SBSSN_DRAFT SOW_State and Territory Child Care Capacity Building Center (STCBC).pdf

DRAFT Statement of Work

The State and Territory Child Care Capacity Building Center (STCBC)

1.1 Background

The.Administration.for.Children.and.Families

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), promotes the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities by providing federal leadership, partnership and resources for the compassionate and effective delivery of human services. ACF has responsibility for many programs that support the economic success of families and the well-being of children, including the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF); Head Start and Early Head Start; Preschool Development Grants Birth through Five; Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting, all of which are housed within the Office of Early Childhood Development at ACF.

Additional information about ACF can be found at: https://acf.gov/.

Office.of.Child.Care

The Office of Child Care (OCC) is an office of ACF and administers the Child Care and Development Fund program (CCDF), which is authorized by the $12.3B Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to state, territory, and Tribal governments. OCC develops policy guidance, supports grantees in program implementation and administration, monitors for compliance, supports research, delivers technical assistance (TA), and broadly supports a child care system that meets the needs of children and families.

Additional information about OCC can be found at: https://acf.gov/occ.

Child.Care.and.Development.Fund

CCDF is the primary federal funding source to help families with low incomes access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children. Access to affordable high-quality child care has numerous short- and long-term benefits for children, families, and society, supporting child and family well-being in a manner that fuels prosperity and strengthens communities and the economy. Child care is a necessity for many families with young children and reliable access leads to better parental earnings and employment and supports parents' educational attainment.

Child Care and Development Fund Statistics are available at: https://acf.gov/occ/data/child-care-and-development-fund-statistics.

For more information about CCDF Funding Allocations, visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/grant-funding/ccdf-funding-allocations.

OCC.Training.and.Technical.Assistance.

Through OCC’s Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN), TA is available to help OCC grantees: 1) ensure their CCDF programs are in compliance with federal laws and regulations, including those related to program integrity; 2) ensure that state, territory and Tribal child care programs are developed and administered in ways that align with best practices and which are https://acf.gov/ https://acf.gov/occ https://acf.gov/occ/data/child-care-and-development-fund-statistics https://acf.gov/occ/data/child-care-and-development-fund-statistics https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acf.hhs.gov%2Focc%2Fgrant-funding%2Fccdf-funding-allocations.&data=05%7C02%7CJen.Bump%40acf.hhs.gov%7Cd5433d9a63984accd08208dd46e1e2d2%7Cd58addea50534a808499ba4d944910df%7C0%7C0%7C638744658154913209%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bWPxcWZ6VdzzZx%2FT9yxvovVAx1cS0EuV16n%2F2YMheIA%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acf.hhs.gov%2Focc%2Fgrant-funding%2Fccdf-funding-allocations.&data=05%7C02%7CJen.Bump%40acf.hhs.gov%7Cd5433d9a63984accd08208dd46e1e2d2%7Cd58addea50534a808499ba4d944910df%7C0%7C0%7C638744658154913209%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bWPxcWZ6VdzzZx%2FT9yxvovVAx1cS0EuV16n%2F2YMheIA%3D&reserved=0 most effectively supporting families in all settings; and 3) collaborate and coordinate with other related state, territory, and Tribal child care programs that interact with or impact CCDF as part of a coordinated state, territory, or tribal system.

Other TA Centers in the CCTAN include The National Center on Subsidy Innovation and Accountability and the Tribal Child Care Capacity Building Center. OCC also supports the Child Care Automated Reporting System (CARS), a contract providing support for the federal CCDF monitoring process, and a logistics contract into which the Office of Head Start and the Office of Early Childhood Development have also invested funding.

Additional information about OCC’s CCTAN is available here: https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/.

Requirement Information

7¡8 Objective

The purpose of this contract is to provision and coordination of technical assistance for CCDF state and territory grantees, leading to the successful implementation and continued administration of the requirements of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).

As part of that broader effort, the technical assistance stemming from this partnership will support state and territory efforts to build successful, cohesive child care and early childhood systems and programs.

8¡6 Scope.of.Work

The.Contractor.shall.provide.all.services.necessary.to.support.the.State.and.Territory.Child.Care.

Capacity.Building.Center.(STCBC).as.specified.herein¡..

The State and Territory Capacity Building Center (STCBC) will provide the needed TA for Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) state and territory grantees leading to the successful implementation and continued administration of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 and the accompanying requirements. The SCBC contract has three key components:

1. Coordination and evaluation of TA services to ensure responsive and non-duplicative TA for all state and territory CCDF lead agencies to support their CCDF program design and implementation, and to improve access to and affordability of child care services that meet the needs of parents

2. Provision of TA services and resources by subject matter experts related to requirements of the CCDBG Act, including business supports for child care providers; emergency preparedness and disaster recovery for child care systems and settings; consumer education to support parental choice in child care; improving the quality of child care services for infants and toddlers and school-age children; and health, safety, and licensing of child care settings.

3. Operations and maintenance of websites and web systems that support efficient and effective CCDF administration, including the statutorily-required ChildCare.gov website;

the ACF-hosted OCC website; a website with all CCDF TA resources; and the system that tracks TA data for all of the CCTAN. These websites and systems include program https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/ guidance, information on critical topics such as child health and safety, resources to help families choose the child care that best meets their family needs, and state-specific child care information.

As such, OCC requires a contract partner with the organizational and data expertise to coordinate and evaluate TA, the content expertise to develop and deliver TA, and the technical expertise to track those efforts and manage their web presence.

8¡7 Types.and.Duration.of.TA

This requirement necessitates multiple types and durations of TA. The types include:

Universal – TA products and services widely available to CCDF grantees including resources on websites and webinars. Universal TA is intended to educate, helping grantees to understand and remember policies, requirements, and concepts, and in cases in which the goal is to change practice, universal TA is most effective when followed by targeted or tailored TA. Universal TA is the least common type of TA offered by OCC, and examples include sessions for the annual State and Territory CCDF Administrators Meeting (STAM).

Targeted – Typically focused on a specific topic and moves from merely an understanding of that topic to an analysis of it and applications to the work. Targeted TA often leverages peer-learning and can involve a small group of CCDF grantees working with TA providers. Examples include a group of states working together with a TA provider on a specific topic or issue or an on-going community of practice allowing discussion and strategy-sharing among multiple lead agencies.

Individualized – Typically one-on-one, customized support for a state or territory in the form of planned assistance designed to reach specific outcomes. Individualized TA can focus on a specific issue or multiple issues. Individualized TA includes developing a TA plan to articulate the goals/objectives of the TA and the TA services that will help meet the objectives for this contract, the terms “individualized”, “tailored” and “intensive” may be used interchangeably.

Particularly in the case of individualized TA, TA delivery will also vary depending on grantee needs.

A breakdown of intensity and duration and level of effort is below:

• Short term: 1–3 months in duration

• Near term: 4 months–1 year in duration

• Long term: 1–2 years in duration

• Long term, high effort: 1–4 years in duration with at least 25% level of effort by the TA specialist and assessments at least semi-annually tracking progress and confirming the TA is effective and should continue. Contractor shall plan for 6-8 projects of this type and duration – see Task 3 below.

Unless otherwise specified in the tasks below, the contractor should assume TA delivery will include a mix of type and duration, dependent on the needs of CCDF grantees. However, the majority of TA, 75 percent or more, is expected to be individualized. Planned TA shall be approved by the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR). In cases of individualized TA, the contractors may collaborate with the COR, OCC Regional Office staff, and federal subject matter experts.

2.2 General Requirements

a) The Contractor shall involve ACF/OCC staff in the various stages of development and implementation of this TA effort, including updating and gathering information, per established protocols.

b) Any effort to contact multiple lead agencies in a systematic fashion must be approved in advance by the COR, and the Contractor shall work with the COR to have any information collection activities approved by the Office of Management and Budget, if necessary.

c) The Contractor shall ensure that for any TA or other presentation funded by the contract, the Contractor shall acknowledge verbally and in writing (on any presentation materials) that the Center is a service of the OCC. All materials produced under this contract, shall include the OCC, ACF, and/or TA Network logo, as determined by the COR, and dates developed/updated. Additionally, all contractor-produced materials intended for publication or wide-distribution must follow ACF/OCC/CCTAN’s external communications policies, editorial and visual style guides, and content guidelines.

d) The Contractor shall ensure that webinars and video meetings include closed captioning and ASL interpretation when requested by participants, as well as other accommodations to ensure full participation for people with disabilities.

e) The Contractor shall identify, as they occur, any potential problem areas relevant to accomplishing the tasks and subtasks specified in the PWS, recommend solutions to the COR, and coordinate with the COR on mitigation strategies.

f) The Contractor shall conduct work under the contract in compliance with applicable Federal regulations and ACF Efficient Spending Guidance (e.g., travel and meeting planning) as relevant.

g) All activities, such as email announcements, TA resources, webpage updates, and other universal materials and information distribution strategies shall be posted on existing ACF/OCC platforms.

