8.1 Coordination with Partners to Expand Accessibility and Continuity of Care

Lead Agencies must coordinate child care services supported by CCDF with other federal, State/Territory, and local level programs. This includes programs for the benefit of Indian children, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care. 8.1.1 Coordination with required and optional partners Describe how the Lead Agency coordinates and the results of this coordination of the provision of child care services with the organizations and agencies to expand accessibility and continuity of care and to assist children enrolled in early childhood programs in receiving full-day services that meet the needs of working families. The Lead Agency must coordinate with the following agencies: a. State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care or similar coordinating body (pursuant to 642B(b)(I)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Early Childhood Council (ECC) meets at least twice annually and works to enhance and grow early childhood services in North Dakota. The ECC’s priorities include: reviewing the availability and provision of early childhood education, care, and services in this state; identifying opportunities for public and private sector collaboration in the provision of early childhood education, care, and services in this state; identifying ways to assist with the recruitment and retention of individuals interested in working as providers of early childhood education, care, and services, including training and continuing education or professional development opportunities; seeking the advice and guidance of individuals who are uniquely familiar with the nature, scope, and associated challenges of providing early childhood education, care, and services in geographically and socioeconomically diverse settings, and develop recommendations pertaining to the short-term and longer-term improvement and expansion of early childhood education, care, and services in the state; and providing a biennial report regarding its findings and recommendations to the governor and the legislative assembly. The ECC meetings provide opportunities for public input and interagency collaboration with representation from other state departments, as well as other private and public sector agencies involved either directly or peripherally with early childhood services. The ECC meetings are published in advance and are open to the public. Members of the ECC and the Lead Agency engaged in meaningful conversation around CCDF initiatives. Feedback received from the ECC is used to guide future work. b. Indian Tribe(s) and/or Tribal organization(s), at the option of the Tribe or Tribal organization. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination, including which Tribe(s) was (were) involved: The Lead Agency has both traveled to and held virtual meetings with the following Tribes: Turtle Mountain, Spirit Lake, Three Affiliated Tribes, and Trenton Indian Service Area. Coordination discussion included, but was not limited to: professional development opportunities, consumer education, eligibility, background checks, and licensing standards. The Lead Agency invited the Tribal CCDF Coordinators to review North Dakota’s preservice training for cultural relevance and sensitivity and shared information about other professional development opportunities that are available to Tribal providers, including the State’s new mandated reporter of child abuse and neglect training. The Lead Agency also provided technical assistance, if requested. Consumer education discussions included the State’s updated consumer education webpage, the new electronic newsletter, and future goal of expanding the online search tool to include tribal providers. [ ] Not applicable. Check here if there are no Indian Tribes and/or Tribal organizations in the State/Territory. c. State/Territory agency(ies) responsible for programs for children with disabilities, including early intervention programs authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Multiple representatives from the Lead Agency serve on the Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC). The ICC provides leadership for a coordinated statewide interagency system of comprehensive early intervention services and prevention awareness for children with disabilities and at-risk children birth through five. The Lead Agency also leads an inclusion support program in collaboration with a contracted vendor and Part B-619. The Lead Agency consistently consults with Part C and Part B-619 regarding a variety of topics, all with the intention of enhancing coordination and collaboration including trainings and to provide cross-department opportunities for professionals to gather, network and learn together. d. State/Territory office/director for Head Start State collaboration. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Head Start/Early Head Start Collaboration Office (HSCO) is housed within in the Lead Agency. Coordination goals include development of child care/Early Head Start partnerships, shared professional development opportunities, and the development of alternative paths through the quality rating and improvement system for non-licensed Head Start Programs. A partnership continues with the Early Head Start-Mayville State Child Development Programs and a Child Care provider in Fargo. The HSCO works to ensure goals, processes and results of the Early Head Start-child care partnership continues. A collaboration between the Lead Agency’s Best in Class award recipients with Head Start Four-Year Old classrooms continue to benefit children and families. The HSCO partners with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to provide guidance and monitoring for the birth-five component of the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant to school district grantees. The HCSO also assists DPI in reviewing Title I preschool enrollment and required documentation needed from school districts that are in a monitoring year. e. State/Territory agency responsible for public health, including the agency responsible for immunizations. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Public Health Division and Early Childhood section (both housed within the Lead Agency) coordinate regularly regarding a variety of topics, including inspections, licensing and providing safe and healthy environments for children. The Public Health Division and Early Childhood section consulted and agreed on the grace period allowed to obtain immunization records for families experiencing homelessness. Recent coordination has involved moving kitchen/food preparation inspections for specific child care providers from the Public Health Division to Early Childhood Licensing Specialists. The Public Health Division also provides subject matter experts to review safe sleep and other health and safety trainings. As the Public Health Division updates the Child Care and School Infectious Disease Exclusion Guide, the Early Childhood section disseminates the updated guide to child care providers to ensure all providers have access to the most up to date information. f. State/Territory agency responsible for employment services/workforce development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency coordinates with Job Service North Dakota. Job Service North Dakota provides workforce and unemployment services across the state in nine Workforce Centers and at the Central location in Bismarck; offering a variety of services for both job seekers and employers. The Resources for Assistance portion of the Job Service North Dakota website has links to both the Lead Agency and First Link 211, which is a database of community resources. Information about the Lead Agency’s contracted child care resource and referral vendor, including services and contact information, can be accessed through First Link 211. g. State/Territory agency responsible for public education, including pre-Kindergarten. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency and North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (DPI) meet monthly to share updates and identify opportunities for collaboration and coordination. The Lead Agency is responsible for all year before kindergarten programs and services. DPI uses the Lead Agency’s four-year old program approval as an indicator for pre-k grade configuration for schools. The Lead Agency and DPI participate jointly on the Kindergarten Sturdy Bridge Multi-State Learning Community. Additionally, the Lead Agency and DPI coordinate shared use of some data systems. h. State/Territory agency responsible for child care licensing. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Early Childhood Licensing unit is housed within the Lead Agency. Coordination between subsidy and child care licensing includes data sharing and regular meetings to ensure CCDF compliance. i. State/Territory agency responsible for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and other relevant nutrition programs. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: CACFP is part of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and participates in monthly update meetings with the Lead Agency to collaborate as needs/questions arise. This coordination has been helpful in terms of determining true enrollment of children in child care. j. McKinney-Vento State coordinators for homeless education and other agencies providing services for children experiencing homelessness and, to the extent practicable, local McKinney-Vento liaisons. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Each school district is required by federal law to have a designated homeless liaison. The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (DPI) McKinney-Vento State Coordinator oversees professional development for district homeless liaisons. Training occurs annually every fall (in-person) during a day-long event. The Lead Agency and DPI collaborate to provide in-person professional development. Training also happens virtually through McKinney-Vento.org. The virtual option is free to each liaison and is self-paced. District liaisons assist early childhood students, when applicable. DPI works closely with liaisons to monitor various data points. For 2020-2022 early childhood data was collected for districts receiving the McKinney-Vento Subgrant. Starting with 2022-23 data, early childhood data was collected for all districts reporting students experiencing homelessness. The McKinney-Vento State Coordinator also works with the Office of Specially Designed Services to discuss data related to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) students, including early childhood students. The Lead Agency and North Dakota Department of Public Instruction will continue to collaborate so our children experiencing homelessness and their families are provided the best support. k. State/Territory agency responsible for the TANF program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is housed within the Lead Agency. To coordinate as effectively as possible for families, the Lead Agency maintains a joint program application with TANF and Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), in addition to other needs-based programs. The TANF and CCAP administrators both serve in division meetings, with the goal to align policies and procedures to the extent practicable to make the application and eligibility determination process for families simpler across programs. The Lead Agency coordinates with the TANF administrators by reviewing and providing feedback on proposed policies and procedures, participating in policy and procedure building and alignment meetings and participating in joint system development meetings. l. State/Territory agency responsible for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Medicaid and the State's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are part of the same division as the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), both housed within the Lead Agency. To coordinate as effectively as possible for families, the Lead Agency maintains a joint program application that contains Medicaid, CHIP and CCAP, in addition to other needs-based programs. The Medicaid and CHIP administrators both serve in division meetings along with the CCAP Administrator, with the goal to align policies and procedures to the extent practicable to make the application and eligibility determination process for families simpler across programs. The Lead Agency coordinates with the Medicaid and CHIP administrators by reviewing and providing feedback on proposed policies and procedures, participating in policy and procedure building and alignment meetings and participating in joint system development meetings. m. State/Territory agency responsible for mental health services. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Behavioral Health Division and Early Childhood section are both housed within the Lead Agency and work collaboratively to coordinate professional development opportunities for child care providers, enhancing behavioral health services in child care settings, and to curate and share resources for parents through the state’s Parents Lead program. Additional collaboration includes multiple initiatives lead by both the Lead Agency and North Dakota Department of Public Instruction to ensure coordination of services, consistent policy development, and process implementation. n. Child care resource and referral agencies, child care consumer education organizations, and providers of early childhood education training and professional development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency’s contracted child care resource and referral vendor assists families in their search for and understanding of quality child care, builds the knowledge and skills of early childhood practitioners through professional learning services and coaching, supports communities in developing innovative strategies to expand the capacity of care to meet families' needs, and advocates for public and private investment in child care. A biennium work plan reflects CCDF requirements, shared goals and strategies for implementing them. The contracted vendor is a sponsor of workforce training in the state. In addition, there are currently 122 organizations that are approved to provide early childhood training in North Dakota such as Head Start, higher education, state agencies, food programs, school age providers, and several state and national organizations including Department of Public Instruction, Public Health, the McCormick Center, Pyramid Consortium, and the National Center on Early Childhood Development Teaching and Learning (NCECDTL). The Workforce Registry has developed approval standards for organizations that sponsor training for the early childhood workforce, trainers that deliver professional level training, and training course structure and content. The standards are intended to focus training on the specific needs of the early childhood workforce. Data on training sponsors, trainers, and training is tracked and reported quarterly, and is available to the Lead Agency on the Workforce Registry website. o. Statewide afterschool network or other coordinating entity for out-of-school time care (if applicable). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency and the leaders of North Dakota's Afterschool Network continue to explore ways to collaborate and coordinate services, as well as ensure qualified personnel to provide care. The Workforce Registry approves and tracks training sponsored by the Afterschool Network and maintains records of training completion for school-aged providers who work in programs licensed by the Lead Agency. p. Agency responsible for emergency management and response. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The North Dakota Health and Human Services Risk Manager is the Lead Agency’s liaison with the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. The Risk Manager actively works with the Lead Agency to develop and enhance emergency preparedness plans to ensure adequate emergency coordination and communication. In the event of an emergency, the Risk Manager would also coordinate emergency resources at the request of the Lead Agency. q. The following are examples of optional partners a Lead Agency might coordinate with to provide services. Check which optional partners the Lead Agency coordinates with and describe the coordination and results of the coordination. i. [x] State/Territory/local agencies with Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants. Describe: The Early Childhood Family and School Engagement Administrator (ECFSE) and Head Start Collaboration Officer (HSSCO) meet regularly to discuss early childhood initiative in North Dakota and provide leadership to the North Dakota Professional Development Plan and the Early Childhood Data Committee. The ECFSE Administrator relays the information to the Early Childhood Section Director. The HSSCO is consulted during the development of the CCDF State Plan and when any revisions are necessary. The Lead Agency supports Mayville State University in working with child care centers across the state as part of the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grants. The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) assists Early Head Start eligible families by paying providers who are participating in the partnership program at the full-time state max rate, regardless of attendance of the child. Currently, the Lead Agency has agreed to assist up to 50 children, ages birth through three years of age. ii. [x] State/Territory institutions for higher education, including community colleges. Describe: The Lead Agency’s Professional Development Administrator is invited to participate in the State’s Early Childhood Consortium meetings. Higher education shares work and resources available at the collegiate level including information on articulation between state university systems, Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential alignment and articulation, and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Power to the Profession alignment. iii. [ ] Other federal, State, local, and/or private agencies providing early childhood and school-age/youth-serving developmental services. Describe: iv. [ ] State/Territory agency responsible for implementing the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) programs grant. Describe: v. [ ] Agency responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program. Describe: vi. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for child welfare. Describe: The Lead Agency’s Licensing Unit conducts joint assessments with Child Protection Services when child abuse and neglect is reported within a child care program. vii. [ ] Child care provider groups or associations. Describe: viii. [ ] Parent groups or organizations. Describe: ix. [ ] Title IV B 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinators. Describe: x. [ ] Other. Describe: