Minimum Standards for Tribal Child Care: A Health and Safety Guide
Table of Contents (This document is also available in PDF and Word format.)
Introduction
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) requires that in lieu of any licensing and regulatory requirements applicable under State and local law, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shall develop minimum child care standards for Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations receiving funds under the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). The law requires that the standards be developed in consultation with Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations and appropriately reflect tribal needs and available resources.
The Minimum Tribal Child Care Standards were first published in April 2000 after three years of consultation with Tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal child care programs. To oversee the development of the standards, the Child Care Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, convened the Tribal Child Care Standards Advisory Committee that included representatives from tribal child care programs, the Child Care Bureau, the Indian Health Service, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the Head Start Bureau (American Indian Programs Branch), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other health and child care organizations. In addition, the Child Care Bureau has undertaken several activities to inform and consult with Tribal Leaders, including holding consultative sessions with Tribal Leaders and tribal CCDF programs at ACF’s annual American Indian/Alaska Native Child Care Conferences.
The Child Care Bureau is reissuing the minimum standards as a "Health and Safety Guide" for CCDF Tribal Lead Agencies in conjunction with the 2005 Tribal Cluster Trainings, "Supporting the Physical, Social, and Emotional Wellness of Our Tribal Children." These voluntary guidelines represent the baseline from which all programs should operate to ensure that children are cared for in healthy and safe environments and that their basic needs are being met. Many Tribes may currently be exceeding the standards set forth in this document; others may want to use these standards as the starting point for developing their own tribal child care standards.
All CCDF Tribal Lead Agencies should note that these guidelines express minimum standards for health and safety in child care and are not intended to supersede any existing federal, state, tribal, or local laws or regulations. Tribal CCDF programs are responsible for knowing the laws and regulations that govern them and the child care programs that they fund through CCDF and for incorporating these laws and regulations into their tribal child care policies, procedures, and standards, as appropriate.
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