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 Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS) Child Care and Development Program (CCDP) staff and subrecipients have been working on the current State Plan through workgroups, a variety of committees and councils, and direct contact with stakeholders statewide for input and feedback. Consultation via the methods mentioned previously occurred at least quarterly. The information received from stakeholders was used in drafting the plan. Stakeholders include parents, licensed, unlicensed, and license-exempt providers, professionals with county government and state government, tribal government staff, and a variety of for profit and non-profit organizations, including the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: The CCDF Administrator is an official, Governor-appointed member of the Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC). The ECAC meets quarterly. Information about State Plan development is shared during partner updates. Information has also been shared in ECAC Subcommittee meetings. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: DWSS/CCDP provided an invitation to the State Plan public hearing to allow a formal platform for consultation with Tribal governments, including Tribal leadership. 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 Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies were consulted in plan development as well as the NDE-OELD by sharing the draft document and requesting information in specific sections where these entities are the subject-matter experts. One initial consultation meeting was held with each entity and then they were able to provide ongoing input electronically (in real time) on a shared document as the draft plan was written. DWSS/CCDP meets monthly and quarterly with the CCR&R agencies, NDE-OELD, and the Tribes. These regular meetings with stakeholders allows for input and development of the State Plan. 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: 6/21/2024 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: 5/20/2024 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 noticeThe notice for public hearing was published on the following websites: Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, Early Childhood Advisory Council, and Nevadachildcare.org. The notification for public hearing was posted on the following links: https://dwss.gov/home/features/public-information/; http://nvecac.com/community-events-calendar; https://nevadachildcare.org/meetings-public-notices/. Public hearing Notice & Agenda was also mailed and e-mailed on May 20, 2024 to be posted in the following locations: Child Care Service Centers (Reno, Las Vegas), Division of Public and Behavioral health (Carson City), Division of Welfare and Supportive Services district offices (Las Vegas, Carson City, Elko, Reno, Fallon), Carson City Library (Carson City), Churchill County Library (Fallon), Clark County District Library (Las Vegas), Douglas County Library (Minden), Elko County Library (Elko), Esmeralda County Library (Goldfield), Eureka Branch Library (Eureka), Henderson District Public Library (Henderson), Humboldt County Library (Winnemucca), Lander County Library (Battle Mountain), Lincoln County Library (Pioche), Lyon County Library (Yerington), Mineral County Library (Hawthorne), Pahrump Library District (Pahrump), Pershing County Library (Lovelock), Storey County Library (Virginia City), Tonopah Public Library (Tonopah), and Washoe County Library (Reno). v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The public hearing was made available by video via Microsoft Teams, audio by a call-in phone number, and with physical locations in both Carson City, and Las Vegas. 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 State Plan draft was made available on the same three (3) websites that the hearing notice was published on: DWSS website: dwss.nv.gov, ECAC website, and Nevadachildcare.org website https://www.nevadachildcare.org/meetings-public-notices/. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: The CCDP hosted a public hearing on June 21, 2024 both virtually and in-person in the Northern and Southern region of the state. Public comment was accepted through means of in- person, telephone, the Teams chat, and via the ccdp@dwss.nv.gov email address. Public comment was taken into consideration for language regarding the Nevada Afterschool Network referenced in the State Plan. 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://dwss.nv.gov/Care/Childcare/ 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 CCDF Administrator is a Governor-appointed, voting member on the statewide ECAC. Local ECACs provide information to stakeholders and the state’s ECAC through participation in quarterly meetings. ii. [x] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: CCR&R agencies are made aware of all programmatic changes, included when determining if amendments are necessary, and are consulted when the State Plan is developed and implemented. iii. [ ] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: iv. [x] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: The State Plan is not disseminated through email; however, a link to the draft plan was emailed to the child care listservs, the Tribes, the ECAC, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) for feedback, collaboration on planning, and coordination. v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: Changes to the State Plan follow the State’s Public Hearing process including public notification of meetings: https://dwss.nv.gov/Home/Features/Public- Information/. vi. [x] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: DWSS/CCDP works closely with Nevada’s Out of School Time (OST) providers to coordinate efforts to allow parents to work and adapt to the need for different types of services including before and after school programming and emergency child care for a wider range of ages. DWSS/CCDP also works closely with the Nevada Afterschool Network: https://www.nevadaafterschool.org/. vii. [x] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: DWSS/CCDP uses a listserv to communicate programmatic information and to share resources with all child care providers receiving CCDF. The DWSS Child Care Licensing Program also uses a listserv to communicate regulatory information and to share resources with all licensed child care facilities. DWSS/ CCDP partners with NDE- OELD, The Nevada Registry, the Nevada Association for the Education of Young Children, The Children’s Cabinet, and Las Vegas Urban League to provide information about the State Plan to the child care workforce. DWSS/CCDP sends a representative to the Child Care Provider Advisory Committee meetings held quarterly. viii. [ ] Other. Describe: 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.