Child Care and Development Fund, Report to Congress for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005
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CHILD CARE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK (CCTAN)
CCB coordinates the work of the TA contractors and grantees through the Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN). During FY 2004 and FY 2005, CCTAN assessed the needs of CCDF grantees, provided strategic direction, shared resources between projects, and coordinated efforts to improve services. Services were provided without charge to States, Territories, Tribes, and the public, with a few limited exceptions.
Afterschool Investments Project
Afterschool Investments (AI) provides TA to CCDF grantees and other State and local leaders supporting out-of-school time efforts. CCDF is one of the largest public funding sources for out-of-school time programs; over a third (36 percent) of CCDF children are ages 6 through 12. Many States devote a significant portion of CCDF quality dollars to enhance and expand school-age programs. The project provides practical tools that help CCDF administrators make strategic decisions about afterschool programming. It also identifies other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF administrators in supporting out-of-school time programs and provides models, strategies, and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors.
FY 2004–FY 2005 Accomplishments
- Produced a comprehensive list of resources on afterschool program development, financing and sustainability, measuring results, collaboration and partnerships, and community mobilization and outreach.
- Promoted coordination between CCDF and other afterschool partners by publishing a new resource on the key components of collaborative governance for afterschool programs including vision, leadership, accountability, participation, communication, and measuring results.
- Published a resource on how to use State child care regulations as a strategy for quality improvements which identifies challenges in applying licensing regulations to afterschool programs and strategies to address those challenges.
- Published a brief, Physical Activity and Nutrition in Afterschool Settings, that outlines the important role afterschool programs can play in efforts to prevent childhood obesity.
Center for the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning
The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning (CSEFEL), run by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, promotes the social and emotional development of children as a means of preventing challenging behaviors in early childhood programs. CSEFEL is jointly funded by the Head Start Bureau and Child Care Bureau and partners with the University of Colorado at Denver; the University of South Florida; the University of Connecticut; Tennessee Voices for Children, Inc.; and Education Development Center, Inc.
FY 2004–FY 2005 Accomplishments
- Developed and disseminated 21 briefs on evidence-based best practices for supporting young children’s social and emotional development to families and professionals working in early care and education.
- Developed a second series of training modules used with over 60,000 early care educators in all 50 States and all 5 U.S. Territories.
- Facilitated strategic planning in 21 States and Territories related to improving children’s social and emotional development through improved child care and Head Start classroom practices.
- Worked with six local demonstration sites to implement evidence-based practices in early childhood settings, such as training for early care providers, developing cohorts of local trainers, creating demonstration classrooms, and developing materials to support families.
- Conducted the first and second annual National Training Institutes focusing on supporting young children’s social and emotional development and preventing challenging behavior in partnership with several high-profile professional early childhood organizations, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Early Childhood.
Child Care Aware
Child Care Aware (CCA) connects families to local child care experts who help them understand what to look for in a child care setting and how to locate child care and other parenting resources. The CCA Web site and toll-free hotline provide easy access to approximately 800 local child care resource and referral agencies (CCR&R) as well as consumer education materials for parents.
FY 2004–FY 2005 Accomplishments
- Launched “Operation Child Care” (OCC) in May 2004, a voluntary program to support National Guard and Reserve military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, by offering a few hours of child care, at no cost, to military member’s home for Rest and Recuperation leave. More than 6,000 child care providers, nationwide, volunteered to provide care; nearly 200 CCR&Rs in 35 States participated; and more than 100 local and State media stories covered OCC.
- Promoted the Child Care Aware Consumer Education Quality Assurance Program, a national, voluntary quality assurance system for community child care resource and referral agencies designed to ensure public access to consistent, high-quality consumer education and referral services. By September 30, 2005, there had been a 132-percent increase in the number of Quality Assured agencies. CCA managed online submission for a 300-member Quality Assurance Listserv, 11 Web-based trainings, and a 4-week distance learning course in consumer education and referral.
- Distributed nearly 750,000 publications to parents on making the transition from child care to kindergarten.
- Hosted over 1.2 million visitors to www.ChildCareAware.org, who received child care information and parenting resources in both English and Spanish.
- Connected over 24,100 families, in English and Spanish, to local CCR&R agencies and provided parent information through a national toll-free information line, reflecting a 150-percent increase over FY 2003 numbers.
Child Care Information Systems Technical Assistance Project
The Child Care Information Systems Technical Assistance Project helps States, Territories, and Tribes collect and submit accurate and timely data about services provided under CCDF. Grantees face many challenges in data collection, management, and reporting, including outdated systems, the use of multiple systems across jurisdictions, and limited communication between information system staff and child care program staff. The project offers a wide range of support, including free software, computer-based training, a toll-free hot line, data review and analysis, and onsite visits to help resolve complex data collection and system problems. In addition, the project analyzes data to paint a picture of child care services, including the number of families served and the characteristics of families and providers participating in CCDF.
FY 2004–FY 2005 Accomplishments
- Provided extensive customized TA to Alaska, Colorado, Montana, New York, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Wyoming, and the Navajo Nation.
- Deployed the new Child Care Bureau Information System (CCBIS) to process and report on CCDF program data and allow ACF Regional staff to view grantee data submissions in support of their monitoring efforts.
- Developed and prepared child care data for Web publication and performed numerous data analyses for the Associate Commissioner on a number of issues.
