Federal Child Care Support to Tribal Communities through the Child Care and Development Fund

• In Event: Federal Agency Poster Session

Abstract

Overview of CCDF
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) supports low-income working families by providing access to affordable, high-quality early care and afterschool programs. The Office of Child Care (OCC) administers the CCDF and works with state, territory, and Tribal governments to support children and families struggling to find child care programs that meets their needs.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 reauthorized the CCDF program and introduced changes to strengthen the health, safety, and quality of child care and provide more stable assistance to families. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) subsequently held a series of Tribal consultations regarding new CCDBG requirements and their implications for Tribal CCDF grantees, also called Tribal Lead Agencies, and the children and families they serve. In 2016, ACF released the CCDF Final Rule outlining the requirements based on the CCDBG Act of 2014. This poster will describe the unique ways in which the CCDF program serves Tribal nations.

CCDF and Tribes
OCC awards CCDF program funds to Tribal Lead Agencies to operate programs and provide services to Tribal communities. In 2021, 263 Tribal Lead Agencies operated CCDF programs, representing over 530 federally recognized Tribes. To maximize flexibility for Tribal Lead Agencies to meet the individual needs of their communities, the CCDF rule established three allocation size categories of Tribal Lead Agencies based on their 2016 awards. Allocations are considered large (over one million dollars), medium ($250,000-one million), or small (under $250,000). Tribal Lead Agencies with medium and large allocations are subject to majority of CCDF requirements, while Tribal Lead Agencies receiving small allocations are exempt from specific provisions (e.g., collecting and disseminating aggregate annual data). All Tribal Lead Agencies are subject to health and safety requirements, monitoring, background checks, and quality spending requirements.
As of 2021, the 263 Tribal Lead Agencies funded through CCDF include 155 small, 72 medium, and 36 large funding allocations. While Tribal Lead Agencies span across the U.S., most (68%) are in the West, Pacific Northwest, and the Plains regions. Allocations for annual funding among Tribal Lead Agencies are determined through a triennial submission of a count of potentially eligible children under the age of 13 who meet the Tribal Lead Agency’s definition of Indian Child and who reside in the service area.
Tribes have two additional flexibilities in using their CCDF funds. First, Tribal Lead Agencies can apply to integrate CCDF funds into the Indian Employment, Training and Related Services Demonstration Act of 1992, commonly known as Pub. L. 102-477. The Bureau of Indian Affairs administers this program, which allows Tribes to integrate employment, training, and related services (e.g., rental assistance) into a single program with a single budget. Currently, 46 Tribal Lead Agencies (17%) have consolidated their CCDF program into an approved Pub. L. 102-477 Plan and 217 (83%) are funded directly from ACF. Second, Tribal Lead Agencies can apply to use CCDF funds for construction or major renovation of child care facilities. In FY21, 90 Tribal Lead Agencies (34%) requested funds set aside for construction.

Authors

• Carly R Champagne, United States Administration for Children and Families
  Presenting Author

• Meryl Yoches Barofsky, United States Office of Child Care

• Rachel McKinnon, United States Department of Health and Human Services