4.5 Supply Building

Building a supply of high-quality child care that meets the needs and preferences of parents participating in CCDF is necessary to meet CCDF’s core purposes. Lead Agencies must support parent choice by providing some portion of direct services via grants or contracts, including at a minimum for children in underserved geographic areas, infants and toddlers, and children with disabilities. 4.5.1 Child care services available through grants or contracts Does the Lead Agency provide direct child care services through grants or contracts for child care slots? [ ] Yes, statewide. Describe how the Lead Agency ensures that parents who enroll with a provider who has a grant or contract have choices when selecting a provider: [x] Yes, in some jurisdictions, but not statewide. Describe how many jurisdictions use grants or contracts for child care slots and how the Lead Agency ensures that parents who enroll with a provider who has a grant or contract have choices when selecting a provider: Through the CCDF-funded Early Transition initiative, ABC Quality enrolled programs agree to reserve child care slots for children with developmental delays/disabilities. The slots are made available with CCDF funding. This initiative is a collaborative partnership with ABLE-SC, IDEA/Part C services at the Department of Health and Human Services, IDEA/Part B at the South Carolina Department of Education, South Carolina Inclusion Collaborative, and the SC Partners for Inclusion program. ABLE-SC conducts child care facility accessibility assessments and provides technical assistance/trainings based on findings during the assessment for the facility staff. School districts participating in this initiative are required to attend the summer Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) academy for training regarding coordination with and support for child care providers serving children with developmental delays/disabilities. The placement in which a child receives their special education supports and services is determined by the IEP team. The parent is a critical member of the IEP and is part of that decision-making process. The IEP must consider the general education placement first when determining a child’s least restrictive environment. Early transitions expands the continuum of placements available to 3 year old children with IEPs to include a child care classroom, which is a general education setting. The Lead Agency plans to request an implementation wavier to expand availability of slots for infants and toddlers, children with special needs, underserved populations based on geographic locations. [ ] No. If no, describe any Lead Agency plans to provide direct child care services through grants and contracts for child care slots: If no, skip to question 4.5.2. i. If yes, identify the populations of children served through grants or contracts for child care slots (check all that apply). For each population selected, identify the number of slots allocated through grants or contracts for direct service of children receiving CCDF. [x] Children with disabilities. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: The number of slots set aide for this initiative is 10. [ ] Infants and toddlers. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Children in underserved geographic areas. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Children needing non-traditional hour care. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] School-age children. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Children experiencing homelessness. Number of slots allocated through grants or contracts: [ ] Children in urban areas. Percent of CCDF children served in an average month: [ ] Children in rural areas. Percent of CCDF children served in an average month: [ ] Other populations. If checked, describe: ii. If yes, how are rates for slots funded by grants and contracts determined by the Lead Agency? The Lead Agency uses the Level A maximum provider rates to pay for these contracted slots. 4.5.2 Care in the child’s home (in-home care) The Lead Agency must allow for in-home care (i.e., care provided in the child’s own home) but may limit its use. Will the Lead Agency limit the use of in-home care in any way? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If yes, what limits will the Lead Agency set on the use of in-home care? Check all that apply. i. [x] Restricted based on the minimum number of children in the care of the in- home provider to meet the Fair Labor Standards Act (minimum wage) requirements. Describe: An in-home child care arrangement is care that is provided in the child's own home by a relative or non-relative child care provider who is at least 21 years old and who does not live in the same household as the child. In-home child care providers are affected by other laws and regulations. In- home providers who are NOT related to the child are classified as domestic service workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA 29-USC Section 2016 (A) and a covered under minimum wage requirements. Based on Internal Revenue Service regulations, the use of an in-home arrangement is limited to: (1) those in which the provider is not related to the child will be approved only when the client has five or more children in the home that require care or (2) families who need care for children with special needs or medical conditions. ii. [x] Restricted based on the in-home provider meeting a minimum age requirement. Describe: Provider must be 21 years or older and not living in the same household as the child. iii. [ ] Restricted based on the hours of care (i.e., certain number of hours, non- traditional work hours). Describe: iv. [ ] Restricted to care by relatives. (A relative provider must be at least 18 years of age based on the definition of eligible child care provider.) Describe: v. [x] Restricted to care for children with special needs or a medical condition. Describe: Families who need child care for children with special needs or medical conditions. vi. [x] Restricted to in-home providers that meet additional health and safety requirements beyond those required by CCDF. Describe: All in-home care that is provided by a non-relative must meet specified health and safety requirements to include background checks including fingerprint checks for all caregivers and annual unannounced on-site health and safety inspections. Any non-relative providing in-home must complete the health and safety pre-service requirement within the first 90 days. vii. [ ] Other. Describe: 4.5.3 Shortages in the supply of child care Lead Agencies must identify shortages in the supply of child care providers that meet parents’ needs and preferences. What child care shortages has the Lead Agency identified in the State or Territory, and what is the plan to address the child care shortages? a. In infant and toddler programs: i. Data sources used to identify shortages: Infant toddler demand estimations are based on the number of children born in SC at the county and ZIP code level from SC DHEC’s birth tables data. On the supply side, Child Care Licensing (CCL) data captures infant capacity, indicating the maximum number of children a program can serve who are under 30 months in a special room. The infant capacity is determined based on the DSS Fire & Health Safety using the International Building Code. SC CCR&R collects data from child care programs regarding their enrollment, infant-toddlers enrollment, vacancies, hours, languages are spoken, and other information to assist families. SC DSS also works with Child Care Research Team (CCRT) to use GIS analysis to identify areas where the supply of infant toddler capacity may be limited compared to the number of infant toddlers in the community. ii. Method of tracking progress: Using data from SC DHEC birth tables and CCL data regarding demand and supply of infant toddler care is used by CCRT in all relevant reports to the Lead Agency for evidence-based decision making. SC CCR&R uses a statewide data system that collects information from providers on vacancies, and providers are encouraged to submit data about their availability for infant toddler care. SC CCR&R also collects data on the number of requests for infant toddler care they receive from parents seeking this type of care and the regions where they are looking for care. SC CCR&R agencies make regular calls for in-depth data collection to document information and ensure our supply and demand data is accurate and analyzed in all relevant reports to the Lead Agency's leadership. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes The Lead Agency is providing start-up funding to family child care home businesses who apply for a License to operate a child care business and to provide supports as they go through the licensing process to operate a new child care facility. Child Care Licensing (CCL) and SC CCR&R collaborated to develop a process to support and provide supplemental funding to new family child care home facilities through a four-tiered process that includes business supports and regulatory training while they are working through the child care licensing application to operate process. The start-up grant supports include better understanding of finances, marketing and personnel practices that will teach them how to develop policies while understanding basic business theories in operating a child care business as well as helping them navigate the regulatory waters of Child Care Licensing. We began providing funding for these providers in May 2023 through present. During this collaborative effort, we continue to meet regularly to discuss processes, barriers and successes. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? The Lead Agency is providing start-up funding to small business entities that are not a part of a chain, franchise or other larger organization that provides support through funding, resources & materials, or physical space who apply for a License to operate a child care business and to provide supports as they go through the licensing process to operate a new child care facility. Child Care Licensing (CCL) and SC CCR&R collaborated to develop a process to support and provide supplemental funding to new family child care home facilities through a four- tiered process that includes business supports and regulatory training while they are working through the child care licensing application to operate process. The start-up grant supports include better understanding of finances, marketing and personnel practices that will teach them how to develop policies while understanding basic business theories in operating a child care business as well as helping them navigate the regulatory requirements of Child Care Licensing. We began providing funding for these providers in May 2023 through present. During this collaborative effort, we continue to meet regularly to discuss processes, barriers and successes. b. In different regions of the State or Territory: i. Data sources used to identify shortages: The Lead Agency works with the child care research team (CCRT) at the University of South Carolina Yvonne and Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center to identify areas where capacity and supply may be limited and where families have different and varying needs that may or may not be met by the available child care community. The CCRT uses several data sources to identify geographical areas for targeted intervention. The data sources used are project-specific and include Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), Child Care Licensing (CCL) data, Census Data to identify poverty density and children with both parents in the labor force, SCDHEC Birth Tables data, Medicaid Births as a proxy for poverty and SC CCR&R data volunteered by providers. ii. Method of tracking progress: The child care research team (CCRT) receives quarterly extracts of deidentified data from child care scholarships and licensing through a data sharing agreement. Data is analyzed regularly by region. Ongoing access to data from the workforce registry and ABC Quality allows CCRT to study the impact of the Lead Agency initiatives on all sectors of the ECE landscape in the state. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes? South Carolina is addressing the family child care shortages using a multi- faceted approach. At the local level (Beaufort, Dorchester, Pickens, Georgetown, Horry, and Marion), CCDF-funded SC CCR&R and the Child Care Research Team (CCRT) are working with local ECE coalitions, workgroups, economic councils, and the regional United Way on addressing child care needs and shortages in their county. CCRT and SC CCR&R work closely with counties on their community assessment to understand the childcare shortages at a deeper level, looking at shortages for certain age levels, such as infants and toddlers, or at a certain time of the day, such as non-traditional hours or afterschool care. At the county level, there is also the need to collect data to fill the gaps in administrative data and understand barriers for centers to operate at their maximum capacity. CCR&R and CCRT assist local governments and other research groups with survey development, data interpretation, and planning. At the state level, data from the Census, SC DHEC, and other sources are used to identify areas for targeted intervention. Geospatial analysis is conducted to map these shortages and underserved areas for data visualization, understanding, and decision-making. At the national level, the CCRT, funded by the Lead Agency, builds knowledge and research capacity by participating in collaborative consortiums and workgroups on child care access. To help mitigate the shortages, the Lead Agency is providing start-up funding to small business entities that are not a part of a chain, franchise or other larger organization that provides support through funding, resources & materials, or physical space who apply for a License to operate a child care business and to provide supports as they go through the licensing process to operate a new child care facility. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? Multiple criteria include urban and rural areas with a gap in the need and availability of child care. One index used for decision-making is the Access to Child Care Targeted (ACT) index. ACT areas are census tracts, with 50% of the population living below poverty or over 100 children under 5 living below poverty. This work was modified to be included in the SUCCESS grants incentivizing certain geographic areas to open new child care centers. The lead agency continues implementing and expanding the SC Business Start-Up program, the SC SUCCESS Grant, which incentivizes areas of higher child care shortages with bonuses with the goal of increasing child care supply. The lead agency is working with the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development at the SC Department of Employment and Workforce on their United State Plan (USP) for the workforce that identified as a barrier to high labor force participation. The SC CCR&R along with CCRT has created child care infographics on demand, supply, market share and other metrics on their community page to provide potential child care business to open businesses in areas of greater shortages (For e.g. https://sc- ccrr.org/business-analysis/richland.html). To help mitigate the shortages, the Lead Agency is providing start-up funding to small business entities that are not a part of a chain, franchise or other larger organization that provides support through funding, resources & materials, or physical space who apply for a License to operate a child care business and to provide supports as they go through the licensing process to operate a new child care facility. c. In care for special populations: i. Data sources used to identify shortages: One of the special populations receiving childcare scholarships are dual language learners (DLLs). CCDF subsidy data identifies children served under the funding category of DLL. The data feed to CCRT includes ethnicity data indicating how many families have identified themselves as Hispanic even if they are served under a different funding category, and this can be tracked as well. Another special population with data is children experiencing homelessness. The subsidy data indicates where children are receiving services and the duration of the service. Although the lead agency does not receive the data on all children with special needs, some data is available for those who are determined to be re-eligible through the Part C to Part B transition. SCIC, school districts, and SDE share data necessary to serve the child in child care centers with help of a school district’s itinerant teachers. ii. Method of tracking progress: The CCRT at the University of South Carolina Yvonne and Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center has been funded for over a decade to collect, analyze, and monitor longitudinal trends, shortages, and changes in the participation of these special populations in Child Care Scholarships. This data sharing is ongoing and regular, with quarterly deidentified data transfers to the research team through the state data warehouse, Revenue and Fiscal Affairs (RFA). The Child Care Scholarship data from DECE to CCRT is a source of information to address equity issues with Dual Language Learners (DLL's) to understand their access to high-quality child care and participation in the scholarship program. Census estimates on the number of DLL children in the state allow us to track the percentage of eligible children served. The child care received by homeless children is tracked to understand the continuity of care these children receive through the scholarship program. They are eligible for child care for 12 months, and the data on scholarship participation is used to track their re-eligibility under this or other funding categories. The State Department of Education (SDE) has implemented a new Part B services database that is more robust in tracking children who enter the system through Part C or directly through the schools. We plan on greater data collaboration on children with IEPs to better understand and inform the state's developmental screening and referral systems. iii. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using family child care homes? South Carolina is addressing the family child care shortages using a multi- faceted approach. At the local level (Beaufort, Dorchester, Pickens, Georgetown, Horry, and Marion), CCDF-funded SC CCR&R and the CCRT are working with local ECE coalitions, workgroups, economic councils, and the regional United Way on addressing child care needs and shortages in their county. CCRT and SC CCR&R work closely with counties on their community assessment to understand the childcare shortages at a deeper level, looking at shortages for certain age levels, such as infants and toddlers, or at a certain time of the day, such as non- traditional hours or afterschool care. At the county level, there is also the need to collect data to fill the gaps in administrative data and understand barriers for centers to operate at their maximum capacity. CCR&R and CCRT assist local governments and other research groups with survey development, data interpretation, and planning. At the state level, data from the Census, SC DHEC, and other sources are used to identify areas for targeted intervention. Geospatial analysis is conducted to map these shortages and underserved areas for data visualization, understanding, and decision-making. At the national level, the CCRT, funded by the Lead Agency, builds knowledge and research capacity by participating in collaborative consortiums and workgroups on child care access. The Lead Agency was awarded the Federal Disaster Supplemental Funding Grants through the Office of Child Care to plan and implement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Ian in September 2022. The Lead Agency is using the planning funds in phase one to support our planning for a larger request with funding available in phase two. All planning activities will consider the need of impacted family child care home providers. With these funds, the Lead Agency will make a thorough assessment of needs utilizing qualified consultants to guide the data collection process. The Lead Agency will look to determine where the shortages are and use the funding to ensure that family child care providers receive the funding and supports that could be extended to supplement their response and recovery efforts. This includes supporting mental health, providing quality improvement activities in addition to supply building in this area through possible startup grant or other grant opportunities. Governor McMaster identified all counties in SC as being eligible for public Assistance. This means that the state, local, tribal and territorial governments and certain private-non-profit organizations in these designated counties are assistance in the replacement of disaster-damaged facilities. Through our survey, we discovered that some facilities had to close and were unable to reopen due to damages sustained. Or certain classrooms were opened while others remained closed. Many providers did not have insurance to cover their costs associated with Hurricane Ian. As a part of Phase II of this grant, we are asking for Recovery Grants to reimburse providers for funds already expended and not covered by insurance or FEMA payments or funds needed to continue recovery for work planned, but not yet complete. Approximately 16% of eligible providers completed the Survey and submitted estimates totaling in excess of $9.453 million in out-of-pocket expenses. iv. What is the plan to address the child care shortages using child care centers? Multiple criteria include urban and rural areas with a gap in the need and availability of child care. One index used for decision-making is the Access to Child Care Targeted (ACT) index. ACT areas are census tracts, with 50% of the population living below poverty or over 100 children under 5 living below poverty. This work was modified to be included in the SUCCESS grants incentivizing certain geographic areas to open new child care centers. The lead agency continues implementing and expanding the SC Business Start-Up program, the SC SUCCESS Grant, which incentivizes areas of higher child care shortages with bonuses with the goal of increasing child care supply. The lead agency is working with the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development at the SC Department of Employment and Workforce on their United State Plan (USP) for the workforce that identified as a barrier to high labor force participation. The SC CCR&R along with CCRT has created child