- Deployed a revised Tribal Child Care Data Tracker with a supporting tutorial to assist the Tribes and Territories in fulfilling reporting requirements.
Healthy Child Care America
Healthy Child Care America (HCCA) is a group of health professionals, child care providers, and families that collaborates to maximize the well-being and school readiness of children in early education and child care programs. CCB sponsors TA for Healthy Child Care America, in partnership with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). MCHB provided grants to States and Territories to coordinate statewide early childhood comprehensive systems (including child care health and safety efforts). Healthy Child Care America, a cooperative agreement among MCHB, CCB, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, increased child care provider and health professional partnerships in all States and Territories. These partnerships and program resources help ensure that children in child care have access to safe physical environments and quality medical, dental, and preventive health services, including immunization screening.
FY 2004–FY 2005 Accomplishments
- Coordinated a national training for over 65 pediatricians, 42 nurses and allied health professionals, and 44 child care professionals, resulting in a mentorship network to support followup activities.
- Hosted more than 48,000 families, child care providers, and health care professionals on www.healthychildcare.org, which provides professional development resources for child care professionals and highlights models and strategies for promoting healthy and safe child care environments.
- Developed a network of more than 800 pediatricians and public health/child care professionals who provide health consultation to child care providers, offer classes to parents and providers, and teach pediatric residents and others about the links between quality child care, child health, and school readiness.
- Initiated a Back to Sleep Campaign and developed a resource kit to help pediatricians and others promote the Back to Sleep message in child care programs, raise awareness and change practices in family and center-based child care programs.
- Developed an online learning system that offers continuing education and credits to health professionals; a manual for pediatricians, caregivers, and parents on how to decide whether to exclude a sick child from participation in a child care or school program; three brochures on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; and a brief highlighting the establishment of child care health consultant networks and linking families to medical homes.
National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center
The National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) serves as the Nation’s one-stop clearinghouse on child care. TA is provided to States regularly through telephone consultation, research on innovative practices, audioconferences, and onsite consultation. The project produces publications for States and Territories on administrative issues such as CCDF subsidy administration, licensing regulations, quality rating systems, professional development, accountability, and partnering with State early childhood programs. The NCCIC Online Library, the largest online collection of child care and early childhood education resources, includes more than 9,000 resources to support informed decision-making by State leaders and others. Collins Management Consulting, Inc., served as the contractor for this project.
FY 2004–FY 2005 Accomplishments
- Responded to more than 700 TA requests and over 6,700 information requests from State, Tribal, and Territorial grantees, other State and Federal agencies, and national organizations.
- Assisted with the design, facilitation, and followup to the second Good Start, Grow Smart Roundtable, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education and Head Start program.
- Designed a third round of Good Start, Grow Smart training modules focusing on early learning guidelines, professional development, program coordination and financing, and assessment and evaluation that were delivered at State and regional meetings and conferences.
- Researched and compiled information for State decision-makers on key topics including subsidy administration, quality rating systems, funding, professional development of early childhood educators, regulations/standards, literacy, program assessment and evaluation, and partnerships.
- Helped States plan improvements in their early care and education systems and supported them in developing or furthering their work on professional development and accountability systems linked to the State early learning guidelines.
National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative
The National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative (NITCCI) works collaboratively with CCDF administrators and other partners to promote initiatives that improve the quality and supply of infant and toddler child care. The project developed a unique strategic planning process for States and Territories to map current efforts, prioritize areas of need, and create an action plan. NITCCI provided onsite consultation to 20 States and Territories.
FY 2004–FY 2005 Accomplishments
- Conducted over 40 site visits to 20 States and Territories to provide leadership on developing strategic plans to improve the quality of infant/toddler child care systems. This technical assistance resulted in various State accomplishments, including improved State licensing standards for infant/toddler child care, the development of early learning guidelines, the creation of an infant/toddler caregiver credential, and the implementation of an infant/toddler specialist network.
- Sponsored a national forum on ways to build early care and education systems that meet the needs of children under the age of 3.
- Developed and distributed technical assistance materials on many topics, including infant/toddler specialist networks, early learning guidelines for infants and toddlers, and professional development.
- Conducted two audioconference calls for an audience of over 550 participants on infant and toddler specialist networks and foundations of early learning.
Tribal Child Care Technical Assistance Center
The Tribal Child Care Technical Assistance Center (TriTAC) provides targeted TA to Tribal grantees that encompass approximately 500 Indian Tribes. TriTAC builds capacity in Tribal child care programs by linking Tribes to share information and innovations. The project facilitates peer-to-peer learning and provides specialized training in program administration and quality improvement in Tribal programs. It operates a toll-free information and referral line to respond to grantees’ TA inquiries and also maintains TA resources on the project’s Web site.
FY 2004–FY 2005 Accomplishments
- Hosted two national conferences and numerous training sessions on collaboration and coordination in support of the President’s Good Start, Grow Smart initiative; enhancing the physical, social, and emotional health of children in Tribal child care; program administration and accountability; and effective case management systems.
- Conducted four training sessions for new and experienced administrators to provide an overview of the CCDF program requirements.
- Produced training materials on Good Start, Grow Smart; Tribal TANF and CCDF financial management and accountability; health and safety standards; and Tribal-State coordination.