Information to Inform the Office of Child Care about Implementation of Child Care American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds - Feb 2023 Update

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 supplemental funding. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 20 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 bimonthly meetings over a 12-month period, so the total estimated time per grantee is 1 hour and 40 minutes. 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 series of questions about how your state has used or plans to use the availability of COVID-19 supplemental funding (CARES, CRRSA, ARP) to invest in strengthening the state’s child care system. We will use this dashboard

What is your state’s current status in spending down ARP Supplemental funds (check all that apply):

☐ Currently spending ARP supplemental funds

☐ Planning how to use ARP supplemental funds

☐ Waiting for approval to spend ARP supplemental funds

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

1. If less than 100%: What is your plan for obligating the remainder of funds by September 30, 2023?

Payment Practices

Select which initiatives your state has invested in or plans to invest in because of the availability of COVID-19 supplemental funding.

Note: Your state may not be using COVID-19 supplemental funding for the initiative, but the availability of additional funds has allowed your state to invest in the initiative.

☐ Increase provider payment rates

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

☐ Paying by enrollment

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

☐ Paying prospectively

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

Wages, Benefits, and Professional Development

Select which initiatives your state has invested in or plans to invest in because of the availability of COVID-19 supplemental funding.

Note: Your state may not be using COVID-19 supplemental funding for the initiative, but the availability of additional funds has allowed your state to invest in the initiative.

☐ Increase wages of child care staff

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

☐ Increase benefits of child care staff

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

☐ Provide bonuses to child care staff

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

If yes to any of the above:

• How many total staff do you project you will be able to support with increased compensation (wages, benefits, and/or bonuses)?

☐ Offer Scholarships

☐ Increase Professional Development opportunities

Supply Building

Are COVID-19 supplemental funds allowing you engage in new or expanded activities designed to build the supply of child care? Note: Your state may not be using COVID-19 supplemental funding for supply building activities, but the availability of additional funds has allowed your state to invest in this initiative.

• If yes:

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

☐ Underserved populations

☐ Infants/Toddlers

☐ Family child care

☐ Rural

☐ Nontraditional hours

• Briefly, what type of supply building activities are you funding?

Expanding Access to Child Care Assistance/Direct Services

Select which initiatives your state has invested in or plans to invest in because of the availability of COVID-19 supplemental funding.

Note: Your state may not be using COVID-19 supplemental funding for the initiative, but the availability of additional funds has allowed your state to invest in the initiative.

☐ Expanding income eligibility

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

☐ Providing direct services to children

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

If yes to either of the above:

• How many additional children are you serving through direct services and/or expanding income eligibility?

☐ Waiving or reducing copayments?

• If yes, are these changes temporary or permanent?

• If yes, how many families are impacted?

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

What are the challenges or roadblocks you are experiencing spending ARP supplemental funds?

(If mentioned) You mentioned legislative challenges, can you tell me a little more about that? What is the legislative schedule?

Probe: What technical assistance or other supports would be helpful in overcoming the challenges or roadblocks?

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