Strengthening Children, Youth and Families

Resources & Publications: Child Care Subsidies

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Feb 08, 2013 | Child Care and Early Education Early Childhood Education Update - February 2013 CLASP's Early Childhood Education Update is a monthly roundup of news, legislative developments, research, and other developments of interest to the early care and education community. Read Online
Jan 23, 2013 After the Fiscal Cliff, What's Next for Early Childhood? CLASP's Hannah Matthews, NWLC's Helen Blank, and NAEYC's Adele Robinson discuss the many uncertainties that early childhood programs face as we move toward the next round of fiscal negotiations. Read Online | Download PDF
Dec 19, 2012 | CLASP and ZERO TO THREE Expanding Access to EHS: Illinois Child Care Initiative The Illinois Child Care Collaboration Program promotes collaboration between child care and other early care and education providers, including Early Head Start (EHS), by creating policies to ease blending of funds to extend the day or year of existing services. While no funding is provided through the initiative, participating programs may take advantage of several child care rule exceptions that make it easier to access child care subsidy dollars to extend the day/year of EHS services. Download PDF
Dec 19, 2012 | CLASP and ZERO TO THREE Expanding Access to EHS: Kansas Initiative Kansas Early Head Start (KEHS) provides comprehensive services following federal Head Start Program Performance Standards for pregnant women and eligible families with children from birth to age 4. KEHS was implemented in 1998 using Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) quality set-aside dollars augmented by a transfer of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. The initiative was designed to improve the availability and quality of child care for infants and toddlers in Kansas. Download PDF
Dec 19, 2012 | CLASP and ZERO TO THREE Expanding Access to EHS: Minnesota Initiative Minnesota provides supplemental state funding to existing federal Head Start and Early Head Start (EHS) grantees to increase their capacity to serve additional infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. The initiative was started in 1997 when the state legislature earmarked $1 million of the general state Head Start supplemental funds for children birth to age 3. Download PDF
Dec 19, 2012 | CLASP and ZERO TO THREE Expanding Access to EHS: Missouri Initiative Missouri's Early Head Start/Child Care Partnership Project expands access to Early Head Start (EHS) services for children birth to age 3 by developing partnerships between federal Head Start, EHS contractors, and child care providers. Head Start and EHS contractors that participate in the initiative provide services through community child care providers to both increase the number of children receiving EHS services and improve the overall quality of care. Download PDF
Dec 19, 2012 | CLASP and ZERO TO THREE Expanding Access to EHS: Nebraska Initiative Since 1999, Nebraska's Early Head Start Infant/Toddler Quality Initiative has supported Early Head Start (EHS) and community child care partnerships to improve the quality and professionalism of infant and toddler care. EHS programs apply to receive funding to establish partnerships with center-based or home-based child care. Download PDF
Nov 13, 2012 | Christine Johnson-Staub Planning Funding Partnerships: A Worksheet to Help States Get Started in Putting it Together The following worksheet comes from CLASP's "Putting It Together: A Guide to Financing Comprehensive Services in Child Care and Early Education." States and communities embarking on financing partnerships to expand access to comprehensive services can use this worksheet to begin mapping the need, available resources, and potential partnering strategies that will help them move forward. This document may be downloaded, edited, and saved. Download PDF
Nov 01, 2012 | Hannah Matthews Comments on the Child Care and Development Fund Plan for States/Territories for FFY 2014-2015 CLASP comments on the revisions made to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Preprint in FFY 2012-2013 as well as makes suggestions on how to improve the FFY 2014-2015 Preprint. Download PDF
Oct 31, 2012 | Emily Firgens and Hannah Matthews State Child Care Policies for Limited English Proficient Families The most recent set of CCDBG state plans for FFY 2012-2013 offer insight into how states' activities and policies are targeted toward LEP and immigrant families, children, and providers. We provide in this paper summaries of state responses to questions about engaging with LEP families and providers and better serving them through state child care assistance programs. Download PDF
Sep 25, 2012 Audio Conference: Federal Budget Roadmap - Where We're Going and What We Need to Do CLASP's Hannah Matthews alongside representatives from National Women's Law Center (NWLC) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) discuss the latest on federal developments that will impact child care and early education programs and funding. Read Online | Download PDF | Additional PDF
Sep 13, 2012 | Stephanie Schmit and Jamie Colvard Expanding Access to Early Head Start: State Initiatives for Infants and Toddlers at Risk All babies need good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences to foster their healthy intellectual, social, and emotional development. Unfortunately, far too few young children receive the supports they need to build a strong foundation for future growth. The federal Early Head Start (EHS) program was created in 1994 to address the comprehensive needs of children under age 3 in low-income families and vulnerable low-income pregnant women. Research shows that EHS positively impacts children's cognitive, language, and social-emotional development; family self-sufficiency; and parental support of child development. This report highlights how states are using innovative funding, policies, and partnerships, to expand the critically important EHS program and better meet the needs of more low-income children and pregnant women living in their state. Read Online | Download PDF