2.3 Staffing Requirements

The Contractor shall provide a trained and experienced staff to perform the work specified under this task order. The Contractor shall continuously monitor, manage, and control the work. The Contractor shall make its best efforts to retain staff members who have gained experience on this task order, and to minimize staff turnover. The Contractor shall ensure that all personnel who perform under this task order meet the security requirements in accordance with the ACF Tech Security, Privacy, and Standard Language for Acquisition.

The Contractor shall develop a staffing pattern that promotes long-term relationship building with CCDF lead agencies, OCC Central and Regional Office staff, CCTAN partners, and other partners as appropriate, to ensure that specific TA needs, as described in the SOW, are met on an ongoing basis. The Contractor shall ensure that the proposed staffing pattern includes key personnel and all additional staffing suited to the requirement and specific to the tasks below. Expertise needed is expected to include:

• In-depth knowledge of the CCDBG Act, the CCDF program requirements, CCDF Plan processes, and other related state and territory early childhood programs

• Strong operational knowledge and experience with administration of the CCDF program within states and territories, including reporting requirements

• Strong operational knowledge and expertise of the full range of issues, services, and innovations within the child care field

• Skills related to strategic planning, TA design, and delivery, including change management and implementation science

• Skills related to meeting facilitation and leading teams (both virtually and in-person)

• Data-integration and other issues related to program integration and systems building at the state and territory level

• A wide variety of early childhood funding streams and options for using them in a coordinated manner at the state and local levels

• In-depth knowledge/understanding of state early childhood system policies, mixed delivery systems, and governance structures for ECE programs and for data systems

• Current research and best practices regarding child development, the needs of families and strategies for family engagement, the challenges faced by the child care workforce and relevant supports for the workforce, child care markets and rate rates, child care supply and demand, and mixed-delivery systems

• Specific expertise around content areas outlined in the SOW, including:

o CCDF systems building o Expanding child care supply and strengthening business practices o Emergency preparedness and disaster response and recovery in child care systems and settings o Consumer education and parental choice o Infant/toddler and school-age child care o Health, safety, and licensing in child care o Quality and quality improvement in child care systems and settings

2.4 Key Personnel

• Key personnel under this contract are subject to HHSAR Clause 352.237-75. Changes to key personnel are subject to approval by the COR. Changes to key personnel may be accomplished via an email request to the CO and COR.

• Requests for Key Personnel replacement shall include a detailed resume containing a description of position duties and qualifications, as well as information about the qualifications of the individual(s) proposed. Any financial impact caused by the departure or replacement of key personnel shall be absorbed by the Contractor. The government shall have no financial responsibility for the loss of key Contractor personnel.

• Key Personnel are identified as:

o Project Director and Applications Development Lead.

2.5 Type of Contract

The contract type will be Time and Materials.

2.6 Other Direct Costs (ODCs)

The Contractor is expected to propose ODCs. The government shall determine to provide these ODCs under Optional CLINs or provide the tools directly to the Contractor for execution of work described in the SOW.

(1) ServiceNow - See Subtask 4.1 for the TAT details. ODCs shall include

Description QTY

ServiceNow Platform App Engine CSM (PROD12078) 1

ServiceNow CSM Standard (PROD19278) 125

ServiceNow FedRAMP (PROD18818) 3

(2) AWS Hosting – See Subtask 4.2 or the CCTAN website details to support the development, staging, and production environments of the website.

(3) Other Software Licenses - CCTAN Website

The Contractor shall plan to propose two licenses for base and each option year for:

o web traffic analysis, heatmaps tool (such as Crazy Egg) o application testing across browsers/mobile devices (such as BrowserStack) o email API and SMTP service (such as Twilio Sendgrid)

The Contractor does not need to propose these specific tools. These tools are presented as examples.

(4) Other Software Licenses – ChildCare.gov website

The Contractor shall plan to propose one license for base and each option year for:

o website crawling, link checking, and search engine optimization tool (such as ScreamingFrog)

The Contractor does not need to propose these specific tools. These tools are presented as examples.

