Child Care Day Contracts Infant and Toddler Expansion Request for Applications Fiscal Year 2024 July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024 (reference only)

On this page

• Legislative authority
• Overview
• Application

Legislative Authority

Connecticut General Statutes
|P.A. 22-80 (S.B. 1)
Due Date: March 29, 2023 at 12:00pm EST

The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood is committed to a policy of equal opportunity/affirmative action for all qualified persons. The Office of Early Childhood does not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, or educational activity on the basis of race, color, religious creed, sex, age, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability (including, but not limited to, intellectual disability, past or present history of mental disorder, physical disability or learning disability), genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by Connecticut state and/or federal nondiscrimination laws. The Office of Early Childhood does not unlawfully discriminate in employment and licensing against qualified persons with a prior criminal conviction. Inquiries regarding the Office of Early Childhood’s nondiscrimination policies should be directed to:

Renée Lombard
Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist 2
Department of Administrative Services
450 Columbus Blvd-Suite 1501
Hartford, CT 06103
Office: (860) 713-5258

Overview

Child Day Care (CDC) Contract Infant and Toddler Expansion funding through the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is intended to provide low-income Connecticut families increased access to high-quality, affordable NEW full day, full year infant and toddler child care spaces.

This funding opportunity is open to all licensed child care centers, group child care homes and family child care homes in Connecticut. An approved application will result in a direct contract with the OEC, wherein the contractor and any approved subcontractors will be required to meet all OEC contract requirements and General Policies. This contract is from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.

• For DCCC, DCGH licenses – “NEW” means classrooms for infants and/or toddlers that were open and available to families after and not before June 30, 2022.
• For DCFH licenses – “NEW” means a space that has been unutilized for at least eight (8) months by an infant and/or toddler.

Full day, full year spaces must be open and available to families at least thirty (30) hours a week. Additionally, full day, full year spaces must be made available for ten (10) hours a day, five (5) days a week, forty-eighty (48) weeks a year. There are operating schedule variations available to programs through an approved OEC waiver.

Infants and toddlers are children six (6) weeks to three (3) years of age. The reimbursement rate for full day/full year infant/toddler spaces is $13,500.00 per child annually. Priority will be given to programs:

• Located in a child care desert
• Located within a socially vulnerable community that scores above .4 as defined by the Centers for Disease Control
• Currently accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), or are currently Early Head Start/Head Start approved*

*All programs attesting to Early Head Start/Head Start approval will be required to add any expansion funding data to their next annual program schedule submission, as determined by the Office of Head Start.

Family Child Care Space Requests

• Minimum number of spaces per license: 1
• Minimum number of spaces per application: 10
• Maximum number of spaces per license: 4 spaces with no more than 2 children under 18 months
• Maximum number of spaces per application: No maximum

Child Care Center & Group Child Care Homes Space Requests

• Minimum number of spaces per license: 4
• Maximum number of spaces per license: 24
• Maximum number of spaces per application: No maximum

If an organization is awarded a Child Day Care (CDC) Contract for infant/toddler expansion funding, they will be required to attest that the applicant organization:

• Has capacity to meet all funding, program monitoring and reporting requirements
• Recruit and enroll children meeting OEC eligibility guidelines for Child Day Care
  programs
• Meet all contractual obligations outlined in the Child Day Care contract
• Meet all requirements related to the Child Day Care contract as specified in OEC General
  Policies
• Achieve and/or maintain accreditation within three (3) years of when the first child
  occupies a funded space
• Provide developmentally appropriate programming, learning experiences, child screenings and assessment for all children in contracted spaces, and,
• Participate in the OEC Infant/Toddler Study

Enhancement funding

Approved applicants will have the opportunity to request enhancement funds to support the
infant/toddler expansion spaces. This funding may be used for things including but not limited
to: classroom renovations, teacher sign-on bonuses, supplies, equipment, etc.

Application scoring

The evaluation and award process will be done by tiers based on a community’s category of child
care desertification and social vulnerability index (SVI). Completed applications will follow one
of two tracks:

• TRACK A: Family Child Care Intermediary Contractors
• TRACK B: Child care centers, group child care homes (individual or with an intermediary
  contractor)

Spaces will then be awarded based on this tiered system within their track until all spaces are
awarded. In the event there are not enough spaces to award all applicants within a tier subset,

applicants will then be awarded spaces based on descending order by town of SVI level from

highest to lowest.

Application submission

All applications are due by March 29, 2023 at 12:00pm. No paper applications will be accepted. No extensions will be granted.

All applications must be submitted in their entirety through this Qualtrics link.

Application

Are you applying as:

• Individual program site? Y/N
  • Is the site licensed for:
    • DCCC
    • DCGH
    • DCFH
    • DCEX
    • Exempt
    • Unlicensed
• Intermediary (primary contractor) on behalf of one or more program sites? Y/N
  • Are the sites licensed for:
    • DCCC
    • DCGH
    • DCFH
    • DCEX
    • Exempt
    • Unlicensed

Applicant organization information

• Applicant Organization Name:
• Applicant Organization Address:
• Applicant Organization Phone Number:
• Applicant Organization Website:
• Number of licensed sites included in this application:
• Number of total spaces requested in this application:
• Name of Individual Completing Application: Title of Individual Completing Application:
• Email Address of Individual Completing Application:
• Phone number:

Does the applicant organization anticipate requesting Enhancement Funds for one or more program sites?

• Yes
• No

Please complete the following section(s) for each individual licensed program site for which Infant and Toddler Expansion spaces are being requested.

Program site #1 information

• Program site name as it appears in the OEC Early Childhood Professional Registry:
• Program site address:
• Program site OEC Early Childhood Professional Registry ID*:
• Program site OEC license number**:
• Program NAEYC/NAFCC number***:

*If the program does not currently have an active account in the OEC Early Childhood Professional Registry, enter 0.

**If the program does not currently hold an OEC license and is the process of obtaining one, enter 0.

***If the program does not currently hold NAYEC/NAFCC accreditation and does NOT have a NAEYC/NAFCC number, enter 0.

Does this program site accept Care 4 Kids?

• Yes
• No

Was this program site licensed on or after 3/1/2021?

• Yes
• No

Was this program site licensed on or after 3/1/2021 AND a Care 4 Kids provider?

• Yes
• No

What age groups are currently served at this program site? (Check all that apply)

• Infants / Toddlers
• Preschool
• School-age

How many NEW infant and toddler spaces are being requested to expand services at this site?

• Number requested at this site:

Anticipated Start Date to enroll children in NEW infant and toddler spaces?

• Date to enroll children:

Licensing

Does this program site hold a current OEC infant/toddler licensing endorsement?

• Yes, this site holds a current OEC infant/toddler licensing endorsement o DCCC
  • DCGH
  • DCFH
  • DCEX
  • Exempt
  • Unlicensed
• No, this site does not hold a current OEC infant/toddler licensing endorsement
• No, this site does not hold a current OEC infant/toddler licensing endorsement, but is working towards approval

Accreditation

Does this program site hold current NAEYC/NAFCC accreditation or Early Head Start and/or Head Start approval? (Check all that apply)

• Yes, this site holds current NAEYC accreditation
• Yes, this site holds current NAFCC accreditation
• Yes, this site holds current Early Head Start approval
• Yes, this site holds current Head Start approval
• No, this site is neither NAEYC/NAFCC accredited nor Early Head Start and/or Head Start approved BUT is in the process of initial or reaccreditation
• No, this site is neither NAEYC/NAFCC accredited or Early Head Start and/or Head Start approved and is NOT in the process of initial or reaccreditation

Staff qualifications

Each classroom is required to have a Designated Qualified Staff Member (DQSM) with a Qualifying bachelor’s degree or higher, or a plan to meet by July 1, 2029 (See OEC General Policy A-01).

• Yes
• No
• In progress

Family Child Care Homes– Does the program administrator/owner of this family child care home have a minimum of a CDA (Child Development Associate Credential)?

• Yes
• No
• In progress

Recruitment and Enrollment

Program has a plan to enroll infants/toddlers from diverse backgrounds, and at least 60% of children from families that are at or below 75% of the SMI.

• Yes
• No
• In progress

Curriculum, Child Screening & Assessment

Program has a documented cycle of intentional teaching that includes using a curriculum that aligns with the CT Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS). Program uses child assessments and data to influence appropriate learning experiences for infants and toddlers.

• Yes
• No
• In progress

Do you wish to request NEW infant and toddler spaces for an additional site for this program?

• Yes, I would like to request spaces for an additional site
• No, my application is complete

Attestation

(Required upon completion of this application)

By completing this application, checking this box and signing below, the organization/program attests that all information provided in this application is truthful and accurate for each site listed. By completing this application, checking this box and signing below, the organization/program attests that they have the capacity to meet all funding, program monitoring and reporting requirements, to recruit and enroll children meeting OEC eligibility guidelines for Child Day Care programs, to meet all contractual obligations outlined in the Child Day Care contract, to meet all requirements related to the Child Day Care contract as specified in OEC General Policies, to achieve and/or maintain accreditation within required timelines, to provide developmentally appropriate practices, learning experiences, child screenings and assessment for all children in state-funded spaces, and, participate in the OEC Infant/Toddler Study.