4.5 Supply Building

Building a supply of high-quality child care that meets the needs and preferences of parents participating in CCDF is necessary to meet CCDF’s core purposes. Lead Agencies must support parent choice by providing some portion of direct services via grants or contracts, including at a minimum for children in underserved geographic areas, infants and toddlers, and children with disabilities. 4.5.1 Child care services available through grants or contracts Does the Lead Agency provide direct child care services through grants or contracts for child care slots? [ ] Yes, statewide. Describe how the Lead Agency ensures that parents who enroll with a provider who has a grant or contract have choices when selecting a provider: [ ] Yes, in some jurisdictions, but not statewide. Describe how many jurisdictions use grants or contracts for child care slots and how the Lead Agency ensures that parents who enroll with a provider who has a grant or contract have choices when selecting a provider: [x] No. If no, describe any Lead Agency plans to provide direct child care services through grants and contracts for child care slots: The Lead Agency is gathering information to understand the areas of need in Montana to meet the federal requirements to provide direct child care services through contracts and guides. Additionally, the Lead Agency must evaluate cost and implementation, including IT/database expenses. If no, skip to question 4.5.2. i. If yes, identify the populations of children served through grants or contracts for child care slots (check all that apply). For each population selected, identify the number of slots allocated through grants or contracts for direct service of children receiving CCDF. [ ] Children with disabilities. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Infants and toddlers. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Children in underserved geographic areas. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Children needing non-traditional hour care. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] School-age children. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Children experiencing homelessness. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Children in urban areas. Percent of CCDF children served in an average month: [ ] Children in rural areas. Percent of CCDF children served in an average month: [ ] Other populations. If checked, describe: ii. If yes, how are rates for slots funded by grants and contracts determined by the Lead Agency? 4.5.2 Care in the child’s home (in-home care) The Lead Agency must allow for in-home care (i.e., care provided in the child’s own home) but may limit its use. Will the Lead Agency limit the use of in-home care in any way? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If yes, what limits will the Lead Agency set on the use of in-home care? Check all that apply. i. [ ] Restricted based on the minimum number of children in the care of the in- home provider to meet the Fair Labor Standards Act (minimum wage) requirements. Describe: ii. [ ] Restricted based on the in-home provider meeting a minimum age requirement. Describe: iii. [x] Restricted based on the hours of care (i.e., certain number of hours, non- traditional work hours). Describe: The Lead Agency allows in-home care if a parent works non-traditional hours. iv. [ ] Restricted to care by relatives. (A relative provider must be at least 18 years of age based on the definition of eligible child care provider.) Describe: v. [x] Restricted to care for children with special needs or a medical condition. Describe: The Lead Agency allows in-home care if a child meets the definition for a child with special needs or a child with disabilities. vi. [ ] Restricted to in-home providers that meet additional health and safety requirements beyond those required by CCDF. Describe: vii. [x] Other. Describe: The Lead Agency allows in-home care for a teen parent. 4.5.3 Shortages in the supply of child care Lead Agencies must identify shortages in the supply of child care providers that meet parents’ needs and preferences. What child care shortages has the Lead Agency identified in the State or Territory, and what is the plan to address the child care shortages? a. In infant and toddler programs: i. Data sources used to identify shortages: The Lead Agency uses data from the US Census Bureau’s 2020 Decennial Census for children aged 0-12 by county to determine the possible need for child care. The Lead Agency tracks child care providers by type and licensed capacity from the Lead Agency’s database. Additionally, the Lead Agency will refer to the Montana Department of Labor’s reports for information on the child care industry. ii. Method of tracking progress: The Lead Agency will use the Child Care Deserts: An Analysis of Child Care Supply and Demand Gaps in Montana (January 2024) county level data as a baseline and track progress in creating infant/toddler slots. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes The Lead Agency funds the Provider Financial Assistance Program through the provider support contractor agencies. This program allows child care providers to receive one time grant funds up to $3,000 to expand a program to serve more infants and toddlers. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? The Lead Agency funds the Provider Financial Assistance Program through the provider support contractor agencies. This program allows child care providers to receive one time grant funds up to $3,000 to expand a program to serve more infants and toddlers. b. In different regions of the State or Territory: i. Data sources used to identify shortages: The Lead Agency uses data from the US Census Bureau’s 2020 Decennial Census for children aged 0-12 by county to determine the possible need for child care. The Lead Agency tracks child care providers by type and licensed capacity from the Lead Agency’s database. Additionally, the Lead Agency will refer to the Montana Department of Labor’s reports for information on the child care industry. ii. Method of tracking progress: The Lead Agency will use the Child Care Deserts: An Analysis of Child Care Supply and Demand Gaps in Montana (January 2024) county level data as a baseline and track progress in remediating child care deserts. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes? The Lead Agency funds the Provider Financial Assistance Program through the provider support contractor agencies. This program allows child care providers to receive one time grant funds up to $3,000 for startup costs or other child care facility needs. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? The Lead Agency funds the Provider Financial Assistance Program through the provider support contractor agencies. This program allows child care providers to receive one time grant funds up to $3,000 for startup costs or other child care facility needs. c. In care for special populations: i. Data sources used to identify shortages: As part of outreach for the State Plan, the Lead Agency requested feedback on special populations. This included the State Plan Public Hearing, CCDF Advisory Council, local CCR&R agencies, and Montana Child Care Center Symposium. The Lead Agency has received feedback that special populations are viewed as vulnerable populations in Montana, which include refugee families and families with limited English proficiency. ii. Method of tracking progress: Beginning 10/1/2023, the Lead Agency had scholarship services contractors reporting the number of families inquiring about BBS where English is a second language, how many families have applied for BBS, and what barriers a family experienced when accessing BBS. The Lead Agency will track progress by trying to identify and resolve barriers. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes? The Lead Agency will work with provider supports contractors and scholarship services contractor to identify success stories and determine if there is possible to replicate this in other areas where there is a need. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? The Lead Agency will work with provider supports contractors and scholarship services contractor to identify success stories and determine if there is possible to replicate this in other areas where there is a need. 4.5.4 Strategies to increase the supply of and improve quality of child care Lead Agencies must develop and implement strategies to increase the supply of and improve the quality of child care services. These strategies must address child care in underserved geographic areas; infants and toddlers; children with disabilities, as defined by the Lead Agency; and children who receive care during non-traditional hours. How does the Lead Agency identify any gaps in the supply and quality of child care services and what strategies are used to address those gaps for: a. Underserved geographic areas. Describe: In Child Care Deserts: An Analysis of Child Care Supply and Demand Gaps in Montana (January 2024), the child care capacity as a percent demand from children under six years old is outlined by county need. This data shows geographically (by county) underserved areas. The Lead Agency funds the Provider Financial Assistance Program through the provider support contractor agencies. This program assists child care providers with a one-time grant fund up to $3,000 to expand a program, mitigate an emergency, or start a new program. b. Infants and toddlers. Describe: The Lead Agency has data from child care providers on serving infant/toddlers and supply needs on a statewide basis. Child care providers reported waitlist by age group in the 2023 Market Rate Survey Report. Thirty-six percent of family and group home providers and 41% of center providers had waiting lists for full- time infants. Thirty-three percent home-based providers and 44% of center providers had waiting lists for full-time toddlers. In the 2024 Montana Child Care Business Connect Annual Survey of current and prospective child care owners and administrators, 77% of respondents reported providing care to infants and 92% of respondents to toddlers. The Lead Agency has licensed capacity for infant/toddler ages, and BBS participation for infant/toddler ages. In Child Care Deserts: An Analysis of Child Care Supply and Demand Gaps in Montana (January 2024), the infant child care capacity as a percent demand is outlined by county need. The Lead Agency pays a higher payment rate for infant and toddlers to support child care providers. c. Children with disabilities. Describe: BBS tracks information on children with disabilities through the Special Needs Subsidy, which includes both children with disabilities and children with special needs. While the Lead Agency has available data, it is difficult to analyze in the current computer database. The Lead Agency plans to have available reports with the new computer database, which will be live in late 2025. With this information, the Lead Agency will be able to see geographically where non-traditional needs are not being met. In the 2024 Montana Child Care Business Connect Annual Survey of current and prospective child care owners and administrators, 36% of respondents reported