Child Care Advisory Council Meeting
September 21, 2022
Virtual Meeting Etiquette
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- There will be time for comments from the
public at the end of the meeting.
Agenda
1:00 - 2:30 pm: Full Council
- Welcome and Introductions
- IDHS Updates
- CCDF/OCC Compliance Status
- Status of Recommendations
- Ad Hoc Committee: Child Care Contracts
Break: 2:30-2:45 pm
- 2:45 - 3:40 pm Committees
- 3:40 - 3:55 pm Regroup and Discussion
- 3:55 - 4:00 pm Public Comment
WELCOME!
- If you are a Council member, please introduce yourself by typing the following into the chat:
- Name
- Role
- Organization
- Location
CCDF Compliance Status Update
IDHS has made significant progress on coming into compliance with CCAP issues
CCDF Non-Compliance
CCAP does not approve all cases for 12- month eligibility periods.
What does compliance look like?
- Children turning 13 first month of approval.
- Cases starting later than first day of month.
- Protective Services cases.
- Graduated phase out, grace periods…
Status
Completed 5/22 Completed 5/22 Completed 7/1 Completed 5/22
CCDF Non-Compliance
The Lead Agency places a 90-day limitation on the temporary changes defined by CCDF regulations.
What does compliance look like?
* No CCAP interruption to eligibility period due to temporary loss of
activity for any reason.
* 90-day grace period for non-temporary loss of activity.
Status
Completed 5/1
CCDF Non-Compliance
Lead Agency did not consult with the State health agency in the establishment of the grace period for families experiencing homelessness.
What does compliance look like?
- We will consult with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to ensure our current 90-day grace period is aligned with public health best practice and recommendations related to supports for families experiencing homelessness.
- Any changes to the length of the grace period will be shared with IDCFS for inclusion in licensing standards and updated in CCAP policy and forms.
Status
In Progress
CCDF Non-Compliance
Lead agency does not have procedures to pay registration fees for CCAP children.
What does compliance look like?
* CCAP would pay providers who charge private pay families a registration fee a one-time or annual registration fee through the current payment system.
Status
In Progress
IDHS is making significant progress on coming into compliance with Disaster and Emergency Preparedness issues
CCDF Non-Compliance
The Statewide Disaster Plan, or other regulatory language for providers, does not include the required emergency preparedness and response plan components for all CCDF provider types.
What does compliance look like?
* The Statewide Disaster Plan will be revised to include all
missing elements.
* DCFS licensing regulations will be revised with all missing elements.
Status
Task Force Revising with TA
CCDF Non-Compliance
The Lead Agency does not have standards in place for all required Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning components.
What does compliance look like?
* The Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, monitoring tools and CCAP policies and procedures will be revised to include all missing elements.
Status
Task Force Revising with TA
IDHS has made significant progress on coming into compliance with monitoring and reporting issues
CCDF Non-Compliance
The Lead Agency does not post full monitoring and inspection reports for CCDF-eligible provider types.
What does compliance look like?
* Either full reports of each review, or a list of exceptions along with a complete list of reviewed items, will be posted for all licensed and license-exempt inspections.
Status
TA Requested
CCDF Non-Compliance
A single checklist for all licensing inspections that includes all required pre-service/orientation trainings, all required subcomponents related to all required health and safety standards, and emergency preparedness and response planning is not being used.
What does compliance look like?
* Integration and alignment of checklists to ensure that all federal requirements are included in all checklists.
Status
Under Discussion
CCDF Non-Compliance
The license-exempt inspection checklist does not address all the required Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning subcomponents, group size limits, all orientation training topics or all of the required Emergency Preparedness and Response Planning subcomponents.
What does compliance look like?
* license-exempt inspection checklist and related policies and procedures will be update to include all subcomponents.
Status
Revisions Underway
CCDF Non-Compliance
Illinois is not posting annual aggregate data for License- Exempt Day Care Centers or License-Exempt Day Care Homes.
What does compliance look like?
* Aggregate data on serious injuries and death that occurred in an exempt home will be listed on IDCFS Gateways and/or Illinois Care for Kids website and included in all reported data.
