9.3 Increasing Engagement and Access to Information

Lead Agencies must collect and disseminate information about the full range of child care services to promote parental choice to parents of children eligible for CCDF, the general public, and child care providers. 9.3.1 Information about CCDF availability and eligibility Describe how the Lead Agency shares information with eligible parents, the general public, and child care providers about the availability of child care services provided through CCDF and other programs for which the family may be eligible. The description should include, at a minimum, what is provided (e.g., written materials, the website, and direct communications) and what approaches are used to tailor information to parents, the general public, and child care providers. DCYF makes information available to parents and the general public about the availability of child care services provided through CCDF and other programs on various pages of its website, such as the following: - Finding Child Care: http://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/earlylearning-childcare/find-child-care - connects website users to Child Care Check provider information, information on Early Achievers, and child care resource and referral - Child Care Subsidy Programs: http://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning-providers/subsidy - information on eligibility requirements, provider payments rates, copayments, etc. - ECEAP: http://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning-providers/eceap - ECEAP and Head Start: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/earlylearning-childcare/eceap- headstart - information on eligibility, locations and how to enroll - Early ECEAP: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning-providers/eceap/early-eceap - program description and application information, performance standards - Provider Quality Rating and Improvement System: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early- learning-providers/early-achievers - information on mission, vision, data dashboards, validation study - Becoming a Licensed Provider: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=en&tl=es&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcyf.wa.go v%2F&anno=2 - describes licensing process and requirements - Electronic Attendance Systems https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning- providers/electronic-attendance-system - program description, connection to required training, system manual and parent and provider brochures Again, information is tailored to the provider audience through use of plain language, website organization (the above links are found under the "Services" tab of the DCYF homepage, under "For Providers"), and through translation of critical documents. 9.3.2 Information about child care and other services available for parents Does the Lead Agency certify that it provides information described in 9.3.1 for the following required programs? • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. • Head Start and Early Head Start programs. • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). • Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC) program. • Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). • Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). • Programs carried out under IDEA Part B, Section 619 and Part C. [ ] Yes. [x] No. If no, describe: DCYF's website includes information about TANF, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, SNAP (Basic Food), WIC, and IDEA Part B and C programs, but does not include information about LIHEAP, CACFP, or CHIP. 9.3.3 Consumer statement for parents receiving CCDF services Lead Agencies must provide parents receiving CCDF services with a consumer statement in hard copy or electronically that contains general information about the CCDF program and specific information about the child care provider they select. Please certify if the Lead Agency provides parents receiving CCDF services a consumer statement that contains the following 8 requirements: 1. Health and safety requirements met by the provider 2. Licensing or regulatory requirements met by the provider 3. Date the provider was last inspected 4. Any history of violations of these requirements 5. Any voluntary quality standards met by the provider 6. How CCDF subsidies are designed to promote equal access 7. How to submit a complaint through the hotline 8. How to contact a local resource and referral agency or other community-based organization to receive assistance in finding and enrolling in quality child care Does the Lead Agency provide to families, either in hard copy or electronically, a consumer statement that contains the required information about the provider they have selected, including the eight required elements above? [ ] Yes. [x] No. If no, describe: DCYF does not provide parents with a consumer statement identifying the health and safety record of the provider they select. DCYF instead provides a link to a website for the parent to look up the information. 9.3.4 Informing families about best practices on child development Describe how the Lead Agency makes information available to parents, providers, and the general public on research and best practices concerning children’s development, including physical health and development, and information about successful parent and family engagement. At a minimum, the description should include what information is provided; how the information is provided; any distinct activities for sharing this information with parents, providers, the general public; and any partners in providing this information. . For parents and the general public, DCYF's program Strengthening Families Washington is focused on parent engagement and helping families become stronger together through a variety of tactics, including home visiting and community outreach. Resources concerning the program are available on DCYF's site here: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/child-development-supports/sfwa. Strengthening Families includes partnering on several public awareness campaigns including Speak Up When You’re Down, Have A Plan: Shaken Baby Syndrome, Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Safe Sleep. The Strengthening Families program also offers funding opportunities to community organizations whose work promotes the protective factors among families and communities. For providers, DCYF offers nutrition and physical activity resources to its providers through a page on its website here: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learning-providers/hng/resources. DCYF also provides parent engagement resources to providers through its Strengthening Families self- assessments on its site, tailored to specific provider types: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/services/early-learningproviders/early-achievers/resources-templates. The information on DCYF's site is tailored for parents, providers, and the general public by using plain language and broad descriptions of resources, initiatives, goals, and successes. As indicated