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 meets with county and tribal representatives on a monthly basis and provides regular updates on the status of the CCDF State Plan. During meetings of the Child Care Advisory Committee (CCAC), the Child Care Program Committee (CCPC), and the Economic Support Policy Advisory Committee (ES PAC), drafts of the proposed Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) State Plan language are shared with the county and tribal staff for their review, edits, and suggested changes to the responses developed by the Lead Agency. a. Describe how the Lead Agency consulted with the State Advisory Council or similar coordinating body: The Lead Agency 's Secretary is one of the co-chairs for the Governor's Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC). The Lead Agency participates in all aspects of the ECAC, from meeting planning and support to leadership and direction. The Lead Agency plays a major role in the development of recommendations sent to the Governor on behalf of the Council. The Lead Agency held a special meeting of the ECAC to gather its feedback on a draft of the State Plan. In addition, the ECAC was invited to review the CCDF State Plan again during the formal review period. ECAC members will receive an update on the final version of the CCDF State Plan at an upcoming meeting. b. Describe, if applicable, how the Lead Agency consulted with Indian Tribes(s) or Tribal organizations(s) within the State: The Lead Agency conducted two formal consultation meetings with the Tribal Governments. The Consultation meetings were held on March 13 and 14, 2024 and included tribal leadership and direct service child care supervisors and staff. The meetings were structured around receiving input on all aspects of the CCDF State Plan. The Lead Agency walked through each section of the CCDF State Plan and received tribal feedback on every response. Additionally, the Lead Agency provided all Tribal Governments with a draft of the CCDF State Plan prior to its release during the public comment period. 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 Wisconsin Head Start Collaboration Office (HSCO), which is part of the Lead Agency, was a significant contributor to the CCDF State Plan, as was the Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners (WECCP). WECCP is a group that focuses on collaboration among many public and private agencies, associations, and individuals that care about Wisconsin's young children and their families. The Lead Agency asked subscribers to the WECCP listserv to comment on the Plan. Additionally, the Wisconsin Afterschool Network (WAN) is an important contributor in the development of the state plan and the ultimate goal to ensure that all children and families through the state have access to to a high-quality afterschool and out of school programs. 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: 5/14/2024 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: 4/15/2024 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 noticeWisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) public hearing website (https://publicmeetings.wi.gov/), Administration Register (https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/register/2024), Listserv messages, Lead Agency’s website, and social media posts. v. Describe how the approach to the public hearing was inclusive of all geographic regions of the State or Territory: The Lead Agency hosted the public hearing via Zoom which allowed individuals to join from across the state. 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 Lead Agency posted the draft CCDF State Plan on its public-facing website for public review. Additionally, the draft plan was translated into other languages as requested. vii. Describe how the information provided by the public was taken into consideration regarding the provision of child care services under this Plan: Following the public hearing process all written and verbal feedback was reviewed and evaluated, by the Lead Agency, for inclusion into the CCDF State Plan. All responses will be retained per Wisconsin Record Retention Schedules and made available to anyone per the Open Records Request process. 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.wisconsin.gov/childcare/ccdbg 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: The CCDF Plan was shared with Lead Agency advisory committees via email and a link to the Plan is available on the Lead Agency's public website: https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/childcare/rptplangrants. ii. [x] Working with child care resource and referral agencies. Describe: The CCDF Plan was shared with CCR&R agencies via email distribution to listservs and a link to the Plan is available on the Lead Agency's public website: https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/childcare/rptplangrants. iii. [x] Providing translation in other languages. Describe: When the Lead Agency has shared or posted the State Plan, it notes that translation is available upon request. iv. [x] Sharing through social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, email). Describe: The Lead Agency utilized social media (X, Facebook, and email listservs) to notify the public of the CCDF State Plan and provided necessary weblinks to view the document. v. [x] Providing notification to key constituents (e.g., parent and family groups, provider groups, advocacy groups, foundations, and businesses). Describe: The Lead Agency sent emails via listservs notifying provider and parent groups that a draft of the 2025-2027 CCDF Plan was available for review on the Lead Agency's webpage: https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/childcare/ccdbg. vi. [x] Working with Statewide afterschool networks or similar coordinating entities for out-of-school time. Describe: The Lead Agency includes the Wisconsin Afterschool Network (WAN) and provided multiple collaboration opportunities prior to required Public Hearing. Comments and narrative were received from WAN prior to the public hearing. vii. [x] Direct communication with the child care workforce. Describe: The Lead Agency utilizes a weekly Listserv message (every Tuesday) to share CCDF State Plan information to child care providers and the child care workforce. The information regarding the required CCDF State Plan Public Hearing information will also be shared to early care education (ECE) stakeholders through this Listserv process as well as other required notices. 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.