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 Lead Agency facilitated a virtual focus group to engage with state and local government and community partners in March 2024 to discuss the 2025-27 CCDF State Plan Preprint. The Lead Agency communicated the date, time, and registration link by email to stakeholders, including the Tennessee Association of County Mayors, Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, Tennessee Development Districts, Tennessee Head Start Collaboration, TANF, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Department of Education, Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee, and Lead Agency Child Care Payment Assistance/Certificate Program and Child and Adult Care Licensing staff. This consultation process resulted in the Lead Agency receiving 33 responses, 32 from licensed child care providers and one from Child Care Resource and Referral, which were considered during development of the draft proposed plan. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: The Lead Agency facilitated a virtual focus group to engage with state and local government and community partners in March 2024 to discuss the 2025-27 CCDF State Plan Preprint. The Lead Agency communicated the date, time, and registration link by email to the Tennessee Young Child Wellness Council (TNYCWC), the designated state advisory council on early childhood care and education for Tennessee that formed in 2013 following the merger of the governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council and the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems State Action Team. The CCDF Co-Administrator is the Lead Agency representative to and actively participates with the TYCWC. This consultation process resulted in the Lead Agency receiving 33 responses, 32 from licensed child care providers and one from Child Care Resource and Referral, which were considered during development of the draft proposed plan. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: N/A. 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 Lead Agency facilitated three (3) virtual focus groups to engage with licensed providers of early care and education in March 2024 to discuss the 2025-27 CCDF State Plan Preprint. The Lead Agency communicated the date, time, and registration link by email to all licensed center and home child care providers. The Lead Agency also facilitated a virtual focus group for state and local government and community partners in March 2024 to discuss the CCDF Plan Preprint. The Lead Agency communicated the date, time, and registration link by email to stakeholders, including the Association of Infant Mental Health in Tennessee (AIMHITN), Childcare Tennessee and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA), Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral Network (CCR&R), Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee Association for Children’s Early Education (TACEE), Tennesseans for Quality Early Education (TQEE), Tennessee Chambers of Commerce, Tennessee Afterschool Network, and Lead Agency Licensing Standards Committee. This consultation process resulted in the Lead Agency receiving 33 responses, 32 from licensed child care providers and one from Child Care Resource and Referral, which were considered during development of the draft proposed 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: 5/21/2024 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: 5/1/2024 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 public hearing notice and a draft of the Plan were posted on the Lead Agency website in advance of the public hearings. The public hearing notice included a link to the draft Plan. Information about the posting was sent directly to child care providers and partners by email on May 1, 2024. Information about the public hearing notice was also distributed by the Lead Agency on social media. Additionally, information about development of the Plan was included during focus groups conducted with providers and partners. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: Two public hearings were conducted virtually on May 21, 2024, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. 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 public hearing notice and a draft of the Plan were posted on the Lead Agency website in advance of the public hearings. The public hearing notice included a link to the draft Plan. Information about the posting was sent directly to child care providers and partner by email on May 1, 2024. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: Information collected in response to focus group meetings and public hearings was reviewed and considered in developing the content of this 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. As of October 01, 2024, the State Plan will be posted at https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/information-and-resources/tdhs-reports-and- information.html. 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. [ ] Working with advisory committees. Describe: ii. [ ] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: iii. [ ] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: iv. [x] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: The Lead Agency disseminated information about public hearings using social media. v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: The Lead Agency posted a draft 2025-27 CCDF State Plan to its website and issued a public hearing notice on May 1, 2024, in advance of the public hearings. The Lead Agency disseminated the notification and a URL to the draft by email to licensed child care providers and community partners on May 1, 2024. vi. [x] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: The Lead Agency posted a draft 2025-27 CCDF State Plan to its website and issued a public hearing notice on May 1, 2024, in advance of the public hearings. The Lead Agency disseminated the notification and a URL to the draft by email to licensed child care providers and community partners on May 1, 2024. vii. [x] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: The Lead Agency posted a draft 2025-27 CCDF State Plan to its website and issued a public hearing notice on May 1, 2024, in advance of the public hearings. The Lead Agency disseminated the notification and a URL to the draft by email to licensed child care providers and community partners on May 1, 2024. 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.