7.2 Use of Quality Set-Aside Funds

Lead Agencies must use a portion of their CCDF expenditures for activities designed to improve the quality of child care services and to increase parental options for and access to high-quality child care. They must use the quality set-aside funds on at least one of 10 activities described in CCDF and the quality activities must be aligned with a Statewide or Territory-wide assessment of the State's or Territory’s need to carry out such services and care. 7.2.1 Quality improvement activities a. Describe how the Lead Agency will make its Quality Progress Report (ACF – 218) and expenditure reports, available to the public. Provide a link if available. The Quality Progress Report (ACF-218) and expenditure reports will be made available on the Lead Agency’s website at https://www.hhs.nd.gov/cfs/early-childhood-services/data. To locate the reports, follow the URL listed above, page down, and select the desired federal fiscal year under ￿CCDF Quality Progress Reports (QPR)￿ or ￿CCDF Expenditure Reports￿. b. Identify Lead Agency plans, if any, to spend CCDF funds for each of the following quality improvement activities. If an activity is checked “yes”, describe the Lead Agency’s current and/or future plans for this activity. i. Supporting the training and professional development of the child care workforce, including birth to five and school-age providers. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The Lead Agency utilizes CCDF and State general funds to support the training and professional development of the workforce. These efforts are administered and monitored by the Lead Agency with the assistance of a contracted vendor. The Lead Agency provides oversight and implementation of the workforce registry which includes a menu of training and professional development opportunities for providers serving children birth through school age. The Lead Agency will coordinate the development of new training and professional development opportunities to support child care licensing and safe sleep practices, including translation into multiple languages. In addition, the Lead Agency will partner with the Child Care State Capacity Building Center (SCBC) to provide foundational training and specialized training for trainers and coaches on Practice-Based Coaching (PBC). ii. Developing, maintaining, or implementing early learning and developmental guidelines. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The North Dakota Early Learning Standards: Birth to Kindergarten, hereafter referred to as ￿Standards￿, were developed in 2018. To assure that the Standards reflect the most current and comprehensive research on early childhood, the Lead Agency will coordinate and oversee a Standards review process estimated to begin in Fall 2024. In addition, training will be developed on the revised Standards and offered to providers in Summer 2025. iii. Developing, implementing, or enhancing a quality improvement system. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The Lead Agency utilizes CCDF and State general funds to implement the statewide quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). The QRIS is administered and monitored by the Lead Agency with the assistance of a contracted vendor. The contracted vendor provides outreach, assessment, and technical assistance to providers participating in the QRIS. In addition, the contracted vendor provides families with tools and resources to understand the elements of a quality provider and how to locate a provider that meets their needs. The Lead Agency is planning to revise and expand the statewide QRIS to better serve all types of early childhood providers in North Dakota. During this planning cycle, the Lead Agency will conduct a quality needs assessment to gather data and solicit stakeholder input. The results of the needs assessment will be used to draft new criteria, guidance, and policies for the revision, as some changes may require legislative action. iv. Improving the supply and quality of child care services for infants and toddlers. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The Lead Agency utilizes CCDF and State general funds to improve the supply and quality of child care services for infants and toddlers. The Lead Agency will partner with the Child Care State Capacity Building Center (SCBC) to provide specialized training for trainers and coaches on Relationship Based Care for Infants and Toddlers and Trauma Responsive Care for Infants and Toddlers in Child Care. v. Establishing or expanding a statewide system of CCR&R services. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The Lead Agency utilizes CCDF and State general funds to maintain the statewide system of child care resource and referral (CCR&R) services. These efforts are maintained and monitored by the Lead Agency with the assistance of a contracted vendor. The contracted vendor provides services for families, providers, and communities. vi. Facilitating compliance with Lead Agency child care licensing, monitoring, inspection and health and safety standards. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x]Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The Lead Agency utilizes CCDF and State general funds to facilitate compliance with child care licensing, monitoring, inspection, and health and safety standards. These efforts are maintained and monitored by the Lead Agency with the assistance of a contracted vendor. The contracted vendor provides technical assistance to providers who require additional support to correct non-compliance issues and corrective actions that pertain to their license. vii. Evaluating and assessing the quality and effectiveness of child care services within the State/Territory. [ ] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [x] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. The Lead Agency utilizes CCDF and State general funds to evaluate progress in improving the quality of child care programs and services. These efforts are administered and monitored by the Lead Agency with the assistance of a contracted vendor. The contracted vendor provides valid and reliable assessments to providers participating in the statewide quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). Some of the tools utilized by the QRIS are the Environment Rating Scales (ERS), which measures the quality of the care environment; Teaching Strategies GOLD, which measures child growth and development; and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS), which measures child-adult interactions. viii. Accreditation support. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. ix. Supporting State/Territory or local efforts to develop high-quality program standards relating to health, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, and physical development. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. x. Other activities determined by the Lead Agency to improve the quality of child care services and the measurement of outcomes related to improved provider preparedness, child safety, child well-being, or kindergarten entry. [x] No plans to spend in this category of activities at this time. [ ] Yes. If yes, describe current and future investments. 8 Lead Agency Coordination and Partnerships to Support Service Delivery Coordination and partnerships help ensure that the Lead Agency’s efforts accomplish CCDF goals effectively, leverage other resources, and avoid duplication of effort. Such coordination and partnerships can help families better access child care, can assist in providing consumer education to parents, and can be used to improve child care quality and the stability of child care providers. Such coordination can also be particularly helpful in the aftermath of disasters when the provision of emergency child care services and the rebuilding and restoring of child care infrastructure are an essential part of ensuring the well-being of children and families in recovering communities. This section identifies who the Lead Agency collaborates with to implement services, how match and maintenance-of-effort (MOE) funds are used, coordination with child care resource and referral (CCR&R) systems, and efforts for disaster preparedness and response plans to support continuity of operations in response to emergencies.