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. ECECD 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 in a variety of ways -- including through advertising, a Child Care Finder and other related websites, written materials, a call center, and in-person events. ECECD partners with Wonderschool to maintain a statewide database, known as Child Care Finder, of child care providers that are licensed or registered by recognized regulatory agencies in New Mexico, and who continue to maintain their status with their respective regulatory agency. New Mexico Resource and Referral maintains a database used to provide courtesy referrals to anyone who requests them, at no cost to child care providers or referral clients. Child care providers share the information that is included in the database, and this information is used to help refer families to providers that might meet the needs of their children. In addition, the Resource and Referral website contains information in Spanish. ECECD also provides parents information about the full diversity of child care services through the intake process meetings with front line personnel, through websites (https://childcare.ececd.nm.gov/search, www.nmececd.org, and http://www.newmexicokids.org) and using the Am I Eligible app. The Am I Eligible app is an online survey which a parent or guardian may take to learn about the programs for the family may qualify. The eligibility survey currently screens for Child Care Assistance, Home Visiting, Pre-K, Summer Food Program, Boys & Girls Club, Head Start, and the FIT program. All websites listed above link to each other. Each of these websites help families find child care facilities, preschool programs, Head Start, PreK, school age care, faith based programs, family in-home care, and other resources. ECECD provides a brochure entitled, "The Parents Guide to Selecting Quality Child Care," which is available at ECECD child care assistance offices. Parents applying for child care assistance are also provided with a brochure on the services offered by the NM Resource and Referral office. A link to the NM Resource and Referral is provided at www.nmececd.org. Parents can search for child care online at www.nmececd.org . Parents may also access child care providers' inspection surveys on either website referenced above. Information on the websites listed above also describes ECECD’s FOCUS Program. ECECD website www.nmececd.org provides a link to the Am I Eligible Survey: https://www.nmececd.org/child-care-assistance/ ECECD also attends in-person events, such as information sessions for grandparents raising grandchildren, parent-focused fairs, and hosts enrollment fairs to reach families in person. At these events, ECECD uses written materials and enrolls families in its programs on-site. Additionally, ECECD has a campaign called ￿Moments Together￿ aimed at informing, supporting, and inspiring parents and caregivers about the importance of early learning across the state. Moments Together provides easy tips and free, research-based resources for New Mexico parents, making brain development activities fun and easy to integrate into home routines. The campaign was adapted from the United Way of Central New Mexico’s (UWCNM) work to advance early literacy outcomes for young children. It was designed by the Early Literacy Strategy Group (ECAP) in collaboration with UNM’s Family Development Program, MediaDesk, and New Mexico PBS (NMPBS). 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. ECECD makes information available to parents, providers, and the general public through its Moments Together Campaign that aims to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood across the state and creates a place where parents can gain skills through everyday activities that benefit their child’s early development, preparing them for elementary school and beyond. Moments Together also connects families and the general public to programs and services. The Child-Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) administered by ECECD promotes healthy eating, improved dietary quality, and attempts to decrease health risks for overweight children. ECECD’s brochure, entitled "The Parents Guide to Selecting Quality Child Care," is available to parents at ECECD child care assistance offices. Parents applying for child care assistance are also provided with a brochure on the services offered by the New Mexico Resource and Referral office. A link to the New Mexico Resource and Referral is provided at www.NewMexicoKids.org and www.nmececd.org. Parents can search for child care online or by calling New Mexico Resource and Referral office at 1-800- 691-9067. 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: ECECD outlines requirements for licensed and non-licensed child care providers in providing a positive social-emotional responsive environment in its child care regulations. Licensed and non-licensed providers must also have policies and procedures in effect which shall include how the provider will maintain a positive environment while preventing the expulsion of children. The policies must include clear, appropriate, consistent expectations, and consequences to address disruptive behaviors; and ensure fairness, equity, and continuous improvement. Licensed facilities must include the expulsion policy in their parent handbook. These requirements are detailed in 8.9.4 and 8.9.5 NMAC and are monitored by ECECD’s regulatory oversight unit for ongoing compliance. Child care providers develop their policies in accordance with the regulations and with consideration to their community, families, and children served. Information must be relevant to specific child care program and provided to families in the parent handbook. For child care providers participating in FOCUS, New Mexico’s Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System, the policies and handbook are reviewed with their FOCUS consultant and support is provided if any revisions are needed. FOCUS consultants also support programs through training and coaching on direct classroom practices to enhance services with attention to social-emotional development, addressing challenging behaviors (supports to educators and families, including assessment of the classroom environment and classroom management). New Mexico home visitors use various screening tools to identify risks and make referrals in support of children and families health and well-being. One the Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2). The ASQ:SE-2 assesses developmental progress in children between the ages of one month to six years. ASQ: SE-2 addresses social competencies and problem behaviors. It is also based on observation and personal interpretation of children’s behavior. ASQ: SE-2 screens seven areas of social-emotional development: self- regulation, compliance, social communication, adaptive functioning, autonomy, affect, and interaction with people. New Mexico home visitors are also trained to support positive interactions between caregivers and their infants through play, by fostering regular feeding routines, and by educating caregivers about how to read their infants’ cues and respond appropriately. New Mexico home visiting programs use the Parenting Interactions with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes (PICCOLO) observational tool (Roggmann et al., 2013a,2013b), designed for home visiting programs to measure healthy parenting practices and relationships. Based on the results, home visitors help families implement specific strategies to foster daily nurturing parenting behaviors that are known to support children’s early development. Home visiting’s strength-based approach helps parents to value the interactions they have with their child and validates their important role in their child’s development. Home visitors are also trained to recognize potential signs that a young child’s social and emotional development are at risk or that a parent suffers from depression. When these risks are identified, home visitors connect families with appropriate community services. New Mexico home visiting uses the PICCOLO to guide practice, as well as measure and report parental capacity outcomes. The national home visiting field has recommended that all states implement the PICCOLO or another validated observational measurement tool to best capture home visits impact on parental capacity, which is a known predictor of healthy child development (Daro, Klein and Burkhardt, 2017). One state supported home visiting program model, the Nurse Family Partnership, uses an alternative observational tool, called the DANCE (Dyadic Assessment of Naturalistic Caregiver Child Experiences). NM PreK programs seek to promote the social-emotional competence of young children by implementing consistent, attuned, safe, and responsive interactions. NM PreK staff also provide parent training and information related to attachment and social-emotional support. This includes sharing information on experiences, interactions, activities, and strategies that support the social-emotional dimensions of young children and with the belief that each person has the opportunity to positively influence a child’s development. This includes strategies and trainings on developing children’s capacity for self-confidence, self-efficacy, self- regulation/self-control, self-esteem, persistence, conflict resolution, versatile communication skills, empathy, and social skills. 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: ECECD requires licensed and non-licensed providers to have policies and procedures in place that include how the provider will maintain a positive environment and focus on preventing expulsion. The policies must include clear, appropriate, consistent expectations, and consequences to address disruptive behaviors and ensure fairness, equity, and continuous improvement. Licensed facilities must include an expulsion policy in their parent handbook and share it with all parents so that parents remain informed as to the policies and procedures related to potential expulsions. These requirements are outlined in 8.9.4 and 8.9.5 NMAC and are monitored by the ECECD regulatory oversight unit for ongoing compliance. ECECD shares this information with providers through consultations and educators are encouraged to utilize resources from the National Center Pyramid Model and/or Conscious Discipline. Educators also utilize this information for family engagement opportunities and goal setting. Finally, ECECD shares this information with the general public through its consumer website and the University of New Mexico Early Childhood Services Center (UNM ECSC). Training for educators is also facilitated by UNM ECSC at no cost. 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: ECECD requires out-of-school time programs to have policies and procedures for the expulsion of children. Policies and procedures must include how the program will maintain a positive environment and focus on preventing the expulsion of children. The program must develop policies that include clear, appropriate, consistent expectations, and consequences to address disruptive student behaviors; and ensure fairness, equity, and continuous improvement. The expulsion procedures must be outlined in the program’s family handbook.