Public Comment Period Open for CCDF State Plan
The second public comment period for the FY 2022-2024 Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) State Plan is now open.
Learn More
Every three years, the Administration for Children and Families' Office of Child Care (OCC) requires states to submit a CCDF State Plan that describes how they will administer CCDF dollars in their state’s child care system. This includes all activities in Pennsylvania related to child care licensing, professional development, quality improvement, and subsidized child care.
Available is the revised Plan Preprint, as well as a copy of the Federal Register announcement. The Plan Preprint represents the questions and activities that OCC proposes to hold states and territories accountable for reporting on in their State’s Plan.
OCC has shared the following information for stakeholders to better understand the changes made to the Preprint from the first public comment period:
Comments were received from 24 entities and organizations at the national, state, and local levels. The following highlights and changes were made in response to the comments:
Expanded the instructions and explanations and clarified the purpose of and requirements associated with the statute and regulations.
Revised and refined some questions to make it easier for lead agencies to adequately describe the specific practices implemented. For instance, several revisions were made to assist lead agencies in describing the process they used to complete interstate background checks and to respond to requests for background checks from other states. In addition, new elements were added to the question asking lead agencies to certify the information posted on their consumer education website regarding interstate background checks.
Modified language to align with the CCDBG statute and CCDF Final Rule and other Federal guidance (e.g., the Preamble to the regulations and Program Instructions), added citations when appropriate, and clarified the types of lead agency citations that could be considered.
When appropriate, reminded lead agencies to consider programs serving school-age children in their responses.
In Section 7, added language to assist lead agencies in considering how quality may be defined and supported to acknowledge the unique differences among provider settings, including family child care.
Unless otherwise noted, all question numbers align with the initial version of the Plan Preprint shared for public comment on Sept. 10, 2020.
Public Comment
This second Public Comment Period provides an opportunity for you to submit comments directly to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). A comment is best assured of having its full effect if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication of the Federal Register notice. States, territories, and other interested parties have 30 days to make a formal comment—no later than January 15, 2021.
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent directly to the following:
Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project
Attn: Desk Officer for the Administration for Children and Families
Fax: (202) 395–7285 or
E-mail: OIRA_SUBMISSION@OMB.EOP.GOV
The current deadline for plan submission is June 30, 2021.