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. Tribal and county agencies that administer the Wisconsin Shares program have brochures and fact sheets readily available to parents and the general public to support increased understanding of Wisconsin Shares Eligibility Guidelines and the importance of choosing high quality child care, including the brochure How to read the stars: Understanding YoungStar child care quality ratings. Parents, child care providers and the general public are able to receive written information on the Wisconsin Shares program through CCR&R agencies and FRCs as well as at the Wisconsin Shares website. Financial information about the program can be obtained at https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/wishares/parents. Information about available child care can be accessed at CCR&R agencies and FRCs as well as the YoungStar website. The Lead Agency utilizes multiple listservs and a bi-weekly child care listserv to inform providers about the childcare subsidy program and other topics. Information is available in Spanish and Hmong to ensure materials are available for families whose first language is not English. Information about other resources available for parents including 4- year-old kindergarten, Head Start, and Early Head Start can be found at https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/youngstar/parents/faqs. The Lead Agency also utilizes multiple social media platforms to disseminate Wisconsin Shares information to parents, the general public, and providers. Examples of these social media platforms include Facebook and Twitter. Lastly, the Lead Agency is exploring permanent online and virtual options to ensure all families have access to this critical information during situations when access to Human Services agencies is prohibited due to emergency situations. 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. [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 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? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 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. The YoungStar website provides information for families on research and best practices around the importance of early experiences, the value of high-quality early childcare, the importance of good nutrition, activities for promoting early literacy, the benefits of family engagement, and the importance of knowing developmental milestones. These resources can be found in video and written formats at https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/youngstar/parents/resources. These resources are provided in partnership with DHS, DPI, and other local and national entities. The Lead Agency helped create and currently funds provider training around Active Early, Healthy Bites, Breastfeeding Friendly Programs, Gardening, and Family Engagement. It has also incorporated these topics as elements in its QRIS. The Lead Agency funds CCR&Rs to provide information, technical assistance, and resources around physical health and family engagement best practices to providers and families. Additionally, the Lead Agency funded a mass media campaign to emphasize the value of play, community engagement in children’s growth and development, and high-quality early care and education. The campaign focused initially on broad public awareness through the use of billboards and TV/Internet video clips and will increase its targeted messaging to specific audiences such as parents in the future. The resulting webpage will continue to be developed and shared at https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/strongece 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: The YoungStar parent webpages at https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/youngstar/parents provide parents with resources and educational information on brain development, the effects of toxic stress on infants, and social-emotional development. In addition to these pages, YoungStar also has resources for children with special needs and disabilities: https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/youngstar/eci. This link provides families with resources and contact information for screening and assessment, mental health services, and other disability resources which include special education services through IDEA Part C and B, and regional contacts for these programs as well as for services and assistance through Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs. The YoungStar QRIS and CCR&R agencies have a number of activities, trainings, educational and professional development opportunities, and criteria related to increased provider preparedness, child well-being, and child safety. In addition, YoungStar includes a quality indicator for being trained in Wisconsin Pyramid Model for Social and Emotional Competence, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Guiding Children's Behavior in School-Age Care or other equivalent training on meeting the social-emotional needs of children. These trainings include culturally specific approaches through the lens of tribes and provides strategies for effective behavior management including positive behavior interventions and support models. They also promote positive social and emotional development and give providers strategies that are research-based to reduce challenging behaviors and to communicate with parents about these issues. The training is further supported by coaching and mentoring through either YoungStar technical assistance or through specific assistance provided by a Pyramid Model External Coach. Information is also provided to the general public through local human services agencies, CCR&R agencies, FRCs, the Collaborating Partners website and Lead Agency and YoungStar public websites. Additionally, the Lead Agency has contracted with the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health to develop and administer a statewide Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) program in early care and education settings, Healthy Minds Healthy Children. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is a prevention-based approach that pairs a mental health consultant with adults who work with infants and young children in different settings where they learn and grow, to equip caregivers to facilitate children’s healthy social and emotional development. Information on these services along with direct requests for consultation and/or referrals can be found at https://www.healthymindswi.org/. 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: In June of 2023, the Lead Agency completed the first phase of the Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Reduction Project to: Discover successful approaches other states and research institutes have used or are currently using to define and collect suspension and expulsion details through a literature review. Better understand the Lead Agencies current expulsion data collection efforts through a descriptive analysis. Currently, the Lead Agency is in phase two of the Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Reduction Project with goals of creating definitions related to suspension and expulsion, gather comprehensive baseline data on suspension and expulsion practices, create a state-level policy for regulated early care and education programs and provide recommendations for implementation of policies. The Lead Agency requires programs who accept Wisconsin Shares payments to participate in YoungStar, Wisconsin’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. YoungStar helps reduce suspension and expulsion practices by providing training and technical assistance on topics including developmentally appropriate practices, mental health of children, stress management, learning environment and curriculum, family partnerships, and challenging behavior. Additionally, the Lead Agency has contracted with the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health to develop and administer a statewide Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) program in early care and education settings, Healthy Minds Healthy Children. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation is a prevention-based approach that pairs a mental health consultant with adults who work with infants and young children in different settings where they learn and grow, to equip caregivers to facilitate children’s healthy social and emotional development. IECMHC has been shown to be an effective strategy for preventing suspension and expulsion. Healthy Minds Healthy Children was launched in July 2023, and is available in the Southeastern and Southern Regions in Wisconsin, with ten IECMH Consultants serving the community and child care programs. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants have deep expertise in early childhood, social and emotional development, and mental health for children ages birth through five. 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: The Lead Agency requires programs who accept Wisconsin Shares payments to participate in YoungStar, Wisconsin’s Quality Rating and Improvement System. YoungStar helps reduce suspension and expulsion practices by providing training and technical assistance on topics including developmentally appropriate practices, mental health of children, stress management, learning environment and curriculum, family partnerships, and challenging behavior. The Lead Agency is currently working to create a state-level policy for regulated early care and education programs and provide recommendations for implementation of policies.