8.1 Coordination with Partners to Expand Accessibility and Continuity of Care

Lead Agencies must coordinate child care services supported by CCDF with other federal, State/Territory, and local level programs. This includes programs for the benefit of Indian children, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, children experiencing homelessness, and children in foster care. 8.1.1 Coordination with required and optional partners Describe how the Lead Agency coordinates and the results of this coordination of the provision of child care services with the organizations and agencies to expand accessibility and continuity of care and to assist children enrolled in early childhood programs in receiving full-day services that meet the needs of working families. The Lead Agency must coordinate with the following agencies: a. State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care or similar coordinating body (pursuant to 642B(b)(I)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) meets quarterly and provides input and guidance to the Governor's administration on early childhood programs. The ECAC membership includes a diverse array of stakeholders from early childhood programs, schools, health, social services, unions, philanthropy, and other groups. ECAC provides feedback on publicly funded child care, Step Up To Quality and child care licensing. ECAC subcommittees include an early care and education committee. Feedback on policy and proposed initiatives are presented to the committee. This feedback informs the Department of Children and Youth (DCY') s decision making. b. Indian Tribe(s) and/or Tribal organization(s), at the option of the Tribe or Tribal organization. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination, including which Tribe(s) was (were) involved: Not applicable. [x] Not applicable. Check here if there are no Indian Tribes and/or Tribal organizations in the State/Territory. c. State/Territory agency(ies) responsible for programs for children with disabilities, including early intervention programs authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The oversight and responsibility for managing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B and Part C programming will be housed in the Department of Children and Youth (DCY). DCY will have a staff person for each of the programs serve as the coordinator. These Coordinators and the Child Care Administrator will meet regularly to ensure alignment. DCY will convene the Early Intervention Council, which was previously facilitated by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD). DODD will continue to have an ex-officio seat on the Child Care Advisory Council (CCAC) and will have a seat on the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC). The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) previously administered section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for preschool, DEW will continue to have an ex-officio seat on CCAC and a seat on the ECAC. The goal of cross-agency participation is to ensure programming aligns and supports the children and families served. Additionally, representatives from both ODE and DODD participate on the Early Childhood Advisory Council and the cross-agency leadership team whose role is to break down the silos amongst early childhood programing in order to better serve Ohio's families. These partnerships have resulted in improved communication about services provided by all agencies and have informed child care rule writing. d. State/Territory office/director for Head Start State collaboration. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Head Start Collaboration grant is moving to The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY). The Head Start Collaboration Grant was previously housed within the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW). The Child Care Administrator and the Head Start Collaboration Coordinator will meet regularly to ensure the alignment of procedures and policies specific to child care licensing, Step Up To Quality (SUTQ), and to incorporate Head Start best practices. DCY seeks input from the Head Start community throughout the year. This partnership has resulted in collaborative efforts that assist the Head Start community in maintaining compliance with child care regulations for licensing and SUTQ as well as a positive working relationship that has resulted in open lines of communication. e. State/Territory agency responsible for public health, including the agency responsible for immunizations. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: A representative from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) sits on the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC), Cross Agency Leadership Group, and the Child Care Advisory Council (CCAC). Cross agency coordination ensures communication and coordination between all early childhood programming statewide. Staff from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) work with ODH throughout the year on workgroups to promote safe, healthy and nutritious environments for young children. ODH staff are consulted when rule requirements specific to their area of expertise are open for review to ensure DCY includes all needed information. As a result, child care rules are aligned with ODH for food service requirements; DCY offers a Communicable Disease training that is developed by ODH; and a shared communicable disease chart is maintained and required by all regulated child care programs. Additionally, through a collaborative effort, required child health and medical information as well as first aid and CPR trainer/training content was finalized for child rules. f. State/Territory agency responsible for employment services/workforce development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Workforce Development is housed within the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and the newly configured Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW). As a result of work completed in July of 2019, Ohio has added child care workers as a critical position to be filled on Ohio's Top Jobs List. Critical jobs ensure that Ohio's workforce supports the well- being of Ohioans. Critical jobs are identified through the help of experts and stakeholders. Both offices continue to work together to discuss ways to recruit and maintain early child care professionals and support the workforce. Additionally, the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DYC) is working with ODJFS and Ohio Means Jobs to estimate the need for child care as Ohio prepares for the opening of the Intel factory in Central Ohio. g. State/Territory agency responsible for public education, including pre-Kindergarten. