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 Lead Agency established an Early Childhood Advisory Committee (ECAC), which is responsible for advising the Virginia Board of Education on all matters related to Virginia’s unified early childhood system. The Lead Agency staffs and manages this committee. Committee meeting topics include updates on various initiatives as well as items for endorsement prior to formal Board approval. For example, the ECAC has provided ongoing engagement and advisement on VDOE’s approach to rate-setting using a federally approved alternative methodology. In addition, the ECAC reviewed multiple drafts of the structure and approach of VDOE’s unified measurement and improvement system, VQB5￿including the annual revisions to system guidelines￿to ensure the system and associated supports are fully reflective of the needs and realities of the diversity of ECCE sites and educators across the state. The ECAC has also been engaged in the revisions of Virginia’s health and safety regulations for licensed child day centers. ECAC members served on a workgroup to inform the drafting process of the revised regulations, and the draft regulations were approved by the full Committee in advance of the issuance of a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA). The ECAC will continue to review and provide feedback on revisions on an ongoing basis as the draft regulations make their way through the public comment process and review by the Board. 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: As Lead Agency, VDOE coordinates monthly check-ins with the Chickahominy and Monacan Tribes. The purpose of the monthly check-ins is to identify opportunities for collaboration and ways the state can support tribal implementation of their CCDF grants. For example, VDOE and VDSS are working with both Tribes to facilitate background checks for home-based tribal child care providers that are not subject to state licensure. VDOE is also connecting each tribe with the respective Ready Region lead agency supporting the communities surrounding tribal lands in order to offer support for quality measurement and improvement. Members of the VDOE Office of Child Care Health and Safety are also working with tribal leaders to support health and safety monitoring practices in home-based sites. Finally, VDOE is coordinating with the Chickahominy Tribe and the Eastern Division to support their existing tribal child care center to become an approved Child Care Subsidy Program vendor, as well as to support the tribe’s launch of a fully licensed site in the future. [ ] 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 Lead Agency is home to Early Childhood Special Education (IDEA Part B) in Virginia, allowing for consistent, ongoing collaboration and feedback to ensure preschool-aged children with disabilities are prioritized and included in child care policy decisions and efforts to improve access. The Lead Agency has direct connections with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services' (DBHDS) Early Intervention (IDEA Part C) program for infants and toddlers, supporting coordination across state agencies as well. VDOE partners with both of these agencies on committees such as the Head Start Collaboration Office advisory council, Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development Team, Early Impact (home visiting), and other organizations to ensure state alignment of goals, to leverage professional development resources, and to network to improve child care for all children. Disability service organizations are represented on the Lead Agency’s ECAC. A representative from DBHDS serves ex-officio. Children with disabilities that participate in school-based preschool or K-12 programs can receive wrap-around child care services through the Child Care Subsidy Program if they meet program eligibility requirements. Efforts in this area assist children to receive full- day services that meet the needs of working families and align medical needs with early care and education goals, smoothing the transition between providers. Subsidy vendors who care for children with special needs are allowed higher payment rates for serving children with special needs in the Subsidy Program. VDOE is actively reviewing existing policies and data to identify strategies to increase inclusion across all early childhood settings. d. State/Territory office/director for Head Start State collaboration. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Office of Head Start State Collaboration (OHSSC) sits within the Lead Agency, providing opportunities for ongoing feedback and communication between Head Start programs and child care-related policies and programming, including promoting the availability of wraparound care for Head Start families; identifying challenges associated with enrollment; and licensing issues. The OHSCC will continue to be included on technical assistance and standards development task forces that align and enhance the quality of services to link comprehensive services for children. Additionally, the OHSCC Executive Director is a non-voting member of the lead agency’s ECAC. e. State/Territory agency responsible for public health, including the agency responsible for immunizations. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency supports the early childhood and school-age work of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), including grant support, as needed. VDH provides consultation on health and safety initiatives, including preservice training, Medication Administration Training, and obesity prevention activities. A VDH representative serves on the Lead Agency’s ECAC as a non-voting member. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lead Agency has deepened its relationship with VDH to provide ongoing guidance related to child care programs’ operations during the pandemic as well as accurate, reliable information about the COVID-19 virus and vaccination efforts across the state. As a result of these efforts, the Lead Agency successfully included child care and early education staff in the same priority group for vaccines as K-12 Teachers and supported coordination efforts between local health districts and child care providers. The Lead Agency has also partnered with VDH, Division of Pharmacy, to implement legislation that requires certain child day centers to implement policies for the possession and administration of appropriate weight-based undesignated epinephrine to any child believed to be having an anaphylactic reaction. Additionally, the Lead Agency has partnered with VDH, Office of Drinking Water, to implement legislation that requires certain child day programs to develop and implement a plan to test potable water for lead. The Lead Agency will continue to work closely with VDH to ensure that child care providers are included in public health supports and can open and operate safely for families in the Commonwealth. f. State/Territory agency responsible for employment services/workforce development. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead agency coordinates with the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) and Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) to align messaging, supports, and services for the Commonwealth's early childhood workforce, including unemployment and job search services and the child care apprenticeship program. The Lead Agency worked with VEC to publicize expanded eligibility for child care services to parents looking for work through the VEC, and to provide information and resources on the DOLI emergency workforce regulations and how they apply to child care settings. VDOE also continues to prioritize engaging the business community through other avenues as well. The ECAC includes representatives of the business sector to ensure that ECCE policies account for the needs of working families and employers. In addition, VDOE helps to facilitate the Commission on Early Childhood Care and Education (the Commission), which is responsible for identifying financing strategies to sustain and expand ECCE services in Virginia. Multiple representatives of Virginia businesses are voting members of the Commission and the Secretary of Labor serves as an ex-officio member. g. State/Territory agency responsible for public education, including pre-Kindergarten. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency is responsible for child care as well as public education. VDOE is committed to maximizing all available public resources to serve as many eligible children as possible and to meet families' comprehensive needs. Across the Division of Early Childhood Care and Education at the VDOE, staff are working to maximize the number of children in the Virginia Preschool Initiative receiving wraparound care services through CCDBG and support private programs receiving public funds to leverage multiple funding streams. h. State/Territory agency responsible for child care licensing. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Lead Agency is responsible for child care licensing. The CCDF Administrators meet monthly with leadership in the Office of Child Care Health and Safety (OCCHS) to identify opportunities for ongoing coordination between licensing staff and staff overseeing the Child Care Subsidy Program and VQB5. For example, at these regular meetings OCCHS and CCSP connect on whether annual Subsidy Health and Safety Inspections (SHSI) are occurring in a timely manner, any vendors being removed from CCSP (voluntarily or involuntarily), licensed subsidy vendors that are in the enforcement process, and any increased oversight that is occurring at unlicensed subsidy vendors based on health and safety concerns. This allows VDOE to collaboratively monitor vendors whose participation in the subsidy program could change or be revoked. Additionally, coordination of changes in subsidy vendor status, the enforcement process, and VQB5 participation is occurring on a weekly basis. 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: CACFP is administered by the Virginia Dept. of Health (VDH). A representative from VDH is a non-voting member on the Lead Agency’s ECAC. VDOE is currently in the process of a comprehensive review of ECCE policies. VDH is among the stakeholders engaged in aligning and streamlining child care licensing regulations and monitoring processes. 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 McKinney-Vento State Coordinator serves on various Lead Agency child care workgroups, consults on issues and guidance regarding services to children who are homeless, assists with development and modification of the statewide child care disaster plan, and consults on training for local departments of social services staff on outreach to homeless families, as well as resource materials and training for providers. k. State/Territory agency responsible for the TANF program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: TANF is located within the Division of Benefit Programs at the Department of Social Services (VDSS). Child Care Subsidy Program staff at VDSS that administer the voucher program through an MOA with the Lead Agency also sit within this Division. VDOE and VDSS coordinate to align services to the extent possible to assure easy access to Child Care and TANF services by eligible recipients of either program and by those transitioning off either program. In addition, a representative from VDSS is a non- voting member of the Lead Agency’s ECAC. l. State/Territory agency responsible for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Medicaid and FAMIS, the state children’s health insurance program, are jointly administered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) and VDSS. DMAS sets policy and provides funding oversight. VDSS administers the program via 120 local departments of social services. Citizens can apply for Medicaid and FAMIS through the same channels and at the same time that they apply for CCSP services. VDSS and DMAS coordinate to ensure that case records for both Medicaid and Child Care Subsidy are appropriately maintained within the Virginia Case Management System. The Lead Agency and DMAS both sit on VDSS’s VaCMS work group to ensure coordination/prioritization of programmatic changes to the case management system. m. State/Territory agency responsible for mental health services. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: Lead Agency staff members serve on the Early Childhood Mental Health Virginia (ECMHVA) advisory committee with staff from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). This committee developed a statewide training certificate program on early childhood mental health for providers and partners with cross-sector early childhood colleagues to educate practitioners on mental health issues for young children. The committee has also focused on identifying sustainable funding sources for ECMH services and pathways to increase access to services. Lead Agency staff are also represented on the Early Childhood Mental Health work group with DBHDS, which examined the feasibility of implementing a statewide early childhood mental health consultation program. A representative at DBDHS also serves as an ex-officio member of Virginia’s ECAC. 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: Child Care Aware of Virginia (CCAoVA) is Virginia’s child care resource and referral agency. While contracted services do not meet the CCDF-defined CCR&R, VDOE uses CCDF to support the following consumer education and provider supports: 1. Provide families with information and resources to help them select a child care provider; 2. Provide CPR/first aid and emergency preparedness trainings to providers and professional development (e.g.; Strengthening Business Practices training) to increase the organizational, administrative, and operations capacity of child care businesses; and 3. Support providers onboarding and participation in the Child Care Subsidy Program by offering technical assistance with the vendor application process and providing training about the CCSP. CCAoVA will continue to provide technical assistance and consumer education to families, leverage beneficial private-public partnerships, provide training, and assist with increasing the supply of publicly-funded child care in partnership with VDOE. Per Virginia State Code (See § 22.1-289.05), Ready Region Lead Organizations are responsible for coordinating early childhood care and education services, and supporting quality improvement through the implementation of the uniform measurement and improvement system (VQB5). This includes providing VQB5 Improvement Support, such as ensuring that all teachers and leaders who are new to CLASS are provided with foundational CLASS training prior to being observed (ongoing, based on regional foundational training needs), and making sure that programs are connected to relevant professional development options and opportunities offered by state, regional and local partners. 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 Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time (VPOST) is a statewide public private partnership focused on developing and expanding services during out of school hours to school-age children and youth in the Commonwealth of Virginia. VPOST focuses on refining best practices, setting standards of high quality care for all children in out-of-school time, and facilitating professional development for practitioners serving this age group. Lead Agency staff serves in leadership positions on VPOST to help align early childhood and school-age care quality standards. VPOST serves as the official state affiliate to the National Afterschool Alliance. A representative from VPOST sits on the Lead Agency’s ECAC. VPOST members were engaged in the review of child care licensing regulation revisions. p. Agency responsible for emergency management and response. Describe the coordination and results of the coordination: The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) works with local government, state and federal agencies and voluntary organizations to provide emergency management resources and expertise. VDOE coordinated closely with VDEM during the pandemic to provide access to personal protective equipment and cleaning and sanitation supplies to child care providers. The agencies continue to collaborate on revisions to the statewide child care disaster plan. 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. [ ] State/Territory/local agencies with Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership grants. Describe: ii. [x] State/Territory institutions for higher education, including community colleges. Describe: The Lead Agency contracts with the workforce development arm of two community colleges within the Virginia Community College System (Community College Workforce Alliance) to provide and revise online and classroom training for child care professionals. Two professionals from higher education institutes in Virginia are represented on the Lead Agency’s ECAC. This coordination allows for the Lead Agency and each partner to mutually inform degree and certificate programs and professional development opportunities. iii. [x] Other federal, State, local, and/or private agencies providing early childhood and school-age/youth-serving developmental services. Describe: The Lead Agency works closely with the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation through its Ready Regions networks to connect with child care and early education providers across the state, including information sharing, requesting feedback on policy proposals, and administering state-funded programs such as the Mixed Delivery preschool pilot. This coordination has supported greater slots in Mixed Delivery settings, guidance for Mixed Delivery programs using multiple funding streams, and intentional investments in quality improvement initiatives for children in this program. iv. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for implementing the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) programs grant. Describe: Early Impact, Virginia's home visiting consortium, and the Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development Leadership and Regional Teams provide home visitors and other providers serving children with opportunities to collaborate on universal training topics and quality standards and infrastructure systems. This contributes to more seamless services and increased access to developmental screening, resources and training. v. [x] Agency responsible for Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program. Describe: The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services provides EPSDT services. The Lead Agency and the Department of Social Services provide information on their websites about these developmental screenings. Child Care providers and local departments of social services child care workers disseminate this information to families as needed. This allows the Lead Agency and partner organizations to support families' connections to developmental screening services. vi. [x] State/Territory agency responsible for child welfare. Describe: The Virginia Department of Social Services, Division of Family Services is responsible for overseeing child welfare services administered at the local level. VDOE is working with VDSS and local departments to promote coordination around investigations of child abuse and neglect in child care settings. The Assistant Superintendent of Child Care Health and Safety was recently appointed to the Out Of Family Investigation Advisory Committee to the Board of Social Services. Additionally, the Assistant Superintendent of Child Care Health and Safety is part of the Statewide Child Fatality Workgroup, which examines the details of child fatalities to determine how they could be prevented and develops recommendations for prevention, education, training and intervention. vii. [x] Child care provider groups or associations. Describe: Provider groups are represented on the Lead Agency’s ECAC. Current ECAC members are also members of the Virginia Partnership for Out of School Time, the Virginia Alliance for Family Child Care Associations, and the Virginia Child Care Association. These provider groups and associations are among those targeted for stakeholder engagement opportunities on various aspects of Virginia’s unified ECCE system to maximize reach, in addition to the following groups: Virginia Head Start Association, the Early Childhood Education Consortium, and the Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children. Collectively, provider groups and associations provide invaluable input into VDOE’s approach to policy and process implementation. viii. [x] Parent groups or organizations. Describe: Every Ready Region is charged with convening and leading a Family Council, representative of their region, to engage family voice and ensure that state and regional ECCE systems are designed to meet their needs and preferences. Ready Region Family Council members participate in Ready Region Shared Governance bodies, represent their regions on the statewide Virginia Promise Partnership Parent Advisory, and provide family perspectives and guidance to regional and state early childhood initiatives and Ready Regions early childhood priorities. Through PDG B5, Virginia has committed to learn from and better inform families; empower family choice; build knowledge; and promote parent-child relationships. Ready Regions have actively worked to build local B-5 systems that trust the wisdom of families as children’s first and most important teachers. These systems will promote strong parent-child relationships and provide supports to families (including those with unique needs such as children with disabilities, ELLs, families of VA’s 11 tribal communities, and families in rural and underserved communities), with the ultimate goal of designing regional infrastructure that meets the needs of the most underserved communities and families in Virginia. ix. [ ] Title IV B 21st Century Community Learning Center Coordinators. Describe: x. [ ] Other. Describe: