The CCDF Policies Database Book of Tables: Key Cross-State Variations in CCDF Policies as

of October 1, 2013

OPRE Report 2014-72

October 2014

THE CCDF POLICIES DATABASE BOOK OF TABLES: KEY CROSS-STATE VARIATIONS IN CCDF POLICIES AS OF OCTOBER 1, 2013 OPRE Report 2014-72 October 2014 Sarah Minton, Christin Durham, and Linda Giannarelli, The Urban Institute Submitted to: Kathleen Dwyer, Project Officer Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation Administration for Children and Families U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Contract Number: HHSP23320095654WC Project Director: Linda Giannarelli The Urban Institute 2100 M Street NW Washington, DC 20037 This report is in the public domain. Permission to reproduce is not necessary. Suggested citation: Minton, Sarah, Christin Durham, and Linda Giannarelli (2014). The CCDF Policies Database Book of Tables: Key Cross-State Variations in CCDF Policies as of October 1, 2013, OPRE Report 2014-72, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Disclaimer The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, the Administration for Children and Families, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Urban Institute, or the Urban Institutes trustees or funders. This report and other reports sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation are available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/index.html.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/index.html

Acknowledgments The authors owe thanks to all the individuals who helped to design the project and these tables, who provided and verified the data, and who assisted in carrying out the project tasks. Guidance on design was provided by numerous Administration for Children and Families (ACF) staff, by members of the projects Expert Panel, and by individuals who participated in sessions at the summer 2009 State and Territory Child Care Administrators Meeting and at the fall 2009 meeting of the Child Care Policy Research Consortium. The authors would like to thank the following past and current members of the CCDF Policies Database Expert Panel who provided guidance on the project and report (with their affiliations at the time of joining the Panel): Peggy Ball (Office of Child Care National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement), Donald Beltrame (National Center on Child Care Subsidy Innovation and Accountability), Leigh Bolick (South Carolina Department of Social Services), Steffanie Clothier (National Conference of State Legislatures), Ann Collins (Abt Associates), Liz Davis (University of Minnesota), Danielle Ewen (Center for Law and Social Policy), Rose Harris (Illinois Office of Early Childhood), Susan Jekielek (University of Michigan and Research Connections ), Peter Joftis (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research/Child Care and Early Education Research Connections), Gail Kelso (Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services), Cherie Kotilinek (Minnesota State Child Care Administrator), Lee Kreader (National Center for Children in Poverty/Child Care and Early Education Research Connections), Tom Olsen (Oregon State Child Care Administrator), Carol Pearson (National Center on Child Care Subsidy Innovation and Accountability (WRMA)), Deanna Schexnayder (University of Texas), Karen Tvedt (BLH Technologies, Inc.), Linda Williams (Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services), and Susan Wilson (National Center on Child Care Subsidy Innovation and Accountability). The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of these members. Particular thanks are owed to the ACF Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) project officer, Kathleen Dwyer, Dawn Ramsburg of the ACF Office of Child Care (OCC), and Gina Adams and Monica Rohacek of the Urban Institute. This project would not be possible without the substantial involvement of OCC Regional Program Managers, Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Administrators, and State/Territory staff. Administrators and State/Territory staff provided the detailed policy documents on which these tables are based, and conducted often time-consuming reviews of draft tables to improve their accuracy and relevance. Regional managers helped to coordinate communication. Finally, several other Urban Institute staff played key roles in the completion of this work. Joyce Morton and Kara Harkins handled technical aspects of the CCDF Policies Database. Martha Johnson provided research assistance in the preparation of the tables and coded policy materials. Erika Huber, Kathryn Stevens, Melissa Medeiros, Jamyang Tashi, Ei Yin Mon, Adam Kent, Meryl Barofsky, Tiffany ONeal, Lindsay Davis, Joanna Wu, and Niloufer Taber obtained, reviewed, and coded policy materials. In the early stages of the project, Gretchen Rowe and

CCDF Policies Database 2013 Book of Tables i

Mary Murphy provided guidance on design and logistical issues, and Meryl Thomson participated in the design of the database. The Urban Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization that examines the social, economic, and governance challenges facing the nation.

ii CCDF Policies Database 2013 Book of Tables

Overview

This report describes the policies that States and Territories use in operating child care subsidy systems under the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). Across the country and in five outlying areas, CCDF provides federal money to States, Territories, and Tribes to subsidize the cost of child care for lower-income families. Detailed policies vary widely across jurisdictions.

The CCDF Policies Database project produces a comprehensive, up-to-date database of

CCDF policies for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories and outlying areas.1 The Database contains hundreds of variables designed to capture CCDF policies across time, allowing users to access policy information for a specific point in time as well as to see how and when policies change over time. The Database is funded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation and maintained by the Urban Institute.

The information in the Database, and thus the information in the tables, is based primarily on the documents that caseworkers use as they work with families and providers (often termed caseworker manuals). An initial set of manuals was coded for the Database, reflecting policies in effect on or before October 1, 2009. Ongoing manual updates are collected in order to capture policy changes when they occur in each State/Territory. Each year the project produces a set of tables, containing selected policies from the Database (full Database files are also made available for public use). The tables are then reviewed by State/Territory administrators and verified for accuracy. The final tables are included in an annual report, with the current report showing the policies in effect on October 1, 2013. The information provided in the Book of Tables covers four general areas of policy: eligibility requirements for families and children; family application, terms of authorization, and redetermination; family payments; and policies for providers, including maximum reimbursement rates.

Along with each table, this report provides highlights of the policies in effect in 2013, as well as information on how those policies have changed since 2012. Selected policy changes from 2009 to 2013 are also included in an appendix to the report. Highlights from 2013 include:

Twenty-six States/Territories require that parents work a minimum number of hours per week to be eligible for care. In the other States/Territories, there is no minimum work requirement, but parents must still participate in approved activities in order to qualify for assistance.

Among the 50 States and the District of Columbia, initial income eligibility thresholds for a family of three range from $1,545 per month in Kentucky to $4,915 per month in North Dakota.

Seventeen States use higher income eligibility thresholds for families that are already receiving subsidies. In the remaining States/Territories, families must continue to meet the eligibility thresholds used when they first entered the program.

1 The CCDF Policies Database does not include information on tribal CCDF policies.

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Across the States/Territories, copayments for a three-person family with $15,000 in annual earnings range from $0 to $414 per month. The median copayment for a family with those characteristics is $61 per month.

Highlights of policy changes from 2009 to 2013 include:

Nine States/Territories made changes to their policies regarding eligibility during periods of job search. Five States/Territories changed their policies to no longer allow for job search activities, and four States/Territories changed their policies regarding whether job search was allowed for initial eligibility or both initial and continuing eligibility.

10 States/Territories made changes to their policies regarding the amount of time families have to report changes in their circumstances. Four States/Territories extended the time period for reporting changes, while two decreased the amount of time families have to report changes. Four States/Territories changed to or from policies that vary according to particular circumstances (i.e., the number of days allowed for reporting changes depends on the type of change).

Nine States/Territories made changes to their redetermination periods between 2009 and 2013. Seven ext