September 29, 2021
Draft Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Plan : FFY 2022-24
Approach to Plan Development
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program provides resources to state, territory, and tribal grantees that enable low-income parents to work or pursue education and training so that they can better support their families while at the same time promoting the learning and development of their children. The CCDF program also provides funding to enhance the quality of child care for all children. The CCDF Plan is how states and territories apply for CCDF funding (658E (a)) and is the primary mechanism that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) uses to determine state and territory compliance with the requirements of the law and rule (98.16). ACF acknowledges that in the FY 2022 – 2024 Plan, states and territories may still be operating under approved waivers related to the COVID-19 pandemic and where appropriate plan responses should reflect the approved waivers.
The CCDF Plan allows states and territories to describe their implementation of the CCDF program and it is organized into the following sections:
- Define CCDF Leadership and Coordination with Relevant Systems and Funding Sources
- Promote Family Engagement Through Outreach and Consumer Education
- Provide Stable Child Care Financial Assistance to Families
- Ensure Equal Access to Child Care for Low-Income Children
- Establish Standards and Monitoring Processes to Ensure the Health and Safety of Child Care Settings
- Recruit and Retain a Qualified and Effective Child Care Workforce
- Support Continuous Quality Improvement
- Ensure Grantee Program Integrity and Accountability
These organizational categories reflect key goals of an integrated system of child care for low-income working families. Although the Plan is divided into sections for reporting and accountability purposes, ACF encourages Lead Agencies to approach the Plan in a cross-cutting, integrated manner. The intention is that grantees and the federal government will be able to use this information to track and assess progress, determine the need for technical assistance (TA), and determine compliance with specific requirements.
