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The Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is one of the largest funding streams that help subsidize child care costs for children who are under the age of 13.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 allocates $2 billion for this fund through September 30, 2010.  The full $2 billion dollars is available upon enactment.  Of the $2 billion, $255 million will be set aside for quality improvement activities, $93 million of which will go towards improvement of infant and toddler care.

Guidance on use of CCDBG Recovery Funds:  Released April 9, see http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/law/guidance/current/pi2009-03/pi2009-03.htm

In the guidance, Department of Health and Human Services encourages Lead Agencies to coordinate planning efforts with other programs that received supplemental funding, including Head Start, TANF, IDEA and Title I.  CCDBG funds will be allocated as part of the FY 2009 grants to states, with a two year obligation period.

Basic Facts - tools and materials about the program as it currently operates, how it has been used to support afterschool and its administration and application process.

• Program Description
• From The Finance Project: Using CCDBG to Support Community-Based Youth Programs
• Data on low income children in your state, and how CCDBG are being used in the state: Afterschool Investments Project

Make the Case - CCDBG already supports programs for school-age children but there is still a significant need for more services to help struggling families.  Use these resources to help make the case for tapping CCDBG to support afterschool programs:  

• Data on low income children in your state, and how CCDBG are being used in the state: Afterschool Investments Project Afterschool Programs Help Working Families
• Child Care Patterns of School-Age Children with Employed Mothers
• Survey of American Working Mothers
• Family and Neighborhood Risks: How They Relate to Involvement in Out-of-School Time Activities
• After-School Worries: Tough on Parents, Bad for Business
• Sample recommendations outlining why and how funds could be used to support afterschool - Download memo from the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (in partnership with Boston Afterschool and Beyond) submitted to the commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care on the allocation of stimulus funding to support afterschool efforts

Questions, Answers and Ideas - Read and share questions and strategies on the Afterschool Alliance’s Economic Recovery Wiki  A few of the ideas posted recently:

• Contract clause - Idea: Use “contract” or “grant” allowance for afterschool.  Under current law, CCDBG dollars can be used to contract afterschool programs to provide slots for children needing care.  This avenue provides use of funds to support programs outside the standard voucher system.  This is an administrative decision that state agency leadership has authority to make.
•  Reimbursements - Idea: Pursue increase of reimbursement rates.  Many child care advocates are working on this, so it may make sense to partner with them on this effort.
•  Licensing - Idea: Pursue waiver or automatic licensure for school-based programs or establish different/more appropriate requirements for programs.