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. The Lead Agency and the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) use multiple methods to share information about child care services and other programs to eligible parents, the general public and child care providers. The ODHS website provides comprehensive information for parents, partners, and the public on other financial support services such as TANF, medical and food assistance and links to child care resources on Lead Agency’s website. Written materials are provided at local ODHS offices. The Lead Agency website provides a wide range of information on early learning services available throughout the state including Relief Nurseries, Head Start, Early Head Start and other state- funded programs, including Baby Promise, Preschool Promise and Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten programs, Vroom, Healthy Families home visiting programs, and Employment Related Day Care. 211info employs web-based referral and information, including information on child care financial assistance and all other available health- and social service-related resources. Information is available by phone or text in order to accommodate different audiences. DELC 8815 Tips for Choosing Your Child Care Provider sheet: for new and current subsidy families, an easy-to-follow check list including sample interview questions, observable signs of quality, referral, and Spark (Quality Recognition and Improvement System) information. DELC 7485 Need a Child Care Provider flyer: for new and current subsidy families, explains the benefit of using a provider who is already listed and approved for ERDC subsidy payment. The Find Child Care Oregon child care database’s online search (https://findchildcareoregon.org) includes information on quality child care indicators, how to look for them and quality checklists when searching for child care. Families applying for benefits with ODHS have the option of choosing from a variety of different safety net programs, and child care is one of the options listed. Families are evaluated for the types of child care subsidies they may qualify for, including ERDC, Categorical ERDC for TANF families, Head Start and Early Head Start contracted slots, Teen Parent contracted slots and substance use disorder related child care. Families applying for SNAP benefits who report an out-of-pocket child care cost are also given information about the Employment Related Day Care program when discussing their benefits with their ODHS worker or interviewing for SNAP benefits. 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. The Lead Agency has a strong partnership with the Maternal and Child Health section of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) who has strategic initiatives to educate parents, the general public, providers, and other early learning community partners on child development. The Lead Agency also relies on the child care resource and referral system and the Early Learning Hubs to make information about best practices in child development available. Lead Agency coordinates with the Maternal and Child Health section of OHA and the child care resource and referral programs to make information and research on healthy eating and physical activity available to parents and providers. Lead Agency contracts and/or partners with the following entities to make information about research and best practice in child development available: the child care resource and referral system, early learning hubs, Oregon Health Authority, The Research Institute at Western Oregon University - the administrator of Spark, Oregon’s Quality Recognition and Improvement System and central coordination of child care resource and referral, Portland State University Oregon Center for Career Development - the administrator for Oregon’s career lattice and workforce registry system, Oregon ASK provides data on out of school time programs, Vroom child development and parenting information at local hub and partner sites, Oregon Department of Human Services - who determines eligibility for ERDC. The Lead Agency website provides resources directly to parents on kindergarten readiness and brain building in early learning. https://www.oregon.gov/delc/families/Pages/default.aspx Vroom is a brain building program that is shared throughout the early learning hubs. At this time, Vroom is available in 14 different languages. A national community of practice is held quarterly for Vroom Coordinators to convene and share promising practices. 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: Oregon’s Early Learning Hub system brings together early learning providers, K-12 education, healthcare providers, human and social services, local businesses, and parents and families to allow the development of a system to best meet the needs of children and families in each community. The Hubs make information on social emotional/behavioral mental health and intervention supports available to parents through direct referrals to partners who provide services. This includes early childhood mental health consultants, developmental screening, Head Start, home visiting, and parent education and training. Oregon offers several standardized training courses through the Child Care Resource and Referral program focused on social and emotional development available to all child care providers. The trainings are: Discovering Potential: Social and Emotional Development of School-Age Children; Implementing Developmental Screening Using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Third Edition; Teaching Research Assistance to Child Care Providers Serving Children with Special Needs. All programs of the child care resource and referral system in the state are affiliated with the Early Learning Hubs in their regions with access to partners and county services that offer intervention supports to parents and information to child care providers. Multnomah County, the largest populated county in the state, partners with Child Care Resource and Referral Multnomah to provide direct consultation services on early childhood mental health to child care programs. HB 2166 established the Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Prevention Program. Within the statutes there are requirements to expand professional development opportunities on various topics for child care providers. These professional development opportunities will be available and will complement the work of the regional service providers that are under contract to provide infant and early childhood mental health consultation to child care providers that will support the behavioral and mental health of children and adults. 