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. DHS/DFD partners with various stakeholders to assist with outreach efforts and inform the general public about child care services. These stakeholders include: CCR&Rs serving all 21 New Jersey counties, the Department of Education, Department of Children and Families, Department of Health, the 21 County Social Service Agencies, the NJ Council for Young Children, the County Councils for Young Children, several universities, hospitals, and advocacy organizations. DHS/DFD contracts with the CCR&Rs to provide consumer education and inform the general public about the full diversity of child care services and eligibility requirements. Through several outreach strategies, including community events and participation on several committees, such as the Human Services Advisory Councils (HSAC) and Child Care Aware of New Jersey (CCANJ), the CCR&Rs conduct and gather information on the child care needs of potentially eligible families. Additionally, ￿Requests for Applications￿ for child care services are conducted in every county through the CCR&R and HSAC to meet the needs of families and the community. At regional and county level provider meetings, information about child care needs are also communicated to inform and identify potentially eligible families. CCR&Rs provide consumer education to parents of eligible children to help families make informed decisions about child care options through the dissemination of written/electronic materials, provider meetings, community events, collaborative information sessions, technical assistance, orientation and trainings. In addition, DHS/DFD uses a variety of methods to share information about CCDF to providers and the types of child care programs for which families may be eligible including: www.ChildCareNJ.gov, Parent Brochure, Provider Handbook and Parent Handbook. 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. DHS/DFD contracts with many professional development service agencies to provide best practice training, technical assistance and consumer education around children’s development ￿ covering developmental milestones, development screening assessments and early intervention, home visitation services, supplemental nutrition assistance education, and outdoor activities. Developmental screening brochures and videos are available in English and Spanish and discuss the developmental milestones and highlight the importance of developmental screenings. For parents, DHS/DFD utilizes the CCR&Rs, contract service providers, and other state partners to make information widely available through the consumer education website, written publications, mailings, trainings, workshops, and parent engagement events. Best practices in child development are built into the mandated pre-service and progressive PD trainings for child care providers. Providers also receive technical assistance to help them effectively communicate and inform parents about research and best practices in child development. The public is informed and made aware of best practices through several consumer education and outreach strategies￿collaborative partnerships, public meetings, and community events and presentations. In addition, the ChildCareNJ.gov website and Department of Human Services website has information, resources and links for parents and providers to easily access information on child development, such as NJ Parent Link which provides information and resource needs for parents. 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 Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental Health at Montclair State University, has been in contract with the Division for Family Development (DFD) since 2016. This initiative, known as Socio-Emotional Formation Initiative (SEFI), provides specialized technical assistance, infant and early childhood mental health consultation, professional development, and education to improve social-emotional development and inclusion in DFD funded programs. . SEFI activities include: 1. Professional Formation and Development 2. Consultation and Coaching 3. Collaboration with DFD Quality Initiative partners PD and coaching include extensive work related to the Pyramid Model, including coaching support for full implementation of the model. Furthermore, DHS/DFD, working with its partners, is launching an Early Relational Health Dashboard which will provide resources and information about early relational health in NJ. The link will be found on the NJ Child Care Website. This will provide easy access to information for providers, families and the general public. 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: DHS/DFD collaborated with DOE to implement a policy statement on preventing expulsion and suspension. The policy statement became effective in October 2018 and supports early childhood programs by providing best practices for preventing suspension and expulsion practices in early childhood settings. This policy statement affirms and supports the State’s efforts to eliminate expulsion and suspension in order to support the emotional, social, intellectual, and behavioral development of all children, in all early childhood settings and at home. The policy statement is posted on DHS/DFD’s consumer education website, and incorporated into the parent handbooks distributed to parents. The policy statement also is communicated during parent and provider orientations, trainings, technical assistance sessions, and provider meetings. 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: New Jersey state law prohibits suspensions and expulsions, with certain limited exceptions, of students enrolled in preschool through grade two (N.J.SA. 18A:37-2a). DHS/DFD Policy Statement aligns with New Jersey’s law which prohibits suspension and expulsion policy and requires all providers receiving CCDF to establish policy to prevent suspension and expulsion.