CHOICES Act

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Activities to Improve the Quality of Child Care

Subtitle A: Child Care Quality Improvement Incentive

Program

Subtitle B: Increased Enforcement of State Health and

Safety Standards

Subtitle C: Distribution of Information about Quality

Child Care

Title II: Expanding Professional Development Opportunities

Title III: Expanding Youth Development Opportunities During

Non-School Hours

Title IV: Expanding Child Care Subsidy for Low-Income

Families

Creating Healthy Opportunities and Improving Child Education and Support Act - CHOICES Act - Title I: Activities to Improve the Quality of Child Care - Subtitle A: Child Care Quality Improvement Incentive Program - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) (the Secretary) to establish a program to award grants to States to help fund activities to improve the quality of child care.

(Sec. 103) Allocates funds to the States (tribal organizations, and U.S. territories and possessions) based on a specified formula, and a minimum allocation for small States.

(Sec. 104) Requires States, as a condition of receiving such grant funds, to: (1) certify that, since 1995, they have not reduced the scope of State child care standards requirements, or further limited State licensing requirements with respect to the types of child care providers required to be licensed, or otherwise restricted the application of such licensing requirements; (2) comply with the provisions of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (CCDBGA); (3) expend at least 80 percent of the funds allocated to the State for child care matching funds under the Social Security Act program of temporary assistance to needy families (TANF); and (4) make a ten percent non-Federal matching fund contribution from State or local public sources or private donations.

(Sec. 105) Sets forth various authorized uses of grant funds to improve the quality of child care within a State, including supplementing child care provider salaries, assistance to small businesses desiring to provide child care assistance to employees, expansion of resource and referral services, educational and training scholarship for child care providers, increasing subsidies for recipients under CCDBGA, subsidizing child care for special needs children, conducting background checks, and increasing the monitoring of child care providers.

(Sec. 107) Authorizes appropriations.

Subtitle B: Increased Enforcement of State Health and Safety Standards - Amends CCDBGA to: (1) provide a bonus for States that effectively enforce existing State laws and regulations regarding the inspection of child care facilities; and (2) decrease administrative funds for States that do not adequately enforce such State child care inspection requirements.

Subtitle C: Distribution of Information About Quality Child Care - Directs the Secretary to: (1) award competitive contracts to qualified entities to collect and disseminate information on the importance of high quality child care, conduct a public awareness campaign promoting such care, and provide technical assistance to States, local governments, private nonprofit child care organizations, child care credentialing or accreditation entities, child care providers, and parents; (2) develop a mechanism for the collection and dissemination of statistical data on the supply and demand for child care services; and (3) award competitive grants to improve their procedures and methods to child care credentialing and accreditation entities that have been providing such services to child care providers for not more than ten years. Authorizes appropriations.

Title II: Expanding Professional Development Opportunities - Directs the Secretary to establish a child care training infrastructure using the Internet and existing distance learning resources to provide high quality, interactive skills training for child care providers.

(Sec. 201) Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 202) Reserves at least ten percent of the authorized funds, within the child care training infrastructure, to establish and operate a revolving loan fund to enable child care providers to purchase computers and other equipment to access the child care training infrastructure through no-interest loans.

Title III: Expanding Youth Development Opportunities During Non-School Hours - Establishes various programs that provide care for school-aged children during the non-school hours, and that focus on youth development.

(Sec. 303) Directs the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families of the Department of HHS to award grants to eligible States for quality non-school hours programs for school-aged children and youth.

(Sec. 304) Allocates funds to States (and certain U.S. territories and possessions) based on the numbers of youth aged five through 17 and of children qualifying for free or reduced-price school lunches, with a minimum allocation for small States.

(Sec. 305) Requires an applicant State to designate the regions (administrative regions or political subdivisions) to which it will allocate grant funds.

(Sec. 306) Requires State allocation of funds to such regions based on numbers of five to 17-year-olds and of children qualifying for free or reduced-price school lunches.

Directs the State to use the funds allocated to each region to award competitive grants to local entities in that region. Requires grant preference to be given to entities that assure such funds will be used for a non-school hours program with: (1) activities designed to remove barriers to availability of non-school hours child care; and (2) a variety of youth activities in a cohesive network that coordinates public and private resources.

(Sec. 307) Sets forth grant application requirements for local entities.

(Sec. 308) Requires local entities to use grant funds for activities that: (1) meet the child care needs of working parents during the non-school hours including before- and after-school, weekends, school holidays, vacation periods and other non-school hours; (2) activities that will promote at least two youth development competencies (social, physical, emotional, moral or cognitive); and (3) designed to reduce risk factors, increase youth protective factors, and assis-- in youth acquistion of skills and competencies for transition from childhood to adulthood.

Authorizes local entities to use grant funds for activities for youth, including various specified types of programs and other locally determined programs.

Requires local entities to use at least 50 percent of grant funds to subsidize the cost of participation in the non-school hours program for low-income youth.

(Sec. 309) Directs the Assistant Secretary to: (1) establish mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of funded activities; (2) coordinate the grant program with similar activities in other Federal agencies; (3) provide appropriate training and technical assistance to States and local entities; and (4) terminate funding for States or entities upon determining that they fail to comply with the requirements of this title.

(Sec. 310) Requires grantee State Governors to designate an entity to administer the State grant activities under this title. Requires grantee States to: (1) establish mechanisms for receiving program advice and input from service providers and recipients; (2) review, monitor, assist, and enforce program compliance; and (3) provide technical assistance.

(Sec. 311) Requires activities funded under this title to be coordinated with activities receiving funds from the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act.

(Sec. 312) Authorizes appropriations.

Title IV: Expanding Child Care Subsidy for Low-Income Families - Amends CCDBGA to double the amount of an authorization of appropriations for CCDBGA programs.

(Sec. 402) Requires assurances that specified uses of automated payment systems under CCDBGA: (1) not limit parental choice; and (2) facilitate the prompt, accurate payment of child care providers.

Revises the portion of CCDBGA funds which may be used for low-income families who are not TANF qualified recipients of child care subsidies.

Establishes separate State subsidy rates dependent upon the age of the child, the setting of the child care services (home, center, group), special needs, and geographic location.

Requires States to reduce any State-required parental co-payment by the amount of the difference between the child care subsidy provided and 85 percent of the State-established market rate for that child.

(Sec. 403) Authorizes States receiving CCDBGA funds to use automated systems, including electronic benefit transfer systems for: (1) monitoring or tracking child care attendance or otherwise conducting data collection under CCDBGA; (2) ensuring prompt and accurate payment for child care services under CCDBGA; or (3) other purposes that increase State efficiency in administering such funds.