Sep 07, 2012 | Hannah Matthews At Risk: Early Care and Education Funding and Sequestration Sequestration was created in August 2011 as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, which ended that year's showdown over raising the federal debt ceiling. Because Congress failed to come up with a deficit reduction plan, the Budget Control Act calls for $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts over the next decade, divided equally between defense and "non-defense discretionary" programs. This fact sheet explains how these cuts will impact federal early care and education funding and what can be done to prevent them. Read Online | Download PDF
Aug 14, 2012 | Christine Johnson-Staub Putting it Together: A Guide to Financing Comprehensive Services in Child Care and Early Education This guide provides state policymakers and advocates with strategies to maximize resources and make policy changes that drive funds, resources, and community partners to child care and early education programs to benefit young children and families. Separate from blending and braiding funding streams at the local or program level, the strategies described in this guide focus on state policy decisions that can facilitate the innovative use of funds, encourage partnerships at the state and local level, and replicate promising models from other states. Read Online | Download PDF
Aug 01, 2012 | Hannah Matthews Testimony for the Record on CCDBG Reauthorization: Helping to Meet the Child Care Needs of American Families CLASP submitted testimony for the record after the July 26th hearing on CCDBG reauthorization held by the subcommittee on Children and Families of the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Download PDF
Jul 25, 2012 How State and Local Advocates Stopped Cutbacks and Achieved Successes CLASP's Hannah Matthews and NWLC's Helen Blank talk with state advocates from California, Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey, and New York about how they stopped child care cuts in their states and achieved successes in this challenging fiscal climate. Read Online | Download Audio
May 02, 2012 | Hannah Matthews and Stephanie Schmit Finding and Using Data to Advocate Effectively for Children and Families This presentation, given at the 2012 National Smart Start Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina, provides a range of data to use to make the case for investing in young children and their families. Download PDF
Apr 16, 2012 | Child Care and Early Education U.S. Child Care Assistance Profile 2010 This fact sheet presents state reported information on child care spending through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds used for child care. Download PDF
Apr 05, 2012 | Hannah Matthews and Emily Firgens Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2010 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2010. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.7 million children. While 27 states increased the number of children served, 22 states served fewer children in 2010 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families receive assistance. Download PDF
Apr 05, 2012 | Hannah Matthews and Emily Firgens Infants and Toddlers in CCDBG: 2010 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of infants and toddlers in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2010. Less than a third of children served in CCDBG are under the age of 3, but the share of children receiving CCDBG who are infants and toddlers varies from state to state. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG and other information on the participation of infants and toddlers in the program. Download PDF
Apr 05, 2012 | Hannah Matthews and Emily Firgens School-Age Children in CCDBG: 2010 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of school-age children in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2010. About a third of children served in CCDBG are between ages 6 and 13. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG and other information on the participation of school-age children in the program. Download PDF
Feb 23, 2012 Post-Budget Update: What to Expect for Early Childhood in 2012 Audio Conference CLASP's Hannah Matthews along with experts from National Women's Law Center (NWLC) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) discuss the President's FY 2013 budget proposal and the appropriations process for early childhood programs in 2012. Read Online | Download Audio | Download Additional
Feb 14, 2012 | Christine Johnson-Staub and Stephanie Schmit MCH and Early Childhood Settings: Reaching Children Where They Are to Provide Comprehensive Services This presentation, given at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Program's 2012 Annual Conference in Washington, DC looks at opportunities and strategies for using federal funding streams, including Maternal and Child Health funding, to support the availability of comprehensive services for young children in child care and early education settings. Download PDF
Feb 09, 2012 | Christine Johnson-Staub Promote Access to Early, Regular and Comprehensive Screening Very young children develop in the context of their physical and mental health and the capacity of their families and other caregivers to address the full range of early childhood development. All babies and toddlers in child care need parents, providers, and caregivers supported by and linked to community resources. To support this goal, CLASP recommends that early, regular and comprehensive health, mental health, and developmental screenings and related services are made available at recommended ages for vulnerable infants and toddlers through connections with all infant and toddler providers and caregivers. This document presents research supporting the recommendation to promote access to early, regular, and comprehensive screening. Read Online | Download PDF
Jan 18, 2012 | Child Care and Early Education A Tool Using Data to Inform a State Early Childhood Agenda This tool is intended for state advocates and policymakers to use as they work to develop a state early childhood agenda. It includes a series of key questions to understand the context and conditions of young children, birth to six, in the state. Where possible, we also include infant/toddler specific questions. Questions include data on demographics and program participation (such as health and nutrition programs), as well as the details of child care and early education settings in the state. Users can download and save a copy of this tool, fill in their state’s data, and compare to national data points (which are provided where appropriate). Read Online | Download File