Status
Under Discussion
IDHS has made significant progress on coming into compliance with monitoring and reporting issues
CCDF Non-Compliance
The Lead Agency does not have group size limits for License-Exempt Centers and License-Exempt Homes.
What does compliance look like?
- CCAP policy on provider qualifications will be revised to include a maximum group size for exempt providers.
- Factors such as ages of children, size of space and number of staff should be considered.
Status
TA Requested
CCDF Non-Compliance
The Lead Agency does not have child:staff ratio requirements for License-Exempt centers or License- Exempt homes.
What does compliance look like?
* CCAP policy on provider qualifications will be revised to
add child to staff ratios at exempt centers.
- Factors such as ages of children, size of space and number of staff should be considered.
- Fire standards and DCFS licensing capacities determination methods will also be reviewed to determine an appropriate method to set a ratio.
Status
TA Requested
IDHS has made significant progress on coming into compliance with health and safety training requirements
CCDF Non-Compliance
Orientation trainings requirements for licensed providers do not have 90-day compliance language.
What does compliance look like?
* DCFS licensing regs would add 90-day compliance for all health and safety training requirements for centers, homes and group homes.
Status
Under Discussion
CCDF Non-Compliance
The Lead Agency does not have requirements in place that include prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, and child maltreatment for License-Exempt provider types.
What does compliance look like?
* DHS expanded provider orientation training requirements to include these topics within the H&S Basics training and ECE level 1, tier 1 credentials.
Status
Completed 7/1/22
CCDF Non-Compliance
All licensed and exempt center staff must complete all orientation trainings, including CPR/FA.
What does compliance look like?
* Orientation training requirements now require all staff, not 1 director and 50% of staff.
Status
Completed 7/1/22
CCAC
Recommendations Received to Date: Status Update
IDHS has implemented several CCAC recommendations received to date
CCAC Recommendations Sent to IDHS
Increase entrance from 200% FPL to 225% FPL; increase exit at redetermination from 250% FPL to 275% FPL.
* Implemented 7/22
Ensure all cases are approved for 12 months.
* Implemented 5/22
Lower copays to $1 for families with parent/guardian working in child care who currently qualify for CCAP.
* Implemented 7/22
Eliminate copays for families experiencing homelessness.
* Implemented 7/22
Continue Initial Activity Search for another year, through SFY23.
* Extended through 12/31/22
Allow self-employed parents working from home to be eligible for CCAP
* Under Review
When determining income for CCAP eligibility, only earned income should be included. All other income including, but not limited to, any other public benefits will not be considered income for the CCAP program.
* Under Review
Single parent/guardian can be approved for CCAP eligibility for physical or mental disability and participation in a substance use disorder treatment program following the current two parent policy on this topic
* Under Review
IDHS has implemented several CCAC recommendations received to date
CCAC Recommendations Sent to IDHS
Continue 12-month eligibility regardless of ANY loss of eligible employment or education activity
* Under Review
All CCAP families that are income and service eligible are eligible for up to five days per week of care regardless of the hours in activity.
* Under Review
At parents' request, decouple approved child care schedule and parent activity schedule and approve cases for full-time care or additional hours beyond parent activity schedule
* Under Review
Decouple CCAP reimbursement rate and private tuition rate
* Under Review
Copayment for parents/guardians returning to work after 30 or more days out of employment be assessed at $1 for the three months of the eligibility period after the parent returns to work.
* Under Review
Revise add-on or other payments for providers caring for children with documented disabilities to allow certificate providers as well as Site Administered providers
* Under Review
Following CCAP families be recognized as priority populations and therefore receive waived copayments, enhanced referrals provided by the CCR&Rs, 12-month eligibility, and an enhanced pay rate of 20% add-on to access higher quality child care: Families with a child who has a demonstrated documented disability; Families experiencing homelessness.
* Under Review
CCR&R CCAP Committee Recommendations Received to Date:
Status Update
IDHS has implemented some CCR&R CCAP Committee recommendations received to date
CCR&R CCAP Committee Recommendations Sent to IDHS
Expand eligibility to parents/guardians attending online school from home.
* Implemented 7/22
Expand protective services ("universal") eligibility to families with a parent deployed for active military duty.
* Implemented 7/22
Allow CCAP eligibility staff to use the Department of Employment Security database (AWVS) to calculate parent income when a parent's pay stubs are missing or outdated. This recommendation only applies when the job reported on the parent's eligibility document matches the job reported in AWVS .
Under Review
- Revise existing CCAP employment policy language, "An applicant must submit the two most recent and consecutive pay stubs…to verify earnings. The two most recent and consecutive pay stubs are the only acceptable documentation if a client has been employed long enough to receive two or more pay stubs." to "to, "A client must submit two pay stubs that are 45 or fewer days old to verify earnings. Applicants who are paid once per month must submit two pay stubs that are 90 or fewer days old to verify earnings."
- Under Review
If a parent requests care at a licensed child care home or center and is engaged in 25 or more hours of activity per week, the family is eligible for five full days per week of child care for non-school aged children.
* Under Review
Allow CCAP eligibility for all applications to backdated up to one week from the application's received date.
* Under Review
PDAC
Recommendations Received to Date: Status Update
IDHS has implemented one related PDAC recommendation received to date
PDAC Recommendation Sent to IDHS
The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) provides up to (4) paid professional development days per fiscal year for Licensed and License-Exempt programs serving CCAP children.
A full 8-hour work day, with 6 hours of professional development and planning of which 3 hours must be Registry approved and the balance to be provider determined training content.
80% (4 out of 5) of staff must attend.
All Registry and provider determined training is required to be recorded in the Gateways Registry for auditing purposes.
* Under Review
Child Care Contracts Ad Hoc Committee
Today's child care system has pervasive challenges
Affordability of Child Care
Child Care workforce crisis
Scarcity of high-quality care
Looming federal relief funding cliff
Priority investments can address system-wide challenges and achieve goals
Affordability of Child Care ------ Ensure affordability for families by not passing on increasing costs
Child Care workforce crisis ------ Stabilize industry through sustained wage increases
Scarcity of high-quality care-----Provide funding for quality improvement
Looming federal relief funding cliff-----Provide stable, simple and accountable funding
Child care contracts could build on a history of innovative funding
Child Care Contracts Ad Hoc Committee
IDHS is exploring the opportunity establish contract-based funding for child care operations to improve the supply and quality of child care and to support staff compensation.
Membership: A diverse set of early childhood providers and key stakeholders with insight for planning and implementation.
- Child Care Advisory Council members
- Early Learning Council members
- Other identified members
Charge: Provide input and feedback throughout IDHS's development of a proposal for child care contracts.
- Build understanding and alignment on strategic intent and goals
- Provide input and feedback throughout the design process
- Review and pressure-test relevant cost analyses
- Review and pressure-test potential policy options
- Review and pressure-test administrative options
- Surface risks and opportunities
- Support overall plan development and champion it among stakeholder groups.
Timeline: The Ad Hoc Advisory Group is proposed to run from October 2022 through July 2023.
PDG B-5 Planning Grant and Child Care Contracts
Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5) Planning Grant. Illinois is eligible for and applying for a one- year planning grant from the federal government, due November 7, 2022.
PDG B-5 Planning Grant priorities are workforce, family/community engagement, and building upon the state's strategic
plan and needs assessment.
The Governor's Office has assembled a multi-agency team and brought in the Center for Early Learning Funding Equity at
NIU (CELFE), formerly known as the Early Childhood Transformation Team, to manage and write Illinois' application.
The Governor's Office has convened a special ELC Executive and Full Committee as an opportunity to engage stakeholders
and solicit ideas, input, and feedback as the application is being developed.
As we move forward in exploring contracts as a more stable, equitable financing strategy to address both quality improvement and workforce stability, we will look for opportunities to use this work to guide the direction of the PDG as appropriate.
- https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd/early-learning/preschool-development-grants
- https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=341428
Next Steps
What questions do you have?
If you are interested in joining the ad hoc committee, please email Marcia Monroe-Strauther at Marcia.Monroe- Strauther@Illinois.gov
Collaboration with CCAC, ELC and PDAC
Break 2:30 - 2:45
You will be placed into your committee after break
Committees
Regroup and Discussion
Public Comment
Thank you!
Next meetings:
- November 15, 2022 from 1:00-4:00 pm
- January 25, 2023 from 1:00-4:00 pm
