• Numbers 1 to 999999
• 0 when none served
• - (dash) when data applies but is not available
• NA when data requested does not apply

Guidance: Element 5, Columns (B-L) asks for the average number of hours of care per child per month by category/type of childcare.

One method to calculate the average number of hours of care per child per month by category/type of child care:

1. Calculate the total number of hours of care for month X (for example, January) for each category/type of child care
2. Calculate the total number of children served during month X
3. Divide the total number of hours for each category/type of child care from step 1 by the total number of children from step 2 to get the average number of hours of care provided per child for each category/type of child care for month X
4. Do steps 1 -3 for each month services are provided
5. Add together each of the monthly totals to get a sum for each category/type of child care
6. Divide each category/type of child care sum (from step 5) by the total number of months services are provided during the year (usually 12) to get the average number of hours care provided per child per month for each category/type of child care

Some Tribal Lead Agencies do not pay for (or keep records by) the actual number of hours of service per child. Rather, they reimburse by "full" or "part" days of service (or other increments). Such Tribal Lead Agencies can still calculate the average number of hours of child care per child per month by multiplying the average number of "full" and "part" days by the maximum number of hours of service that these definitions represent.

For example, if a Tribal Lead Agency that defines "part day" as 4 hours per day or fewer, the Tribal Lead Agency would multiply the number of "part days" provided per month by four. "Full days" can be similarly converted.

When data are applicable but not available, provide a footnote in the comment section explaining when the missing data will be submitted. Tribal Lead Agencies should also describe in a footnote how they calculated the average number of hours.