Dec 20, 2011 Early Childhood Updates: Funding and Reauthorization Prospects Audio Conference CLASP's Hannah Matthews alongside representatives from National Women's Law Center (NWLC), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the First Five Years Fund discuss funding for early childhood programs in 2012-2013 as well as reauthorization of CCDBG and ESEA. Read Online | Download Audio | Additional PDF
Dec 01, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Massachusetts: Family Child Care System Contracts Family child care (FCC) is a common type of child care for children under the age of three. The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) contracts with FCC systems to ensure a stable level of access to high-quality family child care throughout the state. Any FCC system in Massachusetts that agrees to provide EEC subsidized early education and care services through its affiliated providers must hold a contract with EEC. FCC systems are significant sources of assistance and support for FCC providers in the state, particularly for those who serve subsidized children. In 2009, more than a quarter (28 percent) of subsidized children in Massachusetts were infants and toddlers, and more than a quarter of subsidized children (28 percent) were cared for in family child care or group child care homes. Read Online
Nov 17, 2011 | Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Caring for Babies: How State Child Care Policies Can Support Continuity Quality, stable child care arrangements support the healthy development of infants and toddlers. This presentation from the 2011 NAEYC Annual Conference in Orlando, FL describes how state subsidy policies can support retention of child care subsidies and continuous care for infants and toddlers. Download PDF
Nov 17, 2011 | Hannah Matthews Integrating Systems: Improving Access to Better Serve Families Families seeking assistance often face multiple, complex needs and that require the services of more than one program. Integrated service systems help to provide a more family-centered, seamless service delivery system, a system that offers a broad continuum of services and tailors these services to the strengths and needs of individual families. This presentation given at the 2011 State and Territory Administrators and the Child Care Policy Research Consortium Joint Meeting in Bethesda, MD looks at how to create an integrated system and the challenges and opportunities of doing so. Download PDF
May 06, 2011 | Hannah Matthews and Christine Johnson-Staub Caring for Babies: How State Subsidy Policies Can Support Continuity This presentation from the 2011 National Smart Start Conference describes how state subsidy policies can support retention of child care subsidies and continuous care for infants and toddlers. Download PDF
Mar 09, 2011 | Hannah Matthews Child Care Assistance in 2009: Spending Update This analysis details state child care expenditures from the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant programs. We find that spending on child care assistance decreased slightly in 2009. Thirty-three states increased overall spending, while 18 states made cuts. Without ARRA funds, more states would have made greater cuts. The number of children receiving assistance, however, remains far lower than the number of children eligible for assistance. Download PDF
Feb 23, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Early Childhood Funding: the President's FY2012 Budget and Wrapping Up FY2011 Appropriations This February 17th conference call provided information on early childhood funding for FY2011 and FY2012. Speakers include: Helen Blank, National Women's Law Center; Danielle Ewen, CLASP; Adele Robinson, NAEYC; and Harriet Dichter, First Five Years Fund. Download Audio
Feb 03, 2011 | Hannah Matthews and Teresa Lim Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2009 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2009. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.63 million children. While 24 states increased the number of children served, 23 states served fewer children in 2009 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families receive assistance. Download PDF
Feb 03, 2011 | Hannah Matthews and Teresa Lim Infants and Toddlers in CCDBG: 2009 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of infants and toddlers in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2009. Fewer than a third of children served in CCDBG are under the age of 3, but the share of children receiving CCDBG who are infants and toddlers varies from state to state. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG and other information on the participation of infants and toddlers in the program. Download PDF
Feb 03, 2011 | Hannah Matthews and Teresa Lim School-Age Children in CCDBG: 2009 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of school-age children in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2009. About a third of children served in CCDBG are between ages 6 and 13. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG and other information on the participation of school-age children in the program. Download PDF
Jan 25, 2011 | Hannah Matthews Federal and State Budgets: Implications for Funding Early Childhood Programs This presentation was presented at the National Head Start Association (NHSA) Leadership Institute. It provides an overview of the federal budget process for FY 2011 and 2012 and the political and economic context that may impact funding for early childhood programs. Download PDF
Jan 20, 2011 | Child Care and Early Education Making the Case for Child Care and Head Start Investments State-specific information on child care and Head Start funding, children served in these programs, child poverty rates, and more to make the case for investments in the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start Read Online
Jan 06, 2011 | Hannah Matthews U.S. Child Care Assistance Profile 2009 This fact sheet presents state reported information on child care spending through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds used for child care. Download PDF
Nov 10, 2010 | Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Finding and Using Data to Advocate Effectively for Children and Families This presentation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) 2010 annual conference provides a range of data to use to make the case for investments in young children and their families. Download PDF
