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: Local Workforce Development Board (Board) members are appointed by chief elected officials (CEOs) in each local workforce development area (LWDA) and certified by TWC. Boards are statutorily created public entities recognized by state statute as local governmental entities, and Board members are considered public officials. TWC staff members serve on Boards as the required public employment service representatives. The CEOs and the Board chair enter into a partnership agreement that defines their operating relationship. The Board executive director (ED) is responsible for administering Board staff operations. TWC’s three-member Commission (Commission) and TWC staff consult regularly with Board EDs on all aspects of workforce services, including CCS. Board staff is consulted on a regular basis regarding TWC rules, policies, and procedures that are included in the State Plan. This consultation includes biweekly conference calls with Board EDs, annual Workforce Forums, and quarterly child care network meetings. Board child care staff participates in ad hoc workgroups regarding implementation of new initiatives. In development of this State Plan, TWC solicited input from Board EDs and Board staff through a stakeholder survey, in-person stakeholder meetings in five Board areas (West Central Texas, Rural Capital Area, Gulf Coast, Lower Rio Grande Valley, and Greater Dallas), and a virtual meeting available for all Board EDs and Board child care staff. Boards also provided input on policy changes occurring in advance of the State Plan through meetings and public input opportunities. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: The Texas Early Learning Council (TELC) serves as Texas’ State Advisory Council on early childhood education and care. Members of TELC, including Texas CCDF Administrator and TELC chairperson Reagan Miller, are appointed by Governor Greg Abbott. The group includes representatives from state agencies, school districts, colleges, Head Start (HS), child care providers, and nonprofit organizations. In 2023, TELC collaborated with the Early Childhood Inter-Agency (ECIA) Workgroup (a group of state-level early childhood program leaders from TWC, Texas Education Agency (TEA), Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), Texas Health & Human Services Commission (HHSC), and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS)), and the University of Texas Health Science Center to conduct a new statewide needs assessment (https://www.twc.texas.gov/sites/default/files/ccel/docs/early-childhood- system-needs-assessment-in-texas-final-accessible.pdf) and Early Learning Strategic Plan for 2024-2026 (https://www.twc.texas.gov/sites/default/files/ccel/docs/texas-early- learning-strategic-plan-2024-2026-final-accessible.pdf). These projects were funded by the Preschool Development Fund Birth through Five Renewal Grant (PDG B-5). TELC continues to meet bi-monthly to provide input on child care and early learning initiatives in the state and to work toward meeting the goals of the strategic plan. In the January 19, 2024 TELC meeting, TWC consulted with TELC on the 2025-2027 CCDF State Plan and solicited input on the State Plan as well as invited members of the council to complete a survey and attend additional stakeholder input meetings in person or virtually. TWC shared a copy of the draft State Plan with TELC members to provide another opportunity for input prior to finalizing the plan. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: During the summer of 2023, CC&EL Division staff visited the Tribal CCDF administrators from the Alabama-Coushatta, Kickapoo, and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribes at their sites along with representatives from Boards, Office of Child Care, Tribal Capacity Building Center, and State Capacity Building Center. During these meetings, areas for potential program changes were identified to better support both tribal and Board needs. The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribe has one licensed child care home (LCCH) provider that participates in CCS and is Texas Rising Star certified. The tribe is in the process of becoming an accredited Montessori school. Based on this discussion and other requests, TWC is updating the list of recognized accreditation organizations to include Montessori accreditation bodies. This will create an easier path to Texas Rising Star certification should the tribe decide to pursue licensure, state subsidy and Texas Rising Star certification for their center in the future. TWC and Workforce Solutions Borderplex will continue meeting with the Tribal CCDF administrator regularly. During TWC’s visit with Alabama-Coushatta, tribal leadership expressed interest in opportunities to partner with the state to better serve tribal children. Further discussions are needed as we explore this option. TWC and Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas will continue meeting with the Tribal CCDF administrator regularly. Beginning with FY’24, TWC is extending invitations to tribal child care programs to attend the Texas Rising Star Early Educators Conference. These conferences offer a day and a half of free, high-quality training for early childhood teachers and administrators in an environment that acknowledges their status as professionals. 