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: CDD staff connected with leadership from the Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies ("VAPDA") and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns ("VLCT") to notify them about the publication of a draft Vermont State Plan, and invited representatives of VAPDA and VLCT to attend the two public hearings where an overview of the State Plan was presented by CDD, and to provide their input. VAPDA is a non-profit corporation composed of the eleven Regional Planning Commissions of Vermont created and operating under the provision of the Municipal and Regional Planning and Development Act. The mission of VAPDA is to increase the effectiveness of Vermont’s Regional Planning Commissions, and public and private planning by Municipalities, Regions, and the State of Vermont. Vermont’s Municipal and Regional Planning and Development Act includes the goal "(T)o ensure the availability of safe and affordable child care and to integrate child care issues into the planning process, including child care financing, infrastructure, business assistance for child care providers, and child care work force development." (24 V.S.A. § 4302(13)). VLCT is a nonprofit organization founded in 1967 with the mission of serving and strengthening Vermont local government. Any feedback received from VAPDA and VLCT was considered as part of CDD's process for reviewing public input. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: Under Vermont's early childhood public-private partnership, Building Bright Futures ("BBF") is charged as Vermont's Early Childhood State Advisory Council ("SAC") under 33 V.S.A. §§ 4601 - 4605 and the Head Start Act, 42 USC 9801 et seq. When seeking input on the CCDF State Plan, CDD staff consulted with members of the Vermont's SAC and three BBF Committees - the Early Learning and Development ("ELD") Committee, the Professional Preparation and Development ("PPD") Committee, and the Early Childhood Interagency Coordinating Team ("ECICT"). Additionally, CDD staff provided the ELD Committee with an overview of the draft Plan in a separate meeting and then invited Committee members to comment on the Plan online through the public comment link. Any input received from the SAC or the BBF Committees was considered as a part of CDD's process for reviewing public input. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: Not applicable. The federal government does not recognize any Tribal Entities within Vermont. 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: Through the targeted outreach to BBF and SAC, and through the notifications by email to those who have signed up to receive notifications from CDD including representatives from the child care workforce and after school networks, CDD invited attendance at one of the two public hearings, review of the draft Plan posted on the CDD website, and input submitted either through email or through the online portal for Plan feedback and comment. Any input received from entities, agencies, or organizations representing child care workforce or statewide after school networks, or members of the workforce of child care providers or afterschool networks was considered as a part of CDD's process for reviewing public input. 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: 5/28/2024 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: 5/8/2024 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 notice was posted on the CDD blog, which is a part of CDD’s website. In addition, an announcement was sent through an electronic mailing list to a self-selected group of people who are interested in receiving information from CDD, which includes members of advocacy groups, parents, legislators, and the general public. An announcement was also emailed to early childhood professionals representing all regulated child care programs; center-based, afterschool, and family child care homes; and was sent to Child Care Financial Assistance eligibility agencies, referral agencies, and parent child centers. Information was included in the notice about accommodations and interpreter services, and how these services could be accessed upon request. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The two public hearings were each held virtually using Microsoft Teams technology. Additionally, the draft plan and PowerPoint presentation from the hearings were posted on the CDD website after the public hearing, and a link was provided for the submission of public comments through a survey tool. By utilizing technology for both the presentations and the solicitation of public comments, access was available to every geographic region of Vermont. 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 full draft plan was made available to the public on May 24, 2024, on CDD’s website. Notice of the plan was posted on the CDD website, with instructions of how to request the plan in other languages or formats. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: Public comment on the plan could be submitted either by email or through the online public comment portal posted on CDD's website. Recommendations for changes to the State Plan were reviewed and considered by CDD leadership team and by subject matter experts for each section of the Plan. For every recommendation that was considered, CDD provided a rationale for why that recommendation was either accepted or rejected. A summary of the recommendations collected through the public input process, and related rationale, will be posted publicly on CDD's website after the submission of the State Plan for federal review. 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. https://dcf.vermont.gov/CDD/CCDF 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. [x] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: Upon request, CDD provides documents, including the CCDF draft and final State Plan, amendments, waivers, and any other relevant and requested material in the requested language. iv. [x] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: Notice is provided through Mailchimp, an email platform, to notify those who have signed up to receive communications and announcements from CDD of the posting of documents on the CDD webpage, along with links to the pages and documents. v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: Once the plan is approved, community partners, providers, and others will receive notification through the same Mailchimp platform as described in 1.3.3b(iv). vi. [ ] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: vii. [ ] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: 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.