The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is the major source of Federal funds for the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE). DCDEE uses these funds to provide child care assistance for families and to fund initiatives to improve and support the quality of child care in North Carolina.
The CCDBG Reauthorization Act of 2014 included new requirements for states receiving these funds. Areas of focus include health and safety standards in child care, consumer and provider education, activities to improve the quality of child care, and policies in the subsidized child care program. States must develop a three-year plan on how child care funds will be spent, and how states will implement the new requirements.
While North Carolina already meets many of the new requirements, DCDEE is seeking feedback from the public to help shape the upcoming three-year plan. To assist in gathering preliminary information, they are holding eight focus groups in August, including one here in Durham next Wednesday, August 5th at Child Care Services Association (1201 S. Briggs Avenue).
Participants are invited to share their feedback on the following topics at these times:
9:00-11:00 am – Subsidized Child Care
12:00-2:00 pm – Program Standards and Quality Improvement
2:30-4:30 pm – Consumer Education
You do not need to register and there is no cost to attend. This is an exciting opportunity to have input into the development of our state’s three-year plan. Once the final plan has been developed it will be posted on the DCDEE website, and there will be an additional comment period and public hearing. Make your voice heard!
To read the current CCDF plan, please click here.
For the full schedule of other DCDEE focus groups across the state, please click here.