above, resources for different audiences are located in different parts of the DCYF site so these pages can be tailored specifically to them. 9.3.5 Unlimited parental access to their children Does the Lead Agency have procedures to ensure that parents have unlimited access to their children whenever their children are in the care of a provider who receives CCDF funds: [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 9.3.6 Informing families about best practices in social and emotional health Describe how the Lead Agency shares information with families, providers, and the general public regarding the social-emotional and behavioral and mental health of young children, including positive behavioral intervention and support models based on research and best practices for those from birth to school age: Regarding families and the general public, DCYF partners with Within Reach, a state-side non-profit organization that specializes in helping families navigate the health and social services systems, and Washington Communities for Children, a statewide network of coalitions dedicated to improving the well-being for children, families, and communities, to fund and administer Help Me Grow, a resource and Referral network that administers developmental screenings, assists in connecting families with resources to support development in children, in addition to all of the services that help families to be successful in the early years through a hotline, website, and materials distribution. See here: https:// https://helpmegrowwa.org/ Providers receive information about supporting the social emotional health of young children through coaching and infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC), in addition to professional development such as training. Washington's QRIS system, Early Achievers, which provides coaching and IECMHC for providers, is grounded in interactions and social emotional learning. 9.3.7 Policies on the prevention of the suspension and expulsion of children a. The Lead Agency must have policies to prevent the suspension and expulsion of children from birth to age 5 in child care and other early childhood programs receiving CCDF funds. Describe those policies and how those policies are shared with families, providers, and the general public: DCYF licensing standards require that providers develop and follow expulsion policies and practices. These standards further require that a child only be expelled if the child presents a serious safety concern for themselves or others and that the program is not able to reduce or eliminate the safety concern through reasonable accommodations. See WAC 110-300-0340. This standard also requires that the provider review the expulsion policy with parents, provide a record of steps taken to avoid expulsion, provide information to parents of possible resources for the parent, and that the provider report any expulsion to the department. These standards are available to the public online at http://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=110 and are also linked to on the DCYF webpage regarding licensing: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/practice/policy-laws- rules. DCYF’s licensing orientation also covers practices to prevent expulsion and refers providers to the applicable standards. Center standards require providers to have written behavior management and guidance practices in place, and to guide child behavior based on an understanding of the individual child’s needs and stage of development. Providers must promote the child's developmentally appropriate social behavior, self-control, and respect for the rights of others. Further, providers must ensure behavior management and guidance practices that are fair, reasonable, consistent, and related to the child's behavior, and prevent and prohibit any person on the premises from using cruel, unusual, hazardous, frightening, or humiliating discipline, including corporal punishment, verbal abuse, and injurious physical restraint. Use of physical restraint is only allowed in limited circumstances and staff must complete a report of incidents involving its use, placed in the child’s file and provided to the child’s parents. The Quality Rating & Improvement System, Early Achievers, includes a standard focused on preventing suspension and expulsion through promoting policies that support working with families on developing behavior support plans, training staff on positive social and emotional support and accessing consultation from coaches and mental health consultants. In addition, DCYF has implemented Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND), an intervention to support social-emotional development. FIND uses video coaching and brief, filmed clips of teachers interacting with young children to help caregivers identify and reinforce actions that support healthy development of our youngest learners. DCYF has also worked with Cultivate Learning at the University of Washington to train all Early Achievers coaches in the Pyramid Model, a statewide framework for promoting positive behavior support. b. Describe what policies, if any, the Lead Agency has to prevent the suspension and expulsion of school-age children from child or youth care settings receiving CCDF funds: DCYF licensing standards require that providers develop and follow expulsion policies and practices. These standards further require that a child only be expelled if the child presents a serious safety concern for themselves or others and that the program is not able to reduce or eliminate the safety concern through reasonable accommodations. See WAC 110-300-0340. This standard also requires that the provider review the expulsion policy with parents, provide a record of steps taken to avoid expulsion, provide information to parents of possible resources for the parent, and that the provider report any expulsion to the department. These standards are available to the public online at http://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=110 and are also linked to on the DCYF webpage regarding licensing: https://www.dcyf.wa.gov/practice/policy-laws-rules. DCYF’s licensing orientation also covers practices to prevent expulsion and refers providers to the applicable standards. Center standards require providers to have written behavior management and guidance practices in place, and to guide child behavior based on an understanding of the individual child’s needs and stage of development. Providers must promote the child's developmentally appropriate social behavior, self-control, and respect for the rights of others. Further, providers must ensure behavior management and guidance practices that are fair, reasonable, consistent, and related to the child's behavior, and prevent and prohibit any person on the premises from using cruel, unusual, hazardous, frightening, or humiliating discipline, including corporal punishment, verbal abuse, and injurious physical restraint. Use of physical restraint is only allowed in limited circumstances and staff must complete a report of incidents involving its use, placed in the child’s file and provided to the child’s parents.