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. The Lead Agency shares information with families, providers, and the public on the availability of child care services and other programs in two ways: the Lead Agency website; and contractors who employ eligibility and outreach specialists. The website has separate pages based on audience, so families, providers, and the public can access a variety of resources and information relevant to their needs. Lead Agency website - The Lead Agency’s family focused webpage covers in plain language such topics as finding child care, child care options, paying for care, and information about child care services and eligibility programs such as the Best Beginnings child care scholarship program (BBCCS). The Lead Agency’s provider focused webpage covers such topics as industry best practices, subsidy programs, resource documents, quality trainings, licensing, and safety standards. Information is written to encourage child care provider participation in CCDF programs with the goal of improving the quality and increasing the number of licensed providers statewide. Both webpages link directly to a comprehensive list of additional programs and services that support children and families including Child and Family Services, Children’s Mental Health and Special Needs, Children’s Trust Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Women Infants and Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Head Start, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and IDEA Part C and Part B. Program information includes a general description that is applicable to all audience types and provides relevant links to find out more information. They also link to a child care provider dashboard showing the availability of licensed care with other general consumer information. Additionally, The Lead Agency issues a consumer education statement flyer titled, "Best Beginnings Scholarship Program: Supporting Montana Families and Providers with Child Care Financial Assistance" to families and providers online and in hard copy. It includes information on equal access for families through the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship Program, reliable compliant process, eligibility, outreach and quality contractors, Montana's Quality Rating and Improvement System, health and safety standards, and licensing inspection and monitoring processes. Finally, the website includes data and statistics that may be helpful to constituents such as policy makers, legislators, and legislative representatives. Contracted services - Lead Agency contractor(s) offer families and providers information on the quality and quantity of child care services. Referrals provided by contractors include the availability and number of child care inquiries, the various types of facilities, and personal preferences for child care providers. These agencies collaborate with the state Advisory Council, Best Beginnings local coalitions, non-profits, and child care providers to improve the supply of child care. Additionally, they connect families and providers with services addressing special needs, including community access to IDEA services, support for homelessness, and information on immunizations. This information is shared electronically and through direct communications via phone and in-person and diffuse communications including email lists, mailers, and general brochures. The Lead Agency also contracts with a marketing firm (Windfall) to execute a media campaign to alert families and providers of the BBCCS offerings. 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 Lead Agency shares information with families, providers and the public on the physical growth and development of young children in three ways: the Lead Agency website; the Lead Agency’s QRS program; and through contractors who employ eligibility and outreach specialists. Information is shared in a variety of ways to reach various audiences. Formats for sharing include written materials, flyers, brochures, training modules, and website links. The target audiences include parents, providers, the public, agency staff, partner agencies’ staff, contractors, local, state, and federal policy makers. The Lead Agency has a tailored webpages, one for parents and the other for early childhood providers. Visitors to the website self-select as a parent or as a provider on the homepage and are then directed to the appropriate internal webpages. Lead Agency website - Information shared on the website includes general information on child growth and development and more specific resources such as developmental screening processes, the Pyramid Model, the Knowledge Base the Montana Early Learning Standards (MELS) and other health and nutrition programs. The Lead Agency’s website hosts information for families and providers on the Child and Adult Care Food Program, along with other resources relevant to the health of children. The Lead Agency webpage, Documents & Resources, hosts the following information on child physical health and development under the Children's Health and Nutrition tab: ADA Brochure Asthma Action Plan - American Lung Association Diabetes Health Care Plan Feeding Infants - A Guide for Use in the Child Nutrition Programs HIPAA Brochure - Meal Pattern Seizure Care Plan Log Topic. Additional tools, tips and flyers for providers on Parent Involvement and Family Engagement strategies can be found on the Child Growth and Development page. Contracted services - The Lead Agency partners with parentingmontana.org to provide families with children aged 0-19 relevant, information, training, and supports. During the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship eligibility determination process, an Eligibility Specialist may provide information on a variety of topics, including child growth and development. If a parent indicates their child may need additional support the eligibility contractors refer the family to appropriate child development training opportunities or interventions. QRS program - Providers participating in the Lead Agency QRS program commit to research-based child development best practices, specifically in social emotional supports, family engagement, child physical health and nutrition, and staff in their programs. The QRS website offers an abundance of resources for providers, including individualized personal care plans for infant and toddlers, feeding children in child care, transition plans, and more. The Lead Agency partners with the Early Childhood Project (ECP) to disseminate information to providers about training opportunities and requirements. 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: The Lead Agency shares information to support the social- emotional health of young children in three ways: the Lead Agency website; the Lead Agency QRS program; and through contracted outreach services. Lead Agency website - General information for families shared on the website includes examples of positive behavioral interventions and social-emotional supports linked on the child growth and development webpage. It also includes specific resources such as the Knowledge Base and the Montana Early Learning Standards (MELS). These documents are accessible through the Lead Agency’s website and are the foundation for supporting all early learning programs and activities. The MELS promotes the well-being and positive development of the whole child while also promoting the importance of social and emotional health of young children. It is organized by domain and offers quick references so that parents and providers can easily communicate about each topic area. Contracted services - The Lead Agency partners with parentingmontana.org to provide families with children aged 0-19 social-emotional training coursework. Additionally, the Lead Agency has an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECHMC) contract with Mountain Pacific Quality Health to provide web-based information on the importance of supporting the social-emotional development of children. Their website allows child care providers and families to request IECMHC services. The IECMHC contractor promotes social-emotional development and IECMHC to providers, families, and the public across Montana through a comprehensive branding and marketing campaign. The Lead Agency funds and promotes provider specific social-emotional training options like the pyramid model, child temperament, and trauma informed care courses for both licensed and non-licensed providers through childcaretraining.org. Finally, during the Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship eligibility determination process, an eligibility contractor may provide information on a variety of topics, including social and emotional well-being. If a parent indicates their child may need additional support the Specialist will refer them to additional DPPHS services. QRS program - Child care providers who participate in the Lead Agency’s QRS program receive access to IECMHC, training course options (including social-emotional trainings), and other screening resources. Participating QRS providers must meet many research based, best practice criteria, specifically in social emotional supports, and family engagement. Providers are required to get 16 hours of trainings per year to remain licensed and may select trainings of their choice to fulfill this requirement. The QRS Toolkit website offers an abundance of Pyramid Model resources for providers. Providers are encouraged to share these resources with families in their program. 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 has policies to prevent the suspension and expulsion of children from birth to age five in the Administrative Rules of Montana (37.80.301). It requires providers have a policy on preventing and reducing expulsion and suspension. The policy must include reasons for expulsion, procedures for expulsion, how the provider will assist the child and parent with transitions, and the types of referrals the provider will make such as those to a community agency that could offer additional supports to the family. The policy on preventing suspension and expulsion is available on the Lead Agency website for parents, providers, and the public. Lead Agency contracted agencies meet with child care providers and child care provider associations in their regions to share expulsion policies. Contracted agency staff assist child care providers in writing expulsion policies and help them implement solutions to avoid the suspension and expulsion of children. The Lead Agency, following the policy guidance of the US Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, implements a multi-tiered systems of support to prevent and severely limit expulsions and suspensions in early learning settings. For example, the Lead Agency QRS program uses training and coaching on Pyramid Model practices at the program and classroom level to address challenging behaviors that may lead to suspensions and expulsions. 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: The Lead Agency has policies to prevent the suspension and expulsion of school age children in the Administrative Rules of Montana (37.80.301). It requires providers have a policy on preventing and reducing expulsion and suspension. The policy must include reasons for expulsion, procedures for expulsion, how the provider will assist the child and parent with transitions, and the types of referrals the provider will make such as those to a community agency that could offer additional supports to the family. The policy on preventing suspension and expulsion is available on the Lead Agency website for parents, providers, and the public. Lead Agency contracted agencies meet with child care providers and child care provider associations in their regions to share expulsion policies. Contracted agency staff assist child care providers in writing expulsion policies and help them implement solutions to avoid the suspension and expulsion of children. The Lead Agency, following the policy guidance of the US Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, implements a multi-tiered systems of support to prevent and severely limit expulsions and suspensions in early learning settings.