Child Care and Development Fund, Report to Congress for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005
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| Table 7a––Child Care and Development Fund National Average (Weighted) Monthly Expenditures by Age Group and Type of Care (FY 2004) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | Child's Home | Family Home | Group Home | Center | Weighted Averages |
| 0 to < 1 yr | $276 | $347 | $449 | $428 | $390 |
| 1 to < 2 yrs | $286 | $364 | $475 | $436 | $405 |
| 2 to < 3 yrs | $285 | $356 | $464 | $423 | $399 |
| 3 to < 4 yrs | $278 | $337 | $443 | $408 | $387 |
| 4 to < 5 yrs | $273 | $334 | $416 | $407 | $385 |
| 5 to < 6 yrs | $272 | $308 | $402 | $364 | $346 |
| 6 to < 13 yrs | $246 | $280 | $348 | $285 | $281 |
| 13+ yrs | $253 | $265 | $425 | $283 | $276 |
| National | $261 | $316 | $413 | $369 | $347 |
| Notes applicable to all tables: | |
| 1. | The source for this table is ACF-801 data for FY 2004. |
| 2. | All counts are "adjusted" numbers of families and children. These "adjusted" numbers represent the number funded through CCDF only. The "adjusted" number is the raw or "unadjusted" number reported by the State multiplied by the pooling factor as reported on the ACF-800. A few States have indicated that the pooling factor reported on the ACF-800 is not applicable to the ACF-801. This report takes all these factors into consideration in calculating the "adjusted" numbers or percentages. |
| 3. | All States provide an actual "unadjusted" count of families served each month. For States reporting full population data, the number of child records reported each month was directly counted. However, for States that only submit samples, the ratio of children-to-families was determined each month from the samples and then multiplied by the reported number of families to obtain an estimate of the "unadjusted" number of children served each month. The "unadjusted" average number of families and children were obtained from the monthly numbers in the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY). (The "unadjusted" numbers are not necessarily the total number of families or children served in a State, because some States only report the number served by CCDF in the ACF-801 and thus report a 100-percent pooling factor but still serve additional children and families with separate State funds.) |
| 4. | For tables that report percentages, national percentages are based on the “adjusted” national counts. In other words, the national percentages are equivalent to a weighted average of the State percentages, where the weights are the “adjusted” number of families or children served as appropriate. A table with a "0-percent" indication often means the value is less than 0.5 percent rather than actually zero. In a few instances, the sum of the categories may not appear to add up to exactly 100 percent because of rounding. |
| 5. | At the time of publication, Guam and Puerto Rico had not yet reported ACF-801 data for FFY 2004. Three other Territories submitted less than 12 months of ACF-801 data; American Samoa submitted 5 months, the Northern Mariana Islands submitted 11 months, and the Virgin Islands submitted 4 months. |
| 6. | Connecticut does not report ACF-801 data on all or nearly all children served by contracted centers. Wisconsin has been reporting some children that are authorized for care but do not receive care. Nebraska has been reporting child records for some children that do not receive a subsidy if other children in the same family are receiving a subsidy. Alaska's reported population does not accurately reflect the population served by CCDF due to sampling difficulties (which the State is trying to resolve). Furthermore, Alaska does not report any children in foster care or families headed by a child. |
| Notes applicable to this table: | |
| 1. | Average cost per month was based on sums of costs per month in categories divided by counts of children in categories as further defined below. |
| 2. | Nationally 2.4 percent of the children were excluded from the above table because either their age was invalid/not reported or one or more setting elements of a child's setting record was invalid or not reported. Wisconsin reports 0 hours (data element 26) with $0 cost (data element 27) for some children authorized or previously authorized for care that do not receive any care which would be considered invalid. |
| 3. | For children served by multiple providers, the child's count is proportioned based on the ratio of the monthly hours with each provider divided by the monthly total hours of service. The average hours and payments for each State-month combination are based on the sum of hours in each category divided by the sum of proportional counts in each category. The State's annual results are determined by calculating a weighted average of the monthly results where the weight was the "adjusted" number of children served in each month. The national results shown above represent a weighted average of the State's fiscal annual results where the weight for each State is the average monthly "adjusted" number of children served in each State for the fiscal year. |
| 4. | The current Technical Bulletin 3 indicates that a payment over $1000 per month is considered above the Out of Range Standard and therefore is considered invalid. However, the market survey data from the highest cost areas of some States shows that the 75th-percentile, full-time child care market rate cost is above $1000 per month. In addition several States have indicated in their ACF-801 notes that they have valid costs over $1000. States that fall in at least one of these categories include: Minnesota, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Wisconsin, California, Washington, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York and Oregon. Nationally approximately 1 percent of the reported cost data in FFY 2005 exceeded $1000 and no State had more than 5 percent exceeding $1,000 (likely somewhat less in FFY 2004). (Note that some of these data percentages with costs over $1,000 were very large and thus clearly invalid.) The Child Care Bureau is currently planning on increasing this Out of Range Standard to $2000 effective October 1, 2006. |