2.7 Period of Performance

The period of performance of this contract will consist of a 12 month base period commencing September 30, 2026, four option years, and the optional 6 months extension authorized under FAR 52.217-8.

Base Period: September 30, 2026– September 29, 2027

Option Year 1: September 30, 2027– September 29, 2028

Option Year 2: September 30, 2028– September 29, 2029

Option Year 3: September 30, 2029– September 29, 2030

Option Year 4: September 30, 2030– September 29, 2031

Optional 6 months: September 30, 2031- March 29,2032

2.8 Place of Performance

The place of performance for all contract staff will be at a physical location anywhere within the United States. The contractor may also be located anywhere in the United States, with their main home office physically located at a specific location in the United States. Virtual offices cannot be substituted for a physical presence of the contractor. To provide economies of scale, the use of home offices by Center staff is strongly encouraged. Contract services may be provided on-site, off-site, through virtual media, or a combination thereof.

NOTE: Local metropolitan Washington DC travel within a 50-mile radius of the Switzer Bldg., 330 C.

Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. or the relocation of personnel from other geographic areas for the purpose of staffing this PWS are not subject to reimbursement. The Government will not pay travel charges for travel to and from the employee’s home and the Government offices, or to and from one company building to another. Travel costs subject to reimbursement are limited to travel occurring at the direction of the Government, performed in conjunction with a specific requirement.

2.9 Specific Requirements

Task 1: Project Management and Reporting

Subtask 1.1: Orientation Meeting

The Contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and other Federal staff at an orientation meeting held in Washington, DC or via web or teleconference as negotiated with the COR, within 15 calendar days after the effective date of the contract. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the project scope of work, project schedule and due dates for deliverables, project progress indicators, and clarify questions about project activities and expectations. The contractor will take notes at this meeting and submit them to the COR within 15 calendar days of the meeting. The contractor shall also have kickoff meetings in each option year, contingent on the exercise of the option.

Subtask 1.2: Project Management Plan

The Contractor shall develop, maintain and update a Project Management Plan (PMP) to be updated no less than annually. The PMP shall provide the basis for performing and controlling the project’s activities in accordance with the contract. This document describes the technical approach, organizational resources, deliverables, documentation, and management controls to be employed to meet the cost, performance, and schedule requirements throughout the contract period of performance. The initial PMP is due 90 calendar days after the effective date of the contract.

These management activities will establish control, management, monitoring, and notification mechanisms and will include working with and reporting to the COR to ensure that tasks and their subtasks stay on track and important milestones are met. Representative activities include, but are not limited to: plan, organize, secure, and manage resources with appropriate knowledge and skills to perform ongoing activities; create, manage, and control work plans, project schedules, and/or work breakdown structures (WBS); maintain quality control through recurring, managed processes; change control management; documentation management, including ensuring that information is shared with the COR for storage in the appropriate ACF document repositories and configuration management tools; communications management; risk management including working with COR on timely escalation and resolution of risks; issue management including working with COR on timely escalation and resolution of issues; responding to general inquiries from OCC, and ACF/OCIO staff with technical oversight responsibilities; coordinating with OCC and ACF/OCIO staff to ensure that tasks and their subtasks are executed in line with program direction, priorities, and processes; participate in meetings in different capacities, as required;

prepare and track meeting agendas, minutes, issues, risks, and action items; create all required status reports and participate in progress reviews; respond to ad hoc data calls; track monthly and cumulative performance metrics, as applicable.

Subtask 1.3: Project Meetings

Notwithstanding meetings for the purpose of carrying out other tasks of the contract, the Contractor shall meet with OCC weekly to discuss technical assistance work and information systems and websites work, either by telephone or in person, during the period of performance of this contract except when deemed unnecessary by OCC. The Contractor shall submit an agenda for, and any materials to be discussed during, in advance of these meetings. Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to, progress against milestones, deliverables, risks, issues, and mitigations, schedule and estimates to complete, and planned activities for the following week. Minutes shall be of sufficient detail to accurately document meeting data and location, meeting purpose, items discussed, decisions made, attendees, and action items. Meeting minutes shall be delivered within three business days following the meeting to parties as directed by the

COR.

Subtask 1.4: Project Reports

The Contractor shall submit a written monthly status report, including, at a minimum, the following types of information for each task defined on the contract:

• Activities and accomplishments, including highlighting outcomes of technical assistance to OCC grantees

• Deliverables

• Milestones

• Issues, risks, and mitigation plans

• Planned activities for the following reporting