FY99 CCDF Funding |
| Index: "Dear Colleague" Letter | ACYF-PI-CC-98-02 | Guidance | Plan Preprint Pages | FY99 Tribal Estimates | FY98 Discretionary Funds | ACF RAs | (Collection available in Word and PDF) |
| Related Items: FY 1999 Procedures for 102-477 Grantees |
"Dear Colleague" Letter |
Enclosed are two Program Instructions that contain application procedures for fiscal year 1999 Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) moneys:
- ACYF-PI-CC-98-02 contains the procedures that apply to most Tribes, whether they are current grantees or new applicants.
- ACYF-PI-CC-98-03 contains the procedures for Tribes who choose to consolidate the CCDF program with other employment and training funding sources under an approved P.L. 102-477 plan.
FY 1998 Discretionary Funds for Resource and Referral and School-Age Care
While the attached Program Instructions contain application procedures for FY 1999 funds, I am also writing to inform you that a small amount of additional FY 1998 Discretionary Funds is available and that Congress created an earmark for FY 1998 Discretionary Funds at the time it appropriated the additional funds.
The fiscal year 1998 appropriation law for the Department of Health and Human Services (P.L. 105-78) stipulated that a portion of the total FY 1998 Discretionary Funds be used for planning, establishing, operating, expanding, developing, and improving child care resource and referral activities and child care services for school-age children.
School-age child care is a critical service for working parents. A safe and productive environment before and after school is important for both the peace of mind of working parents and the well-being of their children. Resource and referral is also a key support, since it is often a vital link for all working families who seek appropriate child care, providing critical consumer education to parents and outreach to the child care community.
Of the $18.59 million earmarked for child care resource and referral activities and school-age care, $371,754 (two percent of the total amount) has been specifically designated as the earmark for tribal grantees. This earmark for resource and referral and school-age children applies to Tribes that are eligible for CCDF Discretionary Funds in FY 1998.
As discussed more fully in the following paragraph, the tribal portion of the additional FY 1998 Discretionary Funds will help provide funding for these new earmarked activities (resource and referral and school-age care). Enclosed are estimated allocations which are based on a grant amount of $500, plus a per child amount. The $500 amount was established to ensure that smaller grantees have a minimum amount of funding to carry out resource and referral and school-age child care activities (and should not be treated as a part of the regular "base amount" included in the Discretionary Funds). We will issue these grants using the Indian child counts that were used in issuing the FY 1998 CCDF funds.
On the enclosed chart, there are three columns. The first column contains the names of the Tribes and tribal organizations. The second column estimates the amount of funds that each Tribal Lead Agency will actually receive from the additional funds available at this time. The third column shows the amount that Congress earmarked (i.e., required) to be spent for resource and referral activities and school-age care. The amount of these additional funds is less than the amount Congress earmarked to be spent for the resource and referral activities and school-age care. The earmarked amounts, however, apply against the total of the Discretionary Fund, not just the additionally appropriated amount. Therefore, it may be necessary to reassess the funding of current activities in order to meet the required level of spending for resource and referral activities and school-age care.
To receive these additional funds, a tribal Lead Agency must include the following sentence in a cover letter transmitting the FY 1999 application materials (described in the enclosed Program Instructions) that are due no later than July 1, 1998:
"We request our full allotment of FY 1998 resource and referral/school-age care Discretionary Funds."
By making this request, the Lead Agency agrees to use the funds to support resource and referral activities (including consumer education) and child care services for school-age children. In addition, the Lead Agency agrees that these funds will supplement, not supplant, funds that are currently being used for these purposes.
We expect to award these additional funds in the last quarter of FY 1998. Tribal Lead Agencies must obligate these additional FY 1998 funds by September 30, 1999 and liquidate all funds by September 30, 2000.
FY 1998 Discretionary Funds for Infants and Toddlers
In the 1998 appropriation law, Congress also created an earmark for States and Territories of $50 million for activities to increase the supply of quality child care for infant and toddlers. While the statute does not apply the infant and toddler earmark to Tribes, we encourage Tribal Lead Agencies to use a portion of their already received FY 1998 Discretionary Funds to increase the supply of quality child care for infants and toddlers.
Construction and Renovation Deadline
If you plan to submit an application to use FY 1998 CCDF funds for construction or renovation, your ACF Regional Office must receive your construction/renovation application prior to July 1, 1998. Please see Program Instructions ACYF-PI-CC-97-05 (issued August 18, 1997) and ACYF-PI-CC-97-06 (issued November 4, 1997) regarding construction and renovation procedures.
Sincerely,
Carmen R. Nazario
Associate Commissioner ,
ACYF Child Care Bureau
| Index: "Dear Colleague" Letter | ACYF-PI-CC-98-02 | Guidance | Plan Preprint Pages | FY99 Tribal Estimates | FY98 Discretionary Funds | ACF RAs | (Collection available in Word and PDF) |
| Related Items: ACYF-PI-CC-98-03 (archived) |