An Examination of a State Level Policy to Support Low Income Children with Disabilities and/or Special Needs to Better Access Publicly Funded Child Care (PFCC)

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Policy, Inclusion and Accessibility for Vulnerable Children

Abstract

As a part of the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which authorizes the Child Care Development Fund program, states must describe a plan for how to make sure these publicly funded child care (PFCC) funds meet both federal and state mandates to support vulnerable populations of children. Beginning in 2014, the federal government named low income children with disabilities and/or special medical needs as a priority population for receipt of PFCC monies via the CCDF. In this paper, describe the results of a descriptive analysis of Ohio’s model for prioritizing this population; through the use of Enhanced Payment Rate (EPR) awards to providers who enroll children with disabilities and apply for EPR monies.

Authors

• Katherine Kresin Delaney, University of Toledo

• Laurie A. Dinnebeil, University of Toledo

• William McInerney, University of Toledo