Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

Purpose

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), authorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, PL 104-193, is a block grant that goes directly to States, Territories, and tribes to assist low-income families, families receiving temporary public assistance, and those transitioning from public assistance in obtaining child care so they can work, attend training, or go to school. The Child Care Bureau administers the CCDF.

The Child Care Bureau also awards a limited number of Early Learning Opportunities Act (ELOA) grants to communities to support, expand, and better coordinate early learning opportunities for young children.

How Funds May Be Used

The majority of the CCDF funding goes to subsidize child care according to the guidelines set by each State. Typically, these
subsidized child care services are available to eligible families through certificates (vouchers) or contracts with providers. Families may apply for child care vouchers at the local office of the State agency that administers the funds. Parents using the voucher may choose any legally operating child care provider authorized by the State that is willing to participate in the program. A child care provider is defined as one who provides child care in a center, a group home, a family home, the child’s own home, or a relative’s home. In some communities, faith–based organizations are an active part of the child care community and receive CCDF funds through the voucher program, making them a valuable resource for families. Child care providers serving children funded by CCDF must meet basic health and safety requirements set by States, Territories, and tribes. For more information on the child care voucher and faith–based providers, see http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/providers/faithbased.htm.

The Child Care Bureau uses a portion of the funding to provide technical assistance to States, Territories, and tribes
administering the CCDF and to support activities to improve the quality of child care. Some of the CCDF funds are used to support child care policy–related research and evaluation and disseminate findings that document emerging trends in the child care field.
ELOA funds are awarded to Local Councils that are designated as such by an appropriate entity of local government for the purposes of applying for an ELOA grant. Local Councils must be composed of (a) representatives of local agencies that will be directly affected by early learning programs assisted under the ELOA; (b) parents; (c) other individuals concerned with early learning issues in the locality, such as representatives of entities providing elementary education, child care resource and referral services, early learning opportunities, child care, and health services; and (d) other key community leaders. Faith– and
community–based organizations that meet these criteria may be members of Local Councils and eligible to apply for funding.

Sponsoring Bureau
Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Child Care Bureau

Fiscal Year 2005 Appropriation: $2.1 billion
Information on CCDF funding for Fiscal Year 2005 will be available soon. For information on how the funds are used in your
community, contact the CCDF Lead Agency in your State. A contact list is available at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/devfund.html.

For More Information
Information about the Child Care Bureau and CCDF is available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb.

For information about the Child Care Bureau and vouchers, refer to What Congregations Should Know About Federal Funding for Child Care brochure. This brochure was developed by the Child Care Bureau to assist faith–based organizations interested in receiving CCDF funds through the voucher program. It can be accessed at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/providers/faithbased.

Information about ELOA is available at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ccb/policy1/funding/eloa.htm.

National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC): NCCIC answers questions and provides free information resources; offers information on faith– and community–based child care initiatives, funding sources, licensing regulations, and program startup to assist providers; provides information on subsidies, licensing, and resource and referral services; and includes State Profiles with contact information for State Child Care Administrators.

Phone: 800–616–2242
Web site: http://www.nccic.org/

State Child Care Profiles: These profiles include demographic information about the children, families, and child care in
each State, as well as contact information for different State agencies involved in child care. More information is available at
http://nccic.org/statedata/statepro/index.html.

Child Care Aware: Child Care Aware is a nonprofit initiative committed to helping parents find information on child care
and child care resources in their community.

Phone: 800–424–2246
Web site: http://www.childcareaware.org/

Federal Contacts
Moniquin Huggins (CCDF Contact)
Phone: 202–690–8490
E–mail: mhuggins@acf.hhs.gov

Karen Tvedt (ELOA Contact)
Phone: 202–401–5130
E–mail: ktvedt@acf.hhs.gov