Oct 27, 2010 | Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Adopting 12-Month Subsidy Eligibility: Impacts on Children, Families, and State Child Care Programs Under federal regulations, states have a great deal of flexibility in setting child care assistance policies. Adopting 12-month subsidy eligibility, with limited interim reporting requirements, is one strategy states can implement to promote sustained access to subsidies and continuous care arrangements for children. This paper lays out the associated impacts of adopting an annual redetermination policy on children, parents, and state subsidy systems. Read Online | Download PDF
Sep 23, 2010 | Hannah Matthews Child Care Assistance in 2008 This analysis details state child care expenditures from the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant programs. We find that spending on child care assistance decreased slightly in 2008. Thirty states increased overall child care spending, while 21 states made cuts. The number of children receiving assistance, however, remains far lower than the number of children eligible for assistance. Download PDF
Aug 31, 2010 | Hannah Matthews U.S. Child Care Assistance Profile 2008 This fact sheet presents state reported information on child care spending through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds used for child care, and information on children and families participating in CCDBG. Download PDF
May 26, 2010 | Rachel Schumacher Leveraging Existing Funding Sources to Support Early Head Start and EHS-like Services This presentation was delivered at a meeting held by ZERO TO THREE and CLASP entitled, "Including and Expanding Early Head Start in State Early Childhood Systems." This meeting worked with state-level policymakers looking to create more comprehensive services for infants, toddlers, and their families. Download PDF
Mar 15, 2010 | Elizabeth Hoffmann A Tool Using Data to Inform a State Infant/Toddler Care Agenda This tool is intended for state advocates and policymakers to use as they work to develop a state infant/toddler care agenda. It includes a series of key questions to understand the context and conditions of infants and toddlers in the state. Questions include data on demographics and program participation (such as health and nutrition programs), as well as the details of child care and early education settings in the state. Users can download and save a copy of this tool, fill in their state’s data, and compare to national data points (which are provided where appropriate). Read Online | Download File
Feb 22, 2010 | Hannah Matthews Immigrant Families and Child Care Subsidies: What Federal Law and Guidance Says One in four young children in the United States lives in an immigrant family. Federal law establishes policies on immigrant eligibility for child care assistance, yet questions regarding eligibility remain at the state and local level. Most child care assistance is funded through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, which have differing rules regarding immigrant eligibility. This fact sheet lays out rules and guidance related to immigrant eligibility for child care subsidies through both funding streams. Download PDF
Feb 03, 2010 | Danielle Ewen and Helen Blank The President's Budget Proposal: Opportunities and Challenges for Early Childhood Programs In this audioconference, Danielle Ewen and Helen Blank discuss the president's FY 2011 budget proposal and implications for funding of state and local early childhood programs. Download Audio | Additional PDF
Feb 01, 2010 | Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen Administration Reverses a Decade of Indifference The President's FY 2011 budget proposal provides resources for expanding quality child care and early education opportunities for children and families. Read Online
Jan 25, 2010 | CLASP Federal Policy Recommendations for 2010 Our nation faces many domestic challenges, including improving access to affordable health care, improving access to education as well as education outcomes, and providing debt and foreclosure relief. CLASP's 2010 federal policy recommendations are equally essential to achieving healthy and thriving families and improving the nation's prosperity. Read Online | Download PDF
Dec 22, 2009 | Teresa Lim and Rachel Schumacher State CCDBG Plans to Promote Opportunities for Babies & Toddlers in Child Care (Full Report) CLASP's Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care project highlights state policies that support the healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers in child care settings. The foundation of the project is a policy framework comprised of four key principles describing what babies and toddlers in child care need and 15 recommendations for states to move forward. This report analyzes state Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) plans for FFY 2008-2009 through the lens of this policy framework and highlights state policies to improve infant/toddler child care. Download PDF
Dec 22, 2009 | Teresa Lim and Rachel Schumacher State CCDBG Plans to Promote Opportunities for Babies & Toddlers in Child Care (Policy Brief) CLASP's Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care project highlights state policies that support the healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers in child care settings. The foundation of the project is a policy framework comprised of four key principles describing what babies and toddlers in child care need and 15 recommendations for states to move forward. This policy brief summarizes key findings from an analysis of state Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) plans for FFY 2008-2009 through the lens of the policy framework and highlights state policy approaches. Download PDF
Dec 17, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Infants and Toddlers in CCDBG: 2008 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of infants and toddlers in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2008. Fewer than a third of children served in CCDBG are under the age of 3, but the share of children receiving CCDBG who are infants and toddlers varies from state to state. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG and other information on the participation of infants and toddlers in the program. Download PDF