providing care for children with special needs. The Lead Agency utilizes technical assistance contracts to prioritize high needs communities and populations. BBS pays an add-on when a child care provider has outlined what additional supports a child needs in the child care setting and a parent has submitted documentation meeting the definition as a child with special needs or a child with disabilities. d. Children who receive care during non-traditional hours. Describe: BBS requires actual time in and time out information for children on a monthly invoice. The Lead Agency has available data on time in and time out; however, analyzing the data is difficult in the current computer database. The Lead Agency plans to have available reports with the new computer database, no earlier than fall 2025. With this information, the Lead Agency will be able to see geographically where non-traditional needs are not being met. In the 2024 Montana Child Care Business Connect Annual Survey of current and prospective child care owners and administrators, 6% of respondents reported offering non-traditional hours. BBS pays a non-traditional add-on when a child attends at least one hour outside of 6 am- 6 pm Monday to Friday. e. Other. Specify what population is being focused on to increase supply or improve quality. Describe: 4.5.5 Prioritization of investments in areas of concentrated poverty and unemployment Lead Agencies must prioritize investments for increasing access to high-quality child care and development services for children of families in areas that have significant concentrations of poverty and unemployment and do not currently have sufficient numbers of such programs. Describe how the Lead Agency prioritizes increasing access to high-quality child care and development services for children of families in areas that have significant concentrations of poverty and unemployment and that do not have access to high-quality programs. All Lead Agency QRS program participants must serve a percentage of children with high needs based on their QRS level. QRS programs must serve a minimum 10% high needs children in their programs at Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. Level 4 and Level 5 programs must serve a minimum 15% high needs children. This percentage determined using the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) or licensed capacity, whichever is less. High needs is defined as: Children receiving services from Part B, Part C, Home Visiting, Children's Mental Health Bureau, or the Children and Family Services Division; Evidence that the child has special healthcare needs (such as food allergies, asthma, diabetes, special dietary restrictions, on extended prescribed medication, etc.); Infants age 0-19 months (program must be serving this population, not just licensed for this population); Enrolled Tribal member Children of teenage parent(s); Children being served through Best Beginnings subsidy; Children of migrant families; Children who are homeless; or Other children as identified by the Lead Agency. Provider support contractor(s) recruit and support new providers to improve the quality of care in geographic areas with significant concentrations of poverty and unemployment, and with minimal access to high-quality programs. 5 Health and Safety of Child Care Settings Child care health and safety standards and enforcement practices are essential to protect the health and safety of children while out of their parents’ care. CCDF provides a minimum threshold for child care health and safety policies and practices but leaves authority to Lead Agencies to design standards that appropriately protect children’s safety and promote nurturing environments that support their healthy growth and development. Lead Agencies should set standards for ratios, group size limits, and provider qualifications that help ensure that the child care environment is conducive to safety and learning and enable caregivers to promote all domains of children’s development. CCDF health and safety standards help set clear expectations for CCDF providers, form the foundation for health and safety training for child care workers, and establish the baseline for monitoring to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. These health and safety requirements apply to all providers serving children receiving CCDF services – whether the providers are licensed or license-exempt, must be appropriate to the provider setting and age of the children served, must include specific topics and training on those topics, and are subject to monitoring and enforcement procedures by the Lead Agency. CCDF-required annual monitoring and enforcement actions help ensure that CCDF providers are adopting and implementing health and safety requirements. Through child care licensing, Lead Agencies set minimum requirements, including health and safety requirements, that child care providers must meet to legally operate in that State or Territory. In some cases, CCDF health and safety requirements may be integrated within the licensing system for licensed providers and may be separate for CCDF providers who are license- exempt. This section addresses CCDF health and safety requirements, Lead Agency licensing requirements and exemptions, and comprehensive background checks. When responding to questions in this section, OCC recognizes that each Lead Agency identifies and defines its own categories of care. OCC does not expect Lead Agencies to change their definitions to fit the CCDF-defined categories of care. For these questions, provide responses that best match the CCDF categories of care.