Planned Use of CCDF CRRSA Funds Report

ACF	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families	1. Log No: CCDF-ACF-PI-2021-XX	2. Issuance Date: XX-XX-2021
	3. Originating Office: Office of Child Care
	4. Key Words: Child Care and Development Fund, CCDF, Coronavirus Relief and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, CRRSA

PROGRAM INSTRUCTION

To:	State, Territory, and Tribal Lead Agencies administering the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program, as amended, and other interested parties.
Subject:	Planned Use of Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA) Funds Report.
References:	The CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.); 45 CFR Parts 98 and 99; Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260).
Purpose:	This Program Instruction (PI) provides requirements and directions for submitting the Planned Use of Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSA) Funds Report.
Background:	The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) allocated $10 billion in supplemental funding for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. CRRSA requires all states, territories, and tribes to submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) a report describing how funds appropriated in CRRSA will be spent. This report is due no later than 60 days after enactment.
Guidance:	Report Requirements: CCDF lead agencies must submit a letter of approximately two pages of text that describes how the lead agency plans to spend funding provided by CRRSA as of the date of report submission. The letter must be organized according to the following headings (listed in bold below) and address the following questions under the headings: Direct Child Care Services (Subsidies) Does the lead agency plan to use CRRSA funds to provide direct child care services, including child care subsidy assistance to health care sector employees, emergency responders, sanitation workers, farm and other food service workers, and/or other workers deemed essential or frontline during the response to coronavirus? If yes, describe. Implementation of Virus Mitigation Policies and Practices Does the lead agency plan to use CRRSA funds to provide resources, supplies, and/or technical assistance to child care providers to support implementation of health and safety practices and policies in line with guidance from State and local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? If yes, describe. Grants or Assistance (Other than Subsidies) to Stabilize Child Care Providers Does the lead agency plan to use CRRSA funds to support the stability of the child care sector to help child care providers (program facilities and workforce) pay for increased operating expenses during the COVID-19 public health emergency? If yes, describe. Assistance to Providers Not Participating in the Subsidy System Prior to the Pandemic As required in CRRSA, how does the lead agency plan to use a portion of funds appropriated in CRRSA to provide assistance to CCDF-eligible child care providers not participating in the subsidy system prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency? Other Does the lead agency plan to use a portion of CRRSA child care funds for any other activities or assistance not described above? If yes, describe. CCDF lead agencies that have not yet determined or finalized how they plan to spend all or a portion of their CRRSA funds prior to February 25 must indicate that they have not yet decided on how they plan to use their CRRSA allocations, submit any tentative or partial plans, and provide the status and timeline for finalizing those plans. Lead agencies should also note if additional guidance is needed to finalize plans. Report Review and Acceptance: OCC will review reports upon submission and may follow-up with lead agencies where a planned activity may not be allowable. OCC will confirm receipt and acceptance of the reports. Updating Reports: OCC recognizes that actual use of CRRSA funds may differ from what is reported in these plans. Lead agencies are not required to update their reports if they make changes to how CRRSA CCDF funds are used. Final use of funds will be collected through a separate report due by October 31, 2022, as well as existing CCDF reporting forms. Additional information about the October 31, 2022, report will be available closer to the reporting deadline. Use of Reports: A summary of the reports from lead agencies will be submitted to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representative and the Senate, the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate, as required by the CRRSA.
Public Law 102-477 Reporting Requirement:	The CRRSA funds are additional CCDF supplemental funds that by law contains additional reporting requirements for all tribes, including those with approved Pub. L. 102-477 Plans. The Pub. L. 102-477 Directors/Administrator should follow reporting instructions described below. If the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) receives such a report, BIA would inform the Pub. L. 102-477 Administrator that these reports need to be sent directly to OCC.
Submission Deadline:	Reports must be submitted no later than February 25, 2021.
Submission:	Lead agencies must email to the OCC Regional Program Manager a letter addressed to the Director of the Office of Child Care (OCC) and signed by the CCDF lead agency official.
Resources:	Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr133/BILLS-116hr133enr.pdf CCDF Final Regulations (2016) https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/occ/ccdf_tracked_changes_of_existing_regulations.pdf Child Care and Development Block Grant Law (2014) https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/occ/child_care_and_development_block_grant_markup.pdf
Inquiries:	Please direct any questions to the Child Care Program Manager in the appropriate ACF Regional Office.

/s/

______________________________

Ellen C. Wheatley, Ph.D.

Acting Director

Office of Child Care

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) Statement of Public Burden: The purpose of this information collection is to collect how you are planning to spend supplemental Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) funds appropriated in the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260). Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 2 hours per respondent, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. This is a mandatory collection of information (Division M, Title III, Pub. L. 116-260). 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 0970-0NEW and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX. If you have any comments on this collection of information, please contact Megan Campbell, ACF Office of Child Care, by email at megan.campbell@acf.hhs.gov.