Dec 17, 2009 | Hannah Matthews School-Age Children in CCDBG: 2008 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of school-age children in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2008. A third of children served in CCDBG are between ages 6 and 13. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG and other information on the participation of school-age children in the program. Download PDF
Dec 01, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2008 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2008. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.6 million children. While 19 states increased the number of children served, 29 states served fewer children in 2008 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families receive assistance. Download PDF
Nov 19, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher Developing State Quality Rating and Improvement Systems with Babies in Mind This presentation provides guidance to state leaders who want to ensure a state Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) addresses the unique needs of babies and toddlers in child care. It includes a framework of issues to consider, examples of state QRIS provisions, and related resources. Download PDF
Nov 02, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher A Tool to Examine State Child Care Subsidy Policies and Promote Stable, Quality Care for Low-Income Babies and Toddlers This tool, part of CLASP's Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care project, is designed to provide a policy framework that lays out child care subsidy policies that can be implemented to better support babies and toddlers and their families. Users can download and save a copy of this tool, then fill in the appropriate columns with their state's current policies and opportunities for change. Read Online | Download File
Oct 20, 2009 | Helen Blank And Danielle Ewen Update on State Child Care Assistance Policies and Use of Economic Recovery Funds This audio included child care administrators, who focus on how their states have successfully used American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to assist low-income families. Download Audio | Additional PDF
Sep 21, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Child Care Assistance in 2007: Spending Update This analysis details state child care expenditures from the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant programs. We find that spending on child care assistance increased slightly in 2007. Thirty-one states increased overall child care spending, while 20 states made cuts. The number of children receiving assistance, however, remains far lower than the number of children eligible for assistance. Download PDF
Sep 09, 2009 | Child Care and Early Learning Coalition Letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on FY 2011 Budget Request for Child Care and Head Start CLASP signed this coalition letter urging HHS to prepare a FY 2011 budget that allows for substantial increases in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, and Early Head Start. Download PDF
Jun 23, 2009 | Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Early Childhood Education In The ARRA: Opportunities For Helping Low-income Children And Their Families This presentation highlights funding opportunities in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for supporting young children and their families, quality early learning experiences, and healthy and supportive communities. Download PDF
May 21, 2009 | Child Care and Early Education An Economic Recovery Update: How States Can Use Economic Recovery Funds To Help Child Care Listen to an audio conference recording about how to best utilize the economic recovery funds. A conversation with state advocates is moderated by Helen Blank, National Women's Law Center, and Danielle Ewen, CLASP. Speakers include: Speakers: Bruce Liggett, Executive Director, Arizona Child Care Association; Sessy Nyman, Vice President of Public Policy & Government Affairs, Illinois Action for Children; Sheila Hansen, Policy Director, Child and Family Policy Center; Patty Siegel, Executive Director, California Child Care Resource & Referral Network; and Clare S. Richie, Senior Policy Analyst, Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Download Audio | Additional PDF
Mar 23, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Ten Policies To Improve Access To Quality Child Care For Children In Immigrant Families While children in immigrant families represent a rapidly growing segment of the nation's child population, they are less likely to access child care and early education settings compared to their peers in native-born families. Part of CLASP's "Reinvesting in Child Care" series, this paper presents ten policies for state policymakers to implement now with economic recovery funds to improve access to quality child care for children in immigrant families. Download PDF
Mar 10, 2009 | Rachel Schumacher Benefitting Babies: Ten Policies States Can Implement Now to Improve Infant/Toddler Child Care with Economic Recovery Funds This paper presents ten policy ideas for state policymakers to implement now with economic recovery funds to support quality programs and enhancement strategies that will improve early care and learning for infants and toddlers. Download PDF
Mar 09, 2009 | CLASP and the National Women's Law Center Making Use of Economic Recovery Funds: Child Care Policy Options for States This joint paper offers state policymakers and advocates a set of policy options for effectively spending CCDBG economic recovery funds to create new jobs, serve more families, and improve the quality of child care. Download PDF
Feb 27, 2009 | Hannah Matthews CCDBG: What's in the law? The federal Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program allows states broad discretion to develop their child care assistance programs within federal guidelines. This brief lays out the federal requirements states must follow in designing their child care programs and spending CCDBG funds. Download PDF
Feb 25, 2009 | Child Care and Early Education Child Care and Early Education: Opportunities to Serve More Low-Income, Working Families Danielle Ewen, CLASP, and Helen Blank, National Women's Law Center, discuss the opportunity for states and local communities to serve more low-income working families and to make long-term investments in quality programs through new investments in the ARRA. Download Audio | Additional PDF
