Information to Inform the Office of Child Care about Implementation of Child Care American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Supplemental Funds – Check-In Call Interview Questions

Child Care Supplemental Grants: Interview Guide

The Office of Child Care (OCC) holds monthly meetings with Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agency administrators to provide ongoing technical assistance (TA) and support. To learn more about the success stories, challenges and additional TA needs for the recent child care supplemental funds that were part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), OCC would like to conduct structured interviews during these meetings for the next twelve months. OCC will use information collected during these interviews to inform technical assistance and support opportunities for CCDF Lead Agencies.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) STATEMENT OF PUBLIC BURDEN: The purpose of this information collection is to help the Office of Child Care (OCC) identify the technical assistance needs to support the implementation of the child care ARPA supplemental funding. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per grantee response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. These questions will be asked at monthly meetings over a 12-month period, so the total estimated time per grantee is 2 hours. This is a voluntary collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB # is 0970-0531 and the expiration date is 09/30/2025. If you have any comments on this collection of information, please contact Dawn Ramsburg, Office of Child Care by email at dawn.ramsburg@acf.hhs.gov.   

We would like to ask you a few questions about how your state has spent or is planning to spend ARP supplemental funds.

How much of your ARP supplemental funds have been liquidated? As of when?

1. If less than 100%: Do you have any concerns spending down the funds by September 30, 2024?

2. If less than 100%: Do you anticipate returning any of the funds?

Payment Practices

Select which initiatives your state has invested in or plans to invest in with ARP supplemental funding. Include how much ARP supplemental funding is allocated for each activity; provide an estimate if not available.

Activity	Investing? (Yes/No)	Funding Allocated ($ amount)
Increase provider payment rates
Paying by enrollment
Paying prospectively

Wages, Benefits, and Professional Development

Select which initiatives your state has invested in or plans to invest in with ARP supplemental funding. Include how much ARP supplemental funding is allocated for each activity; provide an estimate if not available.

Activity	Investing? (Yes/No)	Funding Allocated ($ amount)
Increase wages of child care staff
Increase benefits of child care staff
Provide bonuses to child care staff
Offer Scholarships
Increase Professional Development opportunities

Supply Building

Are ARP supplemental funds allowing you to engage in new or expanded activities designed to build the supply of child care?

• If yes:

  • Are you targeting any groups/types of care (select all that apply)?

☐ Underserved populations

☐ Infants/Toddlers

☐ Family child care

☐ Rural

☐ Nontraditional hours

• How much ARP Supplemental funding is allocated for this activity?

Expanding Access to Child Care Assistance/Direct Services

Select which initiatives your state has invested in or plans to invest in with ARP supplemental funding. Include how much ARP supplemental funding is allocated for each activity; provide an estimate if not available.

Activity	Investing? (Yes/No)	Funding Allocated ($ amount)
Expanding income eligibility
Providing direct services to children
Waiving or reducing copayments

Is there anything else you are doing or hoping to do with ARP supplemental funding that we haven’t covered?

What technical assistance or other supports would be helpful in spending down ARP supplemental funds?

Optional question if time permits: Are there any recent successes that you’d like to share related to spending ARP supplemental funds?

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