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: In addition to holding a public hearing regarding the draft State Plan in April 2024, TWC conducted a statewide survey and held six stakeholder input meetings (five in person and 1 virtual) prior to the development of the draft State Plan. TWC’s 2025￿2027 CCDF State Plan Stakeholder Survey was available via Survey Monkey from January 19, 2024, to February 12, 2024. The survey was posted to the TWC website and widely distributed to child care providers, parents, Boards, advocacy groups, community organizations, and state agencies. TWC received 5,481 responses from the following: 2,022 child care providers; 1,405 parents; 167 child care advocacy groups or community organizations; 82 Board staff members; and 54 employers. Stakeholders that provided input on the State Plan represented 160 counties and all 28 LWDAs. TWC hosted six stakeholder input meetings to discuss State Plan input. All meetings were hosted by the local Board and scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The meetings were listed on the TWC website and shared with the CC&EL Division’s subscribers (including advocates, providers, and community members) via TWC’s GovDelivery email notification service. Locations & Dates of Stakeholder Input Meetings/Attendees: Abilene: Thursday, February 8, 2024 (25 attendees) Round Rock: Tuesday, February 13, 2024 (13 attendees) Houston: Wednesday, February 21, 2024 (27 attendees) McAllen: Thursday, February 22, 2024 (12 attendees) Dallas: Monday, February 26, 2024 (40 attendees) Virtual: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 (223 attendees) 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: 5/7/2024 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: 4/16/2024 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 noticeTWC sent a Gov Delivery email with the dates and locations of the hearings to all early childhood care and education stakeholders subscribed to the system, including child care providers, advocates, parents, and Boards (more than 21,600 emails). TWC also posted notice of the hearing on its website at www.twc.texas.gov. Notifications for the public hearing were available at https://www.twc.texas.gov/programs/childcare and https://www.twc.texas.gov/events#commission. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The hearing was held virtually on Zoom, allowing participation from anywhere in the state. A recording of the public hearing is available on the TWC Website. 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.): On April 16, 2024, TWC posted the draft State Plan on TWC's website and sent an e-mail informing all child care providers, stakeholders, and Boards of the availability of the draft State Plan. The TWC website has a mobile-first design, is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and all information posted is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Every page on the website includes the following language: Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: Commenters were able to testify at the public hearing or provide written comments on the State Plan during the public comment period. TWC solicited input during the development of the draft State Plan through public hearings as previously described. TWC reviewed and considered all public comments. TWC modified the draft State Plan in response to comments received and is considering other comments for future action. 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. The most current approved State Plan is available at https://www.twc.texas.gov/programs/child-care/data-reports-plans. b. Describe any other strategies that the Lead Agency uses to make submitted and approved CCDF Plan and approved Plan amendments available to the public. Check all that apply and describe the strategies below, including any relevant website links as examples. i. [x] Working with advisory committees. Describe: TWC provides the information for TELC in open public meetings. Boards work with their local child care committees which include representatives from licensed child care centers (LCCCs) participating in TWC’s CCS program, LCCHs or registered child care homes (RCCHs) participating in CCS, families currently or formerly served by CCS, Board CCS contractors, Board members and/or Board staff, and other child care stakeholders that represent the interests of the children and/or the families served to disseminate CCDF plan information. 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: TWC emails a listserv (GovDelivery) of stakeholders, including advocacy groups, providers, and parents, to share the draft State Plan. TWC's internet home page includes a link for interested persons to sign up to receive updates (GovDelivery) on several topics, including child care. TWC posts all approved State Plans and State Plan amendments on its website. v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: TWC emailed more than 21,600 providers and stakeholders about the availability of the draft State Plan and information on the public hearing. TWC maintains both internal and subscription-based email distribution lists of child care stakeholders. vi. [x] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: TWC is collaborating with the Texas Partnership for Out of School Time (TXPOST) to discuss its needs for school-aged children outside the classroom who may be considered as the State Plan is developed. TWC requested input from TXPOST through the Stakeholder Input Survey. TXPOST also participated in TWC’s Texas Rising Star 4-year review Workgroup. vii. [ ] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: viii. [x] Other. Describe: The State Plan refers to CCS rules, Board child care policies, and other applicable TWC rules and policies. In accordance with state law, the public is given notice of rule changes and the opportunity for public input. TWC requires Boards to post policy changes for public input at an open meeting. Rule and policy changes are incorporated into any plan amendments. 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.