Feb 13, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Impact of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 on Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Funding State Allocations for $2 Billion in CCDBG Funding. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes $2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). CLASP has estimated the state allocations for the child care funding as well as the share of funds states will receive for quality initiatives. Download PDF
Jan 23, 2009 | Hannah Matthews Child Care Assistance: A Program That Works As the economic recovery package moves through Congress, it is critical that it include a $3 billion increase in the federal child care assistance program, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Child care is a program that works. Research shows that child care assistance makes a significant difference in the economic health and security of families. It helps families sustain their participation in the workforce, reduce instability in care arrangements that can impact work, and move out of poverty. Download PDF
Nov 21, 2008 | Hannah Matthews Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2007 Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2007. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.7 million children. While 22 states increased the number of children served, 27 states served fewer children in 2007 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families receive assistance. See also Infants and Toddlers in the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program: 2007 Update for a snapshot of participation of infants and toddlers in CCDBG. Download PDF
Nov 21, 2008 | Hannah Matthews Infants and Toddlers in the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program: 2007 Update Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation of infants and toddlers in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2007. Over a quarter of children served in CCDBG are under the age of 3, but the share of children receiving CCDBG who are infants and toddlers varies from state to state. This fact sheet includes state-by-state information on the ages of children served in CCDBG. See also Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2007 for an overview of CCDBG participation by children of all ages. Download PDF
Nov 21, 2008 | Hannah Matthews U.S. Child Care Assistance Profile 2007 This fact sheet presents state reported information on child care spending through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds used for child care, and information on children and families participating in CCDBG. Download PDF
Nov 10, 2008 | Julie Cohen (ZERO TO THREE) and Danielle Ewen Infants and Toddlers in Child Care This joint brief makes policy recommendations to create supports for, and expand access to, quality child care for infants and toddlers, focusing on the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), tax policy, and appropriations. The brief also summarizes research on the importance of quality child care. Download PDF
Nov 05, 2008 | Hannah Matthews U.S. Child Care Assistance State Profile 2006 This fact sheet presents state reported information on child care spending through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds used for child care, and information on children and families participating in CCDBG. Download PDF
Nov 03, 2008 | Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen Child Care Assistance in 2006: Insufficient Investments Spending on child care assistance increased slightly in 2006. Thirty-two states increased spending, while 19 states made cuts to their child care programs. Meanwhile, federal funding for child care has remained nearly flat for six years. Analysis of expenditure data from the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant show that states will need more help just to maintain current service levels. Download PDF
Sep 30, 2008 | Rachel Schumacher and Elizabeth Hoffmann Use Subsidy Policies to Promote Stable, Quality Care The ability of low-income parents to secure the consistent, responsive, nurturing child care their babies and toddlers need is affected by state policies governing state subsidy systems. All babies and toddlers in child care need their families to have access to quality options for their care. To support this goal, CLASP recommends that states use state child care subsidy policies to support stable, continuous access to the highest-quality providers and caregivers for infants and toddlers in low-income families. This document presents research supporting the recommendation to use subsidy policies to promote stable, quality care. Read Online | Download PDF
Aug 08, 2008 | Hannah Matthews Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2006 This fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2006. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.8 million children. While 29 states increased the number of children served, 22 states served fewer children in 2006 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families can receive assistance. Download PDF
Jul 30, 2008 | Hannah Matthews and Rachel Schumacher Ensuring Quality Care for Low-Income Babies: Contracting Directly with Providers to Expand and Improve Infant and Toddler Care The supply of high-quality infant and toddler child care is limited, particularly for low-income families. While most states provide child care assistance through vouchers or certificates, states have the option of contracting directly with providers to expand infant/toddler care for low-income families. Based on interviews with state policymakers, this paper explains how states are using contracts to create or stabilize care in particular communities or for specific populations; to create child care slots meeting quality standards important for infants and toddlers; to extend the day for infants and toddlers served in Early Head Start; and to improve the quality of infant/toddler family child care. Download PDF
Feb 04, 2008 | Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen President's Budget Disregards Sound Investments for Young Children Every Administration uses the budget to send a signal about its priorities for the coming year. In this period of economic downturn, when our most vulnerable children and families need access to comprehensive supports, the message of this budget is simple and stark: children in low-income working families don't matter. Download PDF
