Opportunity: CCDF supplemental funds available for school-age programs

Now and over the next year, states are focusing on spending “child care CCDF supplemental funds” that must be obligated by 2023 and liquidated in 2024. State administrative agencies of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF, also known as CCDBG) recently faced three concurrent obligation deadlines for relief funds all on September 30, 2022. The funds granted in the CARES, CRRSA, and a program known as ARP Stabilization funds are now in the hands of programs, parents and partners to be liquidated by next year.

This allows state administrators, advocates for children and youth, and partners in the field to turn more attention on to the one remaining set of child care relief funds, CCDF Supplemental funds, also provided in the American Rescue Plan legislation. An informative presentation put forward by the Office of Child Care (OCC) in June 2021 helps walk through some of the funds and timelines.

CCDF Supplemental Relief Funds are flexible, plentiful and most likely still available

The $15 billion allocation of Child Care Supplemental funds, provided in the American Rescue Plan, creates an enormous opportunity for the field. These are extra funds the state has in addition to their regular CCDF funds. Washington state for example will receive an extra $243 million, Wyoming $18 million, West Virginia $100 million, and Texas $1.7 billion. Take a look at your state’s allocation.

Now is a great time to offer ideas on how to support families with school-age youth

These funds are enormously flexible and intended to support increasing the supply and quality of child care for all CCDF eligible families. The OCC PowerPoint notes these funds can: be used for any allowable use of CCDF funds, are not limited to expenses related to COVID-19, and are strongly recommended to be used to strengthen the child care system. So, for school-age providers, including those who found themselves limited in their ability to access earlier funds, this is the perfect time to let your child care agency know the needs of school-age providers and help suggest ways these funds can be put to good use. You are the best advocate for what your programs and state needs, but here are some ways we have seen school-age programs supported in the past.

Supporting a Cohesive Child Care System:

• Establishing positions at the state agency specific to understanding school-age care
• Ensuring up to date maps of school-age program availability, use and demand
• School-age specific advisory groups or inclusion on child care advisory groups

Securing more access to programs accepting grants and vouchers for families in need:

• School-age licensing regulations that are a good fit for the field (Ex. Oregon)
• Helping school-age programs, such as rural recreational programs, navigate and enter into the state’s subsidy and quality system and providing increased subsidy for programs serving children with special needs (Ex. Maine)

Developing quality systems that enable every professional to have the appropriate training to serve youth as they develop and prepare the state for future work on quality improvement systems

• Allowing school-age specific trainings to be integrated into the required trainings of licensing (Ex. Wisconsin)
• Ensure availability of quality assessment tools and local technical assistance is available across the state for providers (Ex: Utah, Nevada: tool, regional support)
• Ensure trainings include best practices for older youth including areas such as: youth voice, behavior management, navigating screen time, youth belonging, mental health and trauma informed care, and connections with the school day (Ex. Alaska)

Grants specific to school-age providers

• Create grants to school-age providers to help with program stability and quality and ensure slots and access for high need youth (States like MO and UT have school-age grant models, some currently funded through other sources. States without these funds for programs could aim to institute using CCDF funds)
• Some states were able to use earlier relief funds for school-age care and these models can be extended or used as examples for other states (Ex. VT)

School-age children need and deserve access and quality care, maybe more than ever

CCDF funds support children ages 0 to 13, or beyond with special needs. This supplemental relief funding can and should support that full age continuum. 45 percent of those served nationally with CCDF funds are school-aged. If even 10 percent of some of these states supplemental funds supported school-age care, it would expand the availability and quality of these programs for so many families who need them. And with the impacts of COVID-19 on our youth mental health, student’s connectedness and progress within school, and the strains on the workforce, this is a critical time for school-age supports.

Thoughts or questions, tools or examples to share? Reach out to our team.