1.3 Consultation in the Development of the CCDF Plan

The Lead Agency is responsible for developing the CCDF Plan, and consultation with and meaningful input and feedback from a wide range of representatives is critical for CCDF programs to continually adapt to the changing needs of families, child care programs, and the workforce. Consultation involves meeting with or otherwise obtaining input from an appropriate agency in the development of the State or Territory CCDF Plan. As part of the Plan development process, Lead Agencies must consult with the following: (1) Appropriate representatives of general-purpose local government. General purpose local governments are defined by the U.S. Census at https://www2.census.gov/govs/cog/g12_org.pdf. (2) The State Advisory Council (SAC) on Early Childhood Education and Care (pursuant to 642B(b)(I)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act) or similar coordinating body pursuant to 98.14(a)(1)(vii). (3) Tribe(s) or Tribal organization(s) within the State. This consultation should be done in a timely manner and at the option of the Tribe(s) or Tribal organization(s). 1.3.1 Consultation efforts in CCDF Plan development Describe the Lead Agency’s consultation efforts in the development of the CCDF Plan, including how and how often the consultation occurred. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with appropriate representatives of general- purpose local government: The Lead Agency consulted with various representatives of general-purpose local government through multiple means. Representatives of the county health department were present during a variety of scheduled partner meetings, including meetings with providers present. Communication was had via email with the county chamber representatives re: various issues throughout the year. The Lead Agency also hosted Round Tables in which a multitude of individuals were present, some of which represented local government offices and agencies. The mayor of St. Paul, Nebraska, was also present at various meetings where the State Plan was discussed. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Administrator and CCDF Program Specialist are appointed to the Early Childhood Interagency Coordinating Council (ECICC), which consists of Governor-appointed members who represent various career and parenting categories, meeting requirements of the Head Start Act and IDEA Part C. See Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-3401. Members are state-wide, representing an array of experiences. Discussion during the meetings includes early childhood issues and training needs. A blank copy of the state plan pre-print was provided to the council with information about the planning and development of the plan in March. Suggestions and ideas from the council were encouraged. The ECICC also received a copy of the draft state plan and public hearing information when it became available for public viewing and comment. CCDF is a standing topic on the agenda for all future council meetings. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: The Lead Agency attempted to connect with all Nebraska Tribes receiving Tribal CCDF first by email. If a response was received, the Lead Agency reached out by phone to attempt to connect. The Lead Agency attempted to contact Santee Sioux Nation three times by phone but did not make successful contact with the administrator. Contact was also unsuccessful with Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, Omaha Tribe of Nebraska, and Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. The Lead Agency met with the CCDF administrator of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and provided an overview of the state’s CCDF program. Monthly meetings will be set up, as well as in- person meetings. The Lead Agency will continue to communicate with Winnebago about CCDF and the State Plan, as both entities are able and willing. c. Identify other entities, agencies, or organizations consulted on the development of the CCDF Plan (e.g., representatives from the child care workforce, or statewide afterschool networks) and describe those consultation efforts: The Lead Agency also consults with: Public Health; Nebraska Department of Education; Head Start/Early Head Start; the program responsible for children with special needs, intervention, and IDEA; various initiatives within the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation; and partners through the work of the Preschool Development Grant. 1.3.2 Public hearing process Lead Agencies must hold at least one public hearing in the State or Territory, with sufficient Statewide or Territory-wide distribution of notice prior to such a hearing to enable the public to comment on the provision of child care services under the CCDF Plan. Describe the Statewide or Territory-wide public hearing process held to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the provision of child care services under this Plan. i. Date of the public hearing: 6/24/2024 Reminder: Must be no earlier than January 1, 2024. If more than one public hearing was held, enter one date (e.g., the date of the first hearing, the most recent hearing date, or any hearing date that demonstrates this requirement). ii. Date of notice of public hearing: 5/23/2024 iii. Was the notice of public hearing posted publicly at least 20 calendar days prior to the date of the public hearing? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: iv. Describe how the public was notified about the public hearing, including outreach in other languages, information on interpretation services being available, etc. Include specific website links if used to provide noticeNotification on the public hearing was posted in the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star newspapers. Information, including where the plan was posted and how to obtain a copy, was shared during multiple partner, provider, and stakeholder meetings, as well as through email and word-of-mouth. Information shared with partners and stakeholders was encouraged to be shared with other partners and with providers. A copy of the draft plan was posted and made available on the public webpage. Instructions were also given on how a paper copy could be obtained. https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Child-Care-and-Development-Fund-Plan.aspx v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: Information was shared via multiple partner, provider, and stakeholder meetings, which occurred virtually and allowed the Lead Agency to reach individuals statewide. The notification was posted in two different newspapers and posted online, as well as available in paper form.https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Child-Care-and-Development-Fund-Plan.aspx vi. Describe how the content of the Plan was made available to the public in advance of the public hearing (e.g., the Plan was made available in other languages, in multiple formats, etc.): The plan was made available electronically, with instructions on how to request a paper copy. It was also emailed to key partners who shared with their constituents prior to the public hearing. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: Comments from the general public were reviewed with each section of the State Plan and taken into consideration before the Plan was submitted for final approval. 1.3.3 Public availability of final Plan, amendments, and waivers Lead Agencies must make the submitted and approved final Plan, any approved Plan amendments, and any approved requests for temporary waivers publicly available on a website. a. Provide the website link to where the Plan, any Plan amendments, and waivers (if applicable) are available. Note: A Plan amendment is required if the website address where the Plan is posted changes. https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Child-Care-and- Development-Fund-Plan.aspx b. Describe any other strategies that the Lead Agency uses to make submitted and approved CCDF Plan and approved Plan amendments available to the public. Check all that apply and describe the strategies below, including any relevant website links as examples. i. [x] Working with advisory committees. Describe: The Lead Agency will notify the child care advisory committee once the State Plan has been approved and is posted to the public webpage. ii. [x] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: The State Plan was sent to representatives of the child care resource and referral agencies for feedback. The Lead Agency will notify the child care resource and referral agencies once the State Plan has been approved and is posted to the public webpage. iii. [ ] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: iv. [ ] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: Notification and communication was sent to various key constituents regarding the State Plan and planning. The Lead Agency will notify these groups once the State Plan has been approved and is posted to the public webpage. vi. [x] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: Communication was sent to the network responsible for coordination of out-of-school time, Beyond School Bells. Feedback was received on how the Lead Agency can better partner with this entity in the future. This feedback will be reviewed, and goals will be developed. The Lead Agency will notify the Statewide afterschool network once the State Plan has been approved and is posted to the public webpage. vii. [ ] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: viii. [x] Other. Describe: The Lead Agency will notify statewide partners once the State Plan has been approved and is posted to the public webpage. 2 Child and Family Eligibility and Enrollment and Continuity of Care Stable and reliable child care arrangements facilitate job stability for parents and healthy development of children. CCDF eligibility and enrollment policies can contribute to these goals. Policies and procedures that create barriers to families accessing CCDF, like inaccessible subsidy applications and onerous reporting requirements, interrupt a parent’s ability to work and may deter eligible families from participating in CCDF. To address these concerns, Lead Agencies must provide children with a minimum of 12 months between eligibility determinations, limit reporting requirements during the 12-month period, and ensure eligibility determination and redetermination processes do not interrupt a parent’s work or school. In this section, Lead Agencies will identify how they define eligible children and families and how the Lead Agency’s eligibility and enrollment policies support access for eligible children and families.