa.lowe@mdhs.ms.gov Screen- reader and keyboard navigation Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples: Screen- reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website. These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key. Additionally, keyboard users will find quick navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first element of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus on them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus to drift outside of it. Users can also use shortcuts such as ￿M￿ (menus), ￿H￿ (headings), ￿F￿ (forms), ￿B￿ (buttons), and ￿G￿ (graphics) to jump to specific elements. Disability profiles supported on our website Epilepsy Safe Profile: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations. Vision Impaired Profile: this profile adjusts the website so that it is accessible to the majority of visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others. Cognitive Disability Profile: this profile provides various assistive features to help users with cognitive disabilities such as Autism, Dyslexia, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements more easily. ADHD Friendly Profile: this profile significantly reduces distractions and noise, to help people with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders browse, read, and focus on the essential elements more easily. Blind Users Profile (Screen-readers): this profile adjusts the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and Talkback. A screen- reader is validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues(popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition- based description as an installed on the blind user’s computer, and this site is compatible with it. Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as ￿M￿ (menus), ￿H￿ (headings), ￿F￿ (forms), ￿B￿ (buttons), and ￿G￿ (graphics) contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options. Animations ￿ epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions. Content highlighting ￿ users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only. Audio muting ￿users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly. Cognitive disorders ￿we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others. Additional functions ￿ we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions. Assistive technology and browser compatibility We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS, and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users. Notes, comments, and feedback Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating, and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. If you wish to contact the website's owner, please use the following email vanessa.lowe@mdhs.ms.gov. to jump to specific elements. Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments Font adjustments ￿ users can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more. Color adjustments ￿ users can select various color. d. For complaints about providers, including CCDF providers and non-CCDF providers, does the Lead Agency have a process and timeline for screening, substantiating, and responding to complaints, including information about whether the process includes monitoring? [x] Yes. If yes, describe: The Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) performs the function of screening, substantiating, and responding to all complaints against a child care facility, and maintains a public record of substantiated complaints on behalf of the Lead Agency for CCDF and non-CCDF providers. MSDH investigates complaints regardless of who filed a complaint. MSDH screens the complaint through the investigation to determine the nature of the complaint and to refer to the appropriate agency for a response: - MSDH will respond to complaints against the provider related to any licensure requirement, including allegations of abuse or neglect by the provider; Abuse or neglect allegations are referred out to local authorities and MCPS as necessary - MDHS will respond to complaints against the provider related to improper charges under the child care payment system; - Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MCPS) will respond to allegations of abuse or neglect by a parent. Substantiated complaints are posted on the MSDH website and may be searched by provider here: https://www.msdh.provider.webapps.ms.gov/ccsearch.aspx. Complaints are received by an MSDH intake coordinator by the following methods: phone, email, online complaint form, fax, and mail. Once a complaint is received it is entered into a database and assigned to an investigator. Each investigator runs reports daily to see what complaints have come in for their assigned area. Investigators have 3 to 10 days depending on the nature of the complaint to conduct an initial investigation. Once all required information is received (i.e. pictures, written statements, video footage if available) the allegations are substantiated or unsubstantiated based on the investigator's review of any evidence collected to determine if any actions were taken that violate any related child care laws or regulations. Follow-up visits are conducted to ensure that any violations observed have been corrected. Additional follow-ups are conducted as needed to ensure compliance with the regulations. For any complaints received regarding either a CCDF- participating license-exempt provider or any CCDF-participating provider that could involve a financial penalty as a result of a potential intentional program violation, the Lead Agency engages with monitoring to determine which actions described in 8.1.5 should apply. [ ] No. e. For substantiated parental complaints, who maintains the record for CCDF and non-CCDF providers? Records of substantiated parental complaints regarding the operation of CCDF licensed, license-exempt, or registered child care providers and non-CCDF licensed or registered care programs are maintained by the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) on behalf of the Lead Agency. Information regarding substantiated claims collected by the MSDH is included in the provider search function and is available for public view. Complaint files involving open programs are electronically stored for five (5) years after the case has been closed before disposal. If a program closes, complaint files are electronically stored for five(5) years after the program closure date before disposal. Information appearing as a part of the provider search portal will remain in the portal until the program closes and is removed from the searchable list of providers. f. Describe how information about substantiated parental complaints is made available to the public; this information can include the consumer education website discussed in subsection 9.2: Information about substantiated parental complaints is made available within the provider search function of the consumer education website. Prior substantiated reports and subsequent investigations history is included with the information presented for each provider through the provider search. There are no differences between CCDF and non-CCDF providers or between license and license- exempt providers in regards to the reporting of substantiated parental complaints.