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The early childhood programming (school-based early care and education licensing, school age, the state PreK program, Early Learning Assessments, Preschool Special Education and Kindergarten Readiness Assessment) is all moving to the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY). However, to align professional development and technical assistance on literacy activities, the Science of Reading, and special education funding and services, it is critical for the two departments to remain in alignment. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) and DCY's Directors and leadership teams meet every month to address resources, alignment, and opportunities for collaboration. DEW has an ex-officio seat on the Child Care Advisory Council, Cross Agency Leadership Group, and is represented on the Early Childhood Advisory Council. These meetings have allowed DCY and DEW to remain aligned and have provided the opportunity to coordinate efforts in provision of professional development and technical assistance on literacy activities and continue to remain a priority moving forward to ensure ongoing alignment and provision of services. A few examples of the results of this collaboration are below: 1. Creating a team of staff from each agency to review curricula for alignments with the Early Learning and Development standards and the Science of Reading. Once approved, both agencies post the approved list for early care and education providers. Providers participating in Step Up To Quality must implement an approved curriculum. 2. Jointly managing the work of the State Support Teams. In Ohio, school districts receive training and technical assistance from the SSTs on a variety of topics. DEW manages the agreements and has allowed DCY to include deliverables and funding to support early childhood programming, including support on Preschool Special Education, state preschool and the quality rating system. This summer, DEW hosted an annual institute for the SSTs and invited DCY to participate in presentations and activities over the 2 days. h. State/Territory agency responsible for child care licensing. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The creation of a new department, the Department of Children and Youth (DCY) led to a single state entity that is responsible for the licensing of child care centers, family child care homes, and as of 7/1/24 school operated (public and chartered, non-public) programs. Previously licensing responsibilities fell under two state agencies: the Department of Job and Family Services and the Department of Education. Coordination between the two agencies led to staff and provider cross training, consistent rules and the use of the same data system, Ohio Child Care Licensing and Quality System (OCLQS). DCY now has over 8400 programs being regulated by a single department which allows for increased coordination and alignment of standards, policies and implementation of programs. Any licensed provider can participate in the Publicly Funded Child Care (PFCC) program. Currently there are over 5,300 licensed programs that have a PFCC agreement. i. State/Territory agency responsible for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and other relevant nutrition programs. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: DCY will use Cross Agency Leadership Team meetings and ad hoc meetings to communicate and stay engaged with the three agencies responsible for nutrition activities. All of the agencies have a seat on the Child Care Advisory Council and the Early Childhood Advisory Council and provide updates on any regulatory or programmatic updates. Examples of collaboration between the agencies include WIC developing a brochure to promote child care, home visiting and other early childhood services, as well as WIC becoming part of the Ohio Benefits system. Nutrition programs are currently located in three state agencies: The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is the lead agency for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is the lead agency for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is the lead agency for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. All of these agencies are critical partners in ensuring that child and families have access to nutrition and food support during and after child care hours. WIC is being moved into the Ohio Benefits system, which will increase the linkage with families on child care and SNAP. ODJFS/DCY have collaborated and continue to collaborate to ensure CCDF policies on meal preparation and nutritional requirements align with CACFP and other program requirements such as SNAP and WIC through meetings and email correspondence that take place as needed to review any policy changes that are being made, draft policies are shared across agencies requesting input. This collaboration has resulted in policy alignment across departments and systems. j. McKinney-Vento State coordinators for homeless education and other agencies providing services for children experiencing homelessness and, to the extent practicable, local McKinney-Vento liaisons. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Department of Children and Youth (DCY) will collaborate with the Coordinator for Homeless Education at the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW). The required staff orientation training for all child care program staff includes information on identifying and serving homeless families. Feedback from our partners was extremely valuable in guiding the content of this training. A goal of continued collaboration is to enhance current efforts to assist homeless families and children. k. State/Territory agency responsible for the TANF program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Department of Children and Youth (DCY) communicates regularly with the Bureau of Cash and Food Assistance Policy within the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). Both agencies work toward alignment of regulations for the population served, as they are often the same families. The Ohio Benefits integrated eligibility system was live in 2022 to include child care; the system also includes Medicaid, SNAP and TANF. This action resulted in a joint application for public assistance programs which streamlines the process for Ohio's eligible population. ODJFS has an ex- officio seat on the Child Care Advisory Council, Cross Agency Leadership Group, and is represented on the Early Childhood Advisory Council. l. State/Territory agency responsible for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) worked with the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) to implement an automated one stop location with the integrated eligibility system called Ohio Benefits. The Ohio Benefits system went live in 2022 to include child care; the system also includes Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and TANF. This resulted in a joint application for public assistance programs which streamlines the process for Ohio's eligible population. DCY and ODM's Directors meet every other week to discuss policy alignment and ways to support eligible families to secure comprehensive services to meet the needs of the families, including ensuring Ohio's Managed Care Plans understand the benefits of early care and education/child care services. ODM has an ex- officio seat on the Child Care Advisory Council, Cross Agency Leadership Group, and is represented on the Early Childhood Advisory Council. m. State/Territory agency responsible for mental health services. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS) provides feedback throughout the year and is represented on the Early Childhood Advisory Council, has an ex-officio seat on the Child Care Advisory Council, as well as other statewide collaborative initiatives. The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation programming has shifted from OMHAS to DCY. However, continued collaborative work with OMHAS in needed to understand the opportunities and barriers to children, families, and providers with children with mental health issues. Additionally, DCY will work closely with OMHAS to monitor and modify, if needed, the Infant Mental Health Endorsement and a Trauma Informed Care Certificate. Both agencies continue to look at ways to support the mental health of children and their families. n. Child care resource and referral agencies, child care consumer education organizations, and providers of early childhood education training and professional development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The funding and oversight of the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies is shifting from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to the Department of Children and Youth (DCY). The state contracts with 7 CCR&R agencies that serve 12 service delivery areas providing service statewide. The CCR&Rs provide professional development to child care programs and consumer education to families. Additionally, the CCR&Rs work with programs to become Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) rated. DCY meets with the local CCR&Rs every quarter to align resources and activities to support our quality and accessibility goals. DCY also contracts with the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association to manage the Ohio Professional Registry (OPR), a centralized information system for early childhood and school-age professionals that includes available professional development and documents individual career growth as well as the professional's background checks and child care program's employee record charts. In addition, the State Support Teams provide training and professional development to school-based programs. The collaboration between DCY and the CCR&R and SSTs has resulted in better technical assistance due to developing and reviewing policies and standards together. It's also resulted in more providers applies for grants and resources. This year, the CCR&Rs and SSTs assisted the state with promoting Access grants, stabilization grants and Infant and Toddler infrastructure grants. The responses for the grants far exceeded the availability of resources. Finally the maintenance and growth of quality rated programs is due to the CCR&R and SST assisting programs with the application and verification process. CCR&Rs and SSTs will be hosting, with DCY, a dozen and a half in-person technical assistance sessions with providers this fall on the new standards and expectations. o. Statewide afterschool network or other coordinating entity for out-of-school time care (if applicable). Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Department of Children and Youth (DCY) works closely with the Ohio Alliance of YMCAs to review current licensing and Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) standards as they related to school child programs. The Alliance is also part of multiple stakeholder groups including Child Care Advisory Council and Early Childhood Advisory Council. This collaboration results in open communication about the needs of out-of-school time programs that informs DCY in rule writing. A school-age endorsement was created to assist school-age professionals in meeting the SUTQ education requirements. DCY also provides updates and gets feedback from the Ohio Afterschool Network. p. Agency responsible for emergency management and response. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services works with Office of the Chief Inspector to establish an emergency management and response plan to ensure that those receiving child care subsidy can continue to operate, allocating additional funding if needed. The results of this work has provided the direction needed to ensure continuous services for Ohio's families. The Department of Children and Youth (DCY) will collaborate with the Office of the Chief Inspector and the Ohio Department of Health to establish a updated emergency management and response plan to ensure that those receiving child care subsidy can continue to operate, allocating additional funding if needed. DCY will also work with the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) to ensure that emergency planning for school based programs is aligned to the K-12 requirements. q. The following are examples of optional partners a Lead Agency might coordinate with to provide services. Check which optional partners the Lead Agency coordinates with and describe the coordination and results of the coordination. i. [x] State/Territory/local agencies with Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants. Describe: Child care providers, including providers participating in the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grants, participate on the Child Care Advisory Council. The goal of the Council is to provide feedback to licensing and funding for child care. Representation from the Head Start community has led to feedback on Head Start processes and requirements that may be different or in addition to licensing and Step Up To Quality requirements allowing for a better understanding for the Council. The Director of Ohio's Head Start Association is also a member for the Early Childhood Advisory Council. ii. [x] State/Territory institutions for higher education, including community colleges. Describe: The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) staff participate in an articulation workgroup that coordinates a Higher Education Summit annually. The goal of this workgroup's efforts is to make available a clear educational pathway and seamless transition from entry into the field through a baccalaureate degree for early childhood educators. The efforts also assist with the implementation of Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood® OHIO scholars whose goal is to teach and/or support the education of children birth to 3rd grade. In addition, a representative from Higher Education serves on the Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC). iii. [x] Other federal, State, local, and/or private agencies providing early childhood and school-age/youth-serving developmental services. Describe: The Ohio Department of Children and Youth collaborates with the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) to develop special needs training for early childhood professionals. This suite of trainings are available for early childhood professionals as free online approved training to meet their professional development certificate requirement in Step Up To Quality. iv. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for implementing the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) programs grant. Describe: The Ohio Department of Children and Youth will be responsible for the implementation of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. The MIECHV Project Coordinator and the Child Care State Administrator will meet regularly to discuss ways to support children and families that may be served in both programs. v. [x] Agency responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program. Describe: The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) collaborates with the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) the lead agency for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) to ensure that children and families in need for services are aware of the resources available to them. DCY and ODM's Directors meet every other week to discuss policy alignment and ways to support the eligible families to secure comprehensive services to meet the needs of the families, including ensuring the Ohio's Managed Care Plans understand the benefits of early care and education/child care services. ODM has an ex-officio seat on the Child Care Advisory Council, Cross Agency Leadership Group, and is represented on the Early Childhood Advisory Council. vi. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for child welfare. Describe: The child care program consults with the Ohio Children's Trust Fund (OCTF), as well as the Bureau of Children's Services Policy and Practice, both located with the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) to promote the prevention and recognition of child abuse and neglect. OCTF created a free online child abuse and neglect training that is to be taken by child care staff. The OCTF staff have also provided input on the training content for child abuse and neglect training when an individual choses to take a training that was not created by OCTF. vii. [x] Child care provider groups or associations. Describe: The Ohio Association of Child Care Providers, the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC), the Ohio Head Start Association and the Ohio Afterschool Network all assist the lead agency in the distribution of provider communications. This results in enhanced communication with the provider community. The associations also ensured that their members participate in the monthly Early Care and Education stakeholder calls. viii. [ ] Parent groups or organizations. Describe: ix. [ ] Title IV B 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinators. Describe: x. [ ] Other. Describe: