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 still developing plans on how to offer child care services through grants or contracts and will be pursuing a waiver. 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. [ ] Restricted based on the hours of care (i.e., certain number of hours, non- traditional work hours). Describe: 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: In-home child care is allowed when a child's health would be at risk if taken to an outside provider or that a child's medical condition creates an undue hardship by taking the child to an outside provider. vi. [ ] Restricted to in-home providers that meet additional health and safety requirements beyond those required by CCDF. Describe: vii. [ ] Other. Describe: 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 does not license by age; however, uses the Bi-Partisan Policy Center’s child care desert definition to identify underserved and potentially constrained counties across the state of North Dakota. ii. Method of tracking progress: The Lead Agency reviews licensed child care capacity on a quarterly basis. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative has made Grow Child Care grants available to start or expand child care capacity in counties identified as underserved. The ND Child Care Initiative is also making it possible for providers participating in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to receive an additional payment per CCAP infant and toddler. These funds are equal to 30% of the state max rate for each infant and/or toddler, separate from the CCAP payment and are not applied to a family’s bill. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative has made Grow Child Care grants available to any program increasing infant and/or toddler space by adding eight infants or 10 toddlers to a space dedicated to that age. The ND Child Care Initiative is also making it possible for providers participating in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to receive an additional payment per CCAP infant and toddler. These funds are equal to 30% of the state max rate for each infant and/or toddler, separate from the CCAP payment and are not applied to a family’s bill. b. In different regions of the State or Territory: i. Data sources used to identify shortages: The Lead Agency uses child care licensing data and county profile reports from the referral data system to look at child care capacity across the state. ii. Method of tracking progress: The Lead Agency reviews licensed child care capacity on a quarterly basis. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes? The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative has made Grow Child Care grants available to start or expand child care capacity in counties identified as underserved. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative has made Grow Child Care grants available to any program increasing infant and/or toddler space by adding eight infants or 10 toddlers to a space dedicated to that age. These grants are also available for starting new child care in underserved counties. c. In care for special populations: i. Data sources used to identify shortages: The Lead Agency uses the number of children supported by IDEA Part C Early Intervention and IDEA Part B 619 to understand the number of children birth to five that may require specialized care. The Lead Agency also has anecdotal data from families and advocates about the challenges families face when seeking child care for children with special needs. ii. Method of tracking progress: The Lead Agency’s contracted vendor for Inclusive Child Care Support provides data to illustrate the resources and support made available to providers caring for children with special needs. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes? The Lead Agency with state general funding contracts an Inclusive Child Care Support vendor to offer resources and support to providers in caring for children with special needs. Through the ND Child Care Initiative, the Lead Agency also has grants designed to help licensed programs create and maintain an inclusive environment that supports children with disabilities or developmental delays to learn, grow, play and develop alongside their peers in an inclusive setting. Providers can apply for inclusive care support, environmental modifications and specialized equipment and materials. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? The Lead Agency with state general funding contracts an Inclusive Child Care Support vendor to offer resources and support to providers in caring for children with special needs. Through the ND Child Care Initiative, the Lead Agency also has grants designed to help licensed programs create and maintain an inclusive environment that supports children with disabilities or developmental delays to learn, grow, play and develop alongside their peers in an inclusive setting. Providers can apply for inclusive care support, environmental modifications and specialized equipment and materials. 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: The Lead Agency uses the Bi-Partisan Policy Center’s child care desert definition to identify underserved and potentially constrained counties across the state of North Dakota. The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative has made Grow Child Care grants available to start or expand child care capacity in counties identified as underserved. b. Infants and toddlers. Describe: The Lead Agency does not license by age; however, uses the Bi-Partisan Policy Center’s child care desert definition to identify underserved and potentially constrained counties across the state of North Dakota. The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative has made Grow Child Care grants available to any program increasing infant and/or toddler space by adding eight infants or 10 toddlers to a space dedicated to that age. c. Children with disabilities. Describe: The Lead Agency uses the number of children supported by IDEA Part C Early Intervention and IDEA Part B 619 to understand the number of children birth to five that may require specialized care. The Lead Agency also has anecdotal data from families and advocates about the challenges families face when seeking child care for children with special needs. The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative has grants designed to help licensed programs create and maintain an inclusive environment that supports children with disabilities or developmental delays to learn, grow, play and develop alongside their peers in an inclusive setting. Providers can apply for inclusive care support, environmental modifications and specialized equipment and materials. d. Children who receive care during non-traditional hours. Describe: The Lead Agency has limited data in the child care referral data base on programs that care for children beyond the traditional child care hours of 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative has launched a non-traditional hour child care pilot to learn what it takes for local communities to develop solutions for making non-traditional hour care available. e. Other. Specify what population is being focused on to increase supply or improve quality. Describe: The population focus includes all children enrolled with CCDF eligible providers. The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative supplied infrastructure funding to the quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) contractor for outreach, assessment, and technical assistance. This funding allowed the contractor to hire additional staff and eliminate the waiting period to participate in the QRIS. The initiative also provides Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Tiered Quality Based Bonuses to providers that participate in the QRIS and have a Step 2, Step 3, or Step 4 Quality Rating. Programs are also eligible for quality improvement grants on an annual basis, measured by the program’s ability to attain and maintain a Step 2, Step 3, or Step 4 Quality Rating. The Initiative also rewards completion of above and beyond training and makes a shared- services alliance available to providers at little to no cost which includes business training, child care management systems, and curriculum. 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. The Lead Agency through the ND Child Care Initiative expanded resources available to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) increasing rates for families with children ages zero to three when they face the greatest economic pressure and make critical decisions about how and if they rejoin the workforce. The Initiative also eliminates a copay for families at or under 30% SMI. In addition, to reduce burden during application, families who are already receiving LIHEAP, TANF or SNAP have fewer questions on the CCAP application and are not required to verify their income. 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.