care infographics on demand, supply, market share and other metrics on their community page to provide potential child care business to open businesses in areas of greater shortages (For e.g. https://sc- ccrr.org/business-analysis/richland.html). The Lead Agency was awarded the Federal Disaster Supplemental Funding Grants through the Office of Child Care to plan and implement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Ian in September 2022. The Lead Agency is using the planning funds in phase one to support our planning for a larger request with funding available in phase two. All planning activities will consider the need of impacted child care centers. With these funds, the Lead Agency will make a thorough assessment of needs utilizing qualified consultants to guide the data collection process. The Lead Agency will look to determine where the shortages are and use the funding to ensure that child care center providers receive the funding and supports that could be extended to supplement their response and recovery efforts. This includes supporting mental health, providing quality improvement activities in addition to supply building in this area through possible startup grant or other grant opportunities. We are collaborating with our nationally recognized tribe in SC, the Catawba Nation, with this grant to also support their efforts to rebuild a child care center on the reservation. Governor McMaster identified all counties in SC as being eligible for public Assistance. This means that the state, local, tribal and territorial governments and certain private-non-profit organizations in these designated counties are assistance in the replacement of disaster-damaged facilities. Through our survey, we discovered that some facilities had to close and were unable to reopen due to damages sustained. Or certain classrooms were opened while others remained closed. Many providers did not have insurance to cover their costs associated with Hurricane Ian. As a part of Phase II of this grant, we are asking for Recovery Grants to reimburse providers for funds already expended and not covered by insurance or FEMA payments or funds needed to continue recovery for work planned, but not yet complete. Approximately 16% of eligible providers completed the Survey and submitted estimates totaling in excess of $9.453 million in out-of-pocket expenses. 4.5.4 Strategies to increase the supply of and improve quality of child care Lead Agencies must develop and implement strategies to increase the supply of and improve the quality of child care services. These strategies must address child care in underserved geographic areas; infants and toddlers; children with disabilities, as defined by the Lead Agency; and children who receive care during non-traditional hours. How does the Lead Agency identify any gaps in the supply and quality of child care services and what strategies are used to address those gaps for: a. Underserved geographic areas. Describe: Underserved geographic areas, in general, are determined by a combination of indicators that include gaps in child care availability and supply, areas of high poverty density, especially among young children under six, and the total number of children in an area. The Child Care Research Team (CCRT) identifies project-specific areas for targeted intervention. SC Business Start-Up program, SC SUCCess Grant, used a combination of both zip codes and census track data. The underserved areas were 49 ZIP codes within one mile of 16 census tracts, with 300 children under five years old living below poverty. The Equity Index is a statewide index that uses a combination of the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), poverty, and low child care access, which lists 12/46 counties as the most vulnerable in all indicators. These areas are incentivized with a bonus to participate in ECE initiatives such as the business start-up program. ABC Quality and the Division of Early Care and Education IT team has developed a grant portal for child care programs, so that they can easily access grants that are available for participating in the Quality Rating System. ABC Quality has continued implementing an enrollment bonus of $2000 for new programs entering the Quality Rating System. Additionally, ABC has begun offering several other bonuses for center-based and exempt programs at the time of completing a quality rating. The Quality Level Bonus is tiered based on the level a program earns starting at $2,000 for a Level C and incrementally increasing to $6,000 for a Level A+. Programs may earn a Career Ladder Bonus, ranging from $500 to $1500 based on the size of the program if all of their staff have received a career level at the time of their assessment. The Structural Quality Portfolio Bonus of $500 is earned when a program submits evidence for over half of the indicators. ABC Quality plans to begin offering these additional bonuses to Family Child Care programs once the new framework for quality rating is launched. These bonuses serve to recruit and retain programs across the state, including those in underserved geographic areas. ABC Quality is exploring incentives using the grant portal, to provide a supplemental increase to the ABC Quality Level Bonus and enrollment bonus for programs that are located in geographic areas that have been identified as child care deserts. b. Infants and toddlers. Describe: We partner with Project Learning Tree (PLT), an award- winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12. PLT new curriculum Trees & Me includes hands-on activities for infants and toddlers. The Lead Agency is committed to indoor and outdoor nature-based learning environments due to the research on positive social, emotional and health outcomes for children in care. Several Lead Agency staff members are certified trainers in the PLT curriculum and conducted curriculum presentations for early childhood educators. Each early childhood educator attending the curriculum presentation receives a free curriculum book and resources to implement nature-based play in the learning environment. PLT is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative®, a non-profit charitable organization with the mission of advancing sustainability through forest-focused collaboration. This partnership has long reaching outcomes due to the fact the forestry industry supports the South Carolina economy. Exploring the feasibility of increasing PLT curriculum presentations in the early childhood community throughout South Carolina and technical assistance on nature-based environments. Quality Care by Design (QCBD) was created to increase the quality of infant and toddler classroom environments in participating early childhood programs enrolled in ABC Quality and South Carolina First Steps 4K. To ensure demographic equity, 56 early childhood programs participating in QCBD represented the 4 regions of South Carolina, the Pee Dee, Lowcountry, Midlands and Upstate. Early childhood classrooms received a design plan, on-site technical assistance, and funding to purchase early learning materials/equipment to increase the quality of the learning environment. National early childhood design expert conducted monthly technical assistance and reviewed design case studies focused on the key elements of classroom design with the South Carolina Program for Infant/Toddler Care (SCPITC) specialists to prepare for the implementation of design plans. The University of South Carolina’s Research, Evaluation and Measurement Center (REM) conducted research with directors and early childhood educators to track the impact of QCBD on the early childhood programs. Based on their findings, directors and teachers reported that the QCBD project led to improvements in the classroom design, teaching activities and children’s learning and behavior. In addition, improvements in children’s independent play, self-exploration, peer-to-peer interactions, and physical activity increased. The most profound discovery was early childhood educators indicated that they felt more committed to the field of early childhood education because of participating in QCBD. The Lead Agency will continue to support the stainability of QCBD project by developing Engagement Centers throughout South Carolina that will serve as demonstration sites to engage their local community in the importance of high-quality infant and toddler care. To continue the support of early childhood programs serving infants and toddlers, recruitment of more cohort groups of early childhood programs participating in QCBD throughout South Carolina. In addition, expand community partnerships to support quality care and the implementation of QCBD. ABC Quality is exploring incentives using the grant portal, to provide a supplemental increase to the ABC Quality Level Bonus for programs that serve infants and toddlers. GIS mapping has been developed to identify the landscape of child care supply in our state. The information from these maps is continuously being updated for child care program staff to know where the underserved areas of the state are located. The SC CCR&R along with CCRT has created child care infographics on demand, supply, market share and other metrics on their community page to provide potential child care business to open businesses in areas of greater shortages (For e.g. https://sc-ccrr.org/business- analysis/richland.html). Success Start Up grants are being used to help increase the supply of child care across the state. CCR&R is used as a resource by parents looking for child care. The Child Care Scholarship rates are higher for infants and toddlers. To help improve quality in the Family Child Care Homes, new FCCH regulations have been executed. These regulations include requirement for training in safe sleep practices. In an effort to improve the quality of the child care setting, the state has created shared definitions for preschool suspension and expulsion across mix delivery settings. Child care trainings, webinar and conference sessions have presented on these definitions. Work continues to ensure providers and families are aware of these definitions and strategies to severely limit or eliminate suspensions and expulsions. c. Children with disabilities. Describe: South Carolina Child Care Inclusion Collaborative provides professional development to programs to make adaptations to routines and activities through the CARA’s Kit professional development framework. Teachers and administrators learn to assess a problematic situation/routine, make a plan to adapt the routine/situation, implement the adaptation through teamwork, and evaluate whether the adaptation is working. ABC Quality is exploring incentives using the grant portal, to provide a supplemental increase to the ABC Quality Level Bonus for programs that serve children with identified disabilities. The Child Care Ready for All (CRAWL) program was created to improve the quality of child care for children with special needs. Child care teachers are able to have specific training as it relates to a child's special need, such as a child with a feeding tube, to ensure they feel comfortable caring for the child which secures the child care arrangement. In an effort to improve the quality of the child care setting, the state has created shared definitions for preschool suspension and expulsion across mix delivery settings. Child care trainings, webinar and