Jan 30, 2008 | Danielle Ewen, Aaron Nelson, and Hannah Matthews CCDBG State Plan Reported Activities To Support Limited English Proficient (LEP) And Immigrant Communities This paper provides examples of activities that states reported within the Child Care and Development Block Grant program to better serve immigrant and LEP communities. CLASP reviewed FY 2006-2007 CCDBG state plans for references to initiatives that would support immigrant families and/or providers, Limited English Proficient (LEP) families and/or providers, English Language Learners, or linguistic and cultural diversity. We find that state reported activities in these areas were often vague and few states reported carrying out multiple strategies. Download PDF
Feb 05, 2007 | Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Families Forgotten: Administration's Priorities Put Child Care Low on List Despite evidence that child care assistance is critical to helping low-income families to work and to succeed financially, the President's FY 2008 budget proposal freezes discretionary child care funding for the sixth consecutive year. According to the Administration's own estimates, 300,000 children will lose child care assistance by 2010. This is in addition to 150,000 children who have already lost assistance since 2000. Download PDF
Nov 02, 2006 | Hannah Matthews U.S. Child Care Assistance State Profile 2005 This fact sheet presents state reported information on child care spending through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds used for child care, and information on children and families participating in CCDBG. Download PDF
Nov 01, 2006 | Hannah Matthews and Danielle Ewen Child Care Assistance in 2005: State Cuts Continue State spending on child care assistance declined in 2005 for the second consecutive year. Twenty-two states made cuts to their child care programs, as the number of children living in low-income families that received help from these programs continued to decline. Many families turn to child care assistance programs to get help paying for the child care they need in order to work and to succeed. This policy brief provides an overview of national expenditure data for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds directed towards child care. View the associated chart showing state-by-state changes in child care expenditures and CCDBG participation from 2004 to 2005. Download PDF
May 10, 2006 | Mark Greenberg, Danielle Ewen, and Hannah Matthews Using TANF for Early Childhood Programs In recent years, states have made significant investments in pre-kindergarten programs in order to help young children enter school ready to learn. Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds are among the sources states have tapped to support some or all of their early childhood initiatives. This brief, supported by the Foundation for Child Development, outlines when and how states can use TANF funds to support early childhood programs, and examines the impact of TANF changes included the 2006 federal budget (called the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005) on this use. Download PDF
Apr 03, 2006 | Hannah Matthews Child Care Assistance Helps Families Work: A Review of the Effects of Subsidy Receipt on Employment Reliable and stable child care helps parents retain steady employment and reduces workplace absenteeism, but the high costs of care challenge many families, particularly low-income working parents. Child care assistance can help. This policy brief reviews relevant research and finds that low-income mothers who receive child care subsidies are more likely to be employed, to stay off welfare, and to have higher earnings. For that reason, increasing investments in child care assistance is necessary to help families move from welfare to work and to help low-income parents continue working. Download PDF
Feb 10, 2006 | Danielle Ewen and Hannah Matthews Toward a Decade of Indifference: Administration Budget Ignores Child Care Needs of Working Families Child care assistance is critical to helping low-income working families succeed and find quality child care that fosters their children's well-being and healthy development. Yet the President's 2007 budget proposal, released on February 6, 2006, freezes discretionary child care funding for the fifth consecutive year. The result will be a 25 percent drop in the number of children from low-income working families who get help paying for child care by 2011, as compared with 2000 numbers. Download PDF
May 16, 2005 | Rachel Schumacher, Danielle Ewen, Katherine Hart, and Joan Lombardi Policy Brief: All Together Now: State Experiences In Using Community-Based Child Care To Provide Pre-Kindergarten This brief is based on the 61-page report of the same name, which was commissioned by the Brookings Institution. It studies the emergence of the mixed delivery model, in which pre-kindergarten is delivered in community-based settings and schools. This policy brief, the fifth in the Child Care and Early Education Series, describes principal approaches to state implementation of the mixed delivery model but does not provide examples of state policies. See the full report for details about state policy choices. Download PDF
Feb 24, 2005 | Rachel Schumacher, Danielle Ewen, Katherine Hart, and Joan Lombardi All Together Now: State Experiences in Using Community-Based Child Care to Provide Pre-Kindergarten This paper, commissioned by the Brookings Institution, studies the emergence of the mixed delivery model, in which pre-kindergarten is delivered in community-based settings and schools. It describes findings of CLASP survey of states that was undertaken to understand the policy choices, opportunities, and challenges of including community-based child care providers in their pre-kindergarten programs. Also, now available are individual detailed descriptions of each of the 29 states' responses to the CLASP survey on the state policies used to integrate pre-kindergarten into community-based child care settings. Download PDF
