States' Payment Rates Under the Child Care and Development Fund Program Could Limit Access to Child Care Providers

Reauthorized in the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014, the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is the primary Federal funding source devoted to subsidizing the childcare expenses of low-income families. Each State sets payment rates for childcare providers, and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) oversees payment rates. States must certify that payment rates are sufficient to ensure equal access, for eligible families in the area served by the [State], to childcare services comparable to those provided to families not eligible for CCDF subsidies (45 CFR 98.45a). We will compare CCDF payment rates to the prices charged by childcare centers and family childcare homes. We will review States' processes for determining their payment rates as well as ACF's methods for determining whether States' CCDF payment rates are sufficient to ensure equal access to childcare services.

Announced or Revised	Agency	Title	Component	Report Number(s)	Expected Issue Date (FY)
Completed	Administration for Children and Families	States' Payment Rates Under the Child Care and Development Fund Program Could Limit Access to Child Care Providers	Office of Evaluation and Inspections	OEI-03-15-00170	2019