conference sessions have presented on these definitions. Work continues to ensure providers and families are aware of these definitions and strategies to severely limit or eliminate suspensions and expulsions. South Carolina works with the SC Inclusion Collaborative to support children transitioning from Part C to Part B. The program works to ensure providers are equipped and prepared to serve these children to provide successful child care arrangements for children that meet their needs. SC will use data collected from CCR&R and SC Inclusion to better determine from their calls from parents and providers if there are gaps in the service availability for the families that need care for a child care special needs. Meetings throughout the year will be used to hear from our Technical Assistance partners as well as Quality Assessors and Licensing Specialists to listen to what they are hearing in the field as it relates to the needs of families with children with special needs and the providers. If it appears more providers are needed in certain areas across the state, we will work with our Inclusion Collaborative to target and meet with providers in the area to help alleviate their concerns and provide support they need to serve more children with special needs. Our staffed Family Child Care Networks will also be used in this effort. d. Children who receive care during non-traditional hours. Describe: ABC Quality is exploring incentives using the grant portal, to provide a supplemental increase to the ABC Quality Level Bonus for programs that provide care during non-traditional hours. In an effort to improve the quality of the child care setting, the state has created shared definitions for preschool suspension and expulsion across mix delivery settings. Child care trainings, webinar and conference sessions have presented on these definitions. Work continues to ensure providers and families are aware of these definitions and strategies to severely limit or eliminate suspensions and expulsions. South Carolina will use data from CCR&R to better determine from their calls from parents if there are unmet need for families needing non-traditional hour care. Our Staffed Family Child Care Network will also be used to help recruit and support identified needs and ongoing support to provide non-traditional care hours. e. Other. Specify what population is being focused on to increase supply or improve quality. Describe: 4.5.5 Prioritization of investments in areas of concentrated poverty and unemployment Lead Agencies must prioritize investments for increasing access to high-quality child care and development services for children of families in areas that have significant concentrations of poverty and unemployment and do not currently have sufficient numbers of such programs. Describe how the Lead Agency prioritizes increasing access to high-quality child care and development services for children of families in areas that have significant concentrations of poverty and unemployment and that do not have access to high-quality programs. ABC Quality is exploring incentives using the grant portal, to provide a supplemental increase to the ABC Quality Level Bonus and enrollment bonus for programs that are located in geographic areas that have been identified as child care deserts and are serving families experiencing poverty and unemployment. 5 Health and Safety of Child Care Settings Child care health and safety standards and enforcement practices are essential to protect the health and safety of children while out of their parents’ care. CCDF provides a minimum threshold for child care health and safety policies and practices but leaves authority to Lead Agencies to design standards that appropriately protect children’s safety and promote nurturing environments that support their healthy growth and development. Lead Agencies should set standards for ratios, group size limits, and provider qualifications that help ensure that the child care environment is conducive to safety and learning and enable caregivers to promote all domains of children’s development. CCDF health and safety standards help set clear expectations for CCDF providers, form the foundation for health and safety training for child care workers, and establish the baseline for monitoring to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements. These health and safety requirements apply to all providers serving children receiving CCDF services – whether the providers are licensed or license-exempt, must be appropriate to the provider setting and age of the children served, must include specific topics and training on those topics, and are subject to monitoring and enforcement procedures by the Lead Agency. CCDF-required annual monitoring and enforcement actions help ensure that CCDF providers are adopting and implementing health and safety requirements. Through child care licensing, Lead Agencies set minimum requirements, including health and safety requirements, that child care providers must meet to legally operate in that State or Territory. In some cases, CCDF health and safety requirements may be integrated within the licensing system for licensed providers and may be separate for CCDF providers who are license- exempt. This section addresses CCDF health and safety requirements, Lead Agency licensing requirements and exemptions, and comprehensive background checks. When responding to questions in this section, OCC recognizes that each Lead Agency identifies and defines its own categories of care. OCC does not expect Lead Agencies to change their definitions to fit the CCDF-defined categories of care. For these questions, provide responses that best match the CCDF categories of care.