TO

Tribal Lead Agencies administering child care programs under the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 1990 as amended, and other interested parties.

REFERENCES

The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 as amended (CCDBG Act); section 418 of the Social Security Act; 45 CFR 98 and 99; The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-401).

PURPOSE

To convey the final FY 2004 tribal allotments and earmarks for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

BACKGROUND      

Allocations. The FY 2004 Final CCDF Tribal Allocation is 96,086,196. This amount reflects a 0.59% across-the-board rescission that applies for domestic federal programs subject to annual appropriation. Attachment A shows the total Tribal CCDF allocation and earmark requirement for FY 2004.

• The first column gives the names of Tribes and tribal organizations.
• The second column lists the FY 2004 Tribal Mandatory allocations.
• The third column lists the FY 2004 Discretionary base amount.
• The fourth column shows the FY 2004 Discretionary per child amount.
• The fifth column (labeled "Discretionary Before Earmark") lists the total amount of FY 2004 Discretionary allocations (which equals the base amount plus the per child amount).
• The sixth column (labeled “Discretionary Earmark”) is the amount of FY 2004 Discretionary Funds that must be spent on resource and referral activities and school-age care.
• The seventh column (labeled “Discretionary After Earmark”) is the amount of Discretionary Funds remaining after the earmark that can be spent on any allowable CCDF activities (assuming quality expenditure, administrative cost, and other Federal requirements are met).
• The last column shows the total amount of FY 2004 CCDF funds.

For your information, the FY 2004 "per child" amounts are:

• $102 for Tribal Mandatory Funds; and
• $60 for Discretionary Funds (not including the base amount).

Earmark. Of the total amount of FY 2004 Discretionary Funds awarded, the appropriations law for the Department of Health and Human Services (P.L. 108-401) stipulated that a portion be used (or earmarked) for child care resource and referral and school-aged child care activities. 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 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. The FY 2004 Discretionary Funds earmark for resource and referral activities and school-age care is based on a $500 amount per Tribe plus a per child amount.

Exempt vs. Non-exempt: A Tribal Lead Agency with a CCDF allocation less than $500,000 in a fiscal year is considered exempt from certain requirements specified at 45 CFR 98.83(f). A Tribal Lead Agency with a CCDF allocation equal to or greater than $500,000 is non-exempt. More specifically, non-exempt Tribal Lead Agencies must comply with the four percent minimum quality expenditure requirement and operate a certificate program. If newly non-exempt Tribes need technical assistance regarding these requirements, contact the appropriate ACF Regional Office (Attachment B).

Obligation and Liquidation Periods. For FY 2004 Tribal Mandatory and Discretionary CCDF Funds (other than funds approved for construction/renovation), Tribal Lead Agencies must obligate all funds by September 30, 2005 and liquidate all funds by September 30, 2006. FY 2004 CCDF funds approved for construction/ renovation must be liquidated by September 30, 2006 -- with no separate obligation deadline.

A copy of this Information Memorandum is also available on the Child Care Bureau’s website at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/policy1/current/tribalallocations2004/final2004allocations.htm.

QUESTIONS

Please direct all inquiries to the appropriate ACF Regional Administrator (see Attachment B).

Joan E. Ohl
Commissioner
Administration on Children, Youth and Families

ATTACHMENTS
FY 2004 Final CCDF Tribal Allocation Chart
ACF Regional Administrators List