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: In 2021, the Oregon legislature passed HB 2166 and SB 236. HB 2166 established the Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Prevention Program (ECSEPP). It calls for increased access to Technical Assistance services and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) for the purpose of preventing the use of suspension and expulsion and reducing disparities in the use of suspension and expulsion. SB 236 establishes a ban on the use of suspension and expulsion, effective July 1, 2026. It also calls for a research study on the use of suspension and expulsion and strategies to prevent the use of suspension and expulsion to be completed by September 2024. The ban on suspension and expulsion will apply to any early learning program that is certified or registered or that receives public funding, making it one of the most expansive bans across the nation. The ECSEPP is still in development and new services have not yet begun. Information about the program is shared with providers on the Agency website, through the Child Care Update newsletter, and through Provider Information Sessions. The program has convened an Advisory Committee made up of parents, providers, community partners, and advocates from across the early learning system and across the state. This group meets monthly, receives regular progress updates, and actively engages in advisory and co-design discussions on program development. The program has developed administrative rules that establish the purpose of the program and define key terminology related to the system of support and what constitutes exclusionary practices up to and including suspension and expulsion. A recent development was the selection of Regional Service Providers, which are regionally-based organizations who will hire and implement IECMHC services. These organizations are beginning with a planning period during which they will conduct community engagement and outreach with providers and community partners in their region. As the program continues to develop and as the effective date of the ban draws closer, the Agency and its partners will engage in intentional and ongoing public awareness activities to ensure that providers and parents are aware of state policies and how to access program supports. Current administrative rules for Certified Centers and certified School-Age programs have increased requirements for behavior and guidance policies as well as how staff interact with children (Creating a Healthy Climate for Child Development). The intent is to incorporate universal strategies that support all children in care. Additionally, both rule sets require child care programs to have extensive care plans for children with specific needs. Care plans can include behavioral and activity modifications, triggers to avoid, and any specific training staff may need to support the child in the care environment. These are preventative strategies to hopefully minimize the use of suspension and expulsion. Rules require that prior to a Certified Centers or certified School-Age program ending care for a child with a specific need, the program must complete an individualized assessment. The assessment is based on information from parents, professionals knowledgeable about the child’s care needs and child care personnel. The assessment must include reasonable accommodations the center made to support the individual child’s participation (or why the facility could not make the accommodations); reasonable modifications to their policies and practices to fully integrate the child (or why the facility could not make the modifications); and if applicable any direct threats to the health and safety of others posed by the child’s presence. Though the administrative rules mentioned above are for Certified Centers and certified School-Age programs, the Agency will soon revise its administrative rules for family child care with similar requirements. 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: The legislation described in the above question applies only to young children, ages birth through five, and does not address suspension and expulsion of School-Age children. Current administrative rules for Certified Centers and certified School-Age programs have increased requirements for behavior and guidance policies as well as how staff interact with children (Creating a Healthy Climate for Child Development). The intent is to incorporate universal strategies that support all children in care. Additionally, both rule sets require child care programs to have extensive care plans for children with specific needs. Care plans can include behavioral and activity modifications, triggers to avoid, and any specific training staff may need to support the child in the care environment. These are preventative strategies to hopefully minimize the use of suspension and expulsion. Rules require that prior to a Certified Centers or certified School-Age program ending care for a child with a specific need, the program must complete an individualized assessment. The assessment is based on information from parents, professionals knowledgeable about the child’s care needs and child care personnel. The assessment must include reasonable accommodations the center made to support the individual child’s participation (or why the facility could not make the accommodations); reasonable modifications to their policies and practices to fully integrate the child (or why the facility could not make the modifications); and if applicable any direct threats to the health and safety of others posed by the child’s presence.