Dec 09, 2003 | Jennifer Mezey, Katherine Beh Neas, and Kate Irish Policy Brief: Coming Together for Children with Disabilities: State Collaboration to Support Quality, Inclusive Child Care Families with children with disabilities have difficulty finding high-quality, appropriate child care for their childrenand this is particularly true for low-income families. This policy brief from CLASP and Easter Seals discusses the challenges these low-income families face; presents the findings of a survey of administrators of state child care and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act programs; explains the importance of collaboration among these programs; and suggests policy recommendations for federal and state governments. Download PDF
Aug 18, 2003 | Rachel Schumacher, Kate Irish, and Joan Lombardi Meeting Great Expectations: Integrating Early Education Program Standards in Child Care In order to achieve improved child outcomes, policymakers must invest in improved program standards in child care. This report, part of the Foundation for Child Development's Working Paper Series, examines three strategies in seven states that have integrated program standards into child care by directly tying standards to funding: the delivery of state pre-kindergarten (Georgia, New Jersey, and New York) and Head Start (Ohio, Oklahoma, and Oregon) in child care settings and the use of contracts including required standards with child care providers (California). These states are requiring participating child care providers to meet early education program standards that routinely exceed those required by state child care licensing rules. They are also providing additional monitoring, technical assistance, and fiscal resources to help participating programs meet these standards. Download PDF
Aug 18, 2003 | Rachel Schumacher, Kate Irish, Joan Lombardi Policy Brief: Meeting Great Expectations: Integrating Early Education Program Standards in Child Care This is the 8-page policy brief based on the report of the same name. Download PDF
May 05, 2003 | Mark Greenberg and Rachel Schumacher Financing Universal Pre-Kindergarten: Possibilities and Technical Issues for States in Using Funds Under the Child Care and Development Fund and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant In recent years, states and localities have become increasingly interested in providing universal access to pre-Kindergarten (pre-K). Two principal federal funding streams available to states that are traditionally used for child care under certain conditions may also be used for such an initiative: the Child Care and Development Fund and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. This report summarizes what is clear and what is unclear about the extent to which each of the funding streams could be used in support of universal pre-K initiatives. Download PDF
Apr 04, 2003 | Rachel Schumacher, Kate Irish, Mark H. Greenberg Policy Brief: Untapped Potential? How States Contract Directly with Providers to Shore Up Child Care Choices This is the 8-page policy brief based on the report of the same name. Download PDF
Apr 04, 2003 | Rachel Schumacher, Kate Irish, and Mark H. Greenberg Report: Untapped Potential? How States Contract Directly with Providers to Shore Up Child Care Choices for Low-Income Families States currently have the flexibility to contract directly with providers to make child care available to low-income families. According to this first national study of state child care contracting policies, states are using contracts to increase the supply of child care in certain high-need areas, to provide child care to special populations, and to improve the quality of child care program standards and services. Although nearly half the states use contracts to shore up child care supply for low-income families, the full potential of contracting has not yet been tapped. Download PDF
Dec 01, 2002 | Rachel Schumacher, Jennifer Mezey, and Mark Greenberg Analysis of Potential Barriers to Creating Coordinated Absence Policies for Collaborations Between Head Start and CCDF and TANF-Funded Programs This report, commissioned by the Southern Institute on Children and Families, analyzes the statutory and regulatory provisions relevant to child absence policies in Head Start and in child care funded under the Child Care and Development Fund and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grants. It discusses some practical considerations for states interested in adopting coordinated absence policies. An appendix provides additional detail about current law and provides examples of current absence policy practices in the Southern states. Download PDF
Apr 01, 2001 | Rachel Schumacher, Mark Greenberg, and Joan Lombardi State Initiatives to Promote Early Learning: Next Steps in Coordinating Subsidized Child Care, Head Start, and State Prekindergarten States often struggle with two key social goals: the need to promote school readiness for children and the need to support working families given increasing labor force participation among mothers with young children. This paper describes the challenges states face in addressing these issues, responses to these challenges, and recommendations for the future. The findings of the paper are based on examinations of three states with significant experience in developing a major early education initiative and coordination of subsidized child care, Head Start, and state prekindergarten systems. The profiled state initiatives are the Georgia Prekindergarten Program, Massachusetts' Community Partnerships for Children Initiative, and Ohio's state funding of Head Start and expansion of Head Start partnerships with child care programs. Download PDF
Feb 15, 2001 | Rachel Schumacher TANF and School Age Care: Opportunities and Challenges TANF and School Age Care: Opportunities and Challenges, is a slide presentation by Rachel Schumacher that outlines how federal TANF funds may be used to fund child care services particularly aimed at school age children, and describes some current state and county efforts to do so. Download PDF
Feb 15, 2001 | Rachel Schumacher and Mark Greenberg Using TANF for Child Care: A Technical Guide A slide presentation that outlines how federal TANF and state maintenance of effort (MOE) funds can be used to fund child care services, describes trends in use of TANF for child care in 1999 and 2000, and suggests steps toward understanding and accessing TANF funds in a state. Download PDF
Jun 15, 2000 | Mark Greenberg, Joan Lombardi, and Rachel Schumacher The Child Care and Development Fund: An Overview Provides an explanation of the provisions of the major federal block grant available to states to provide subsidized child care to low-income families and to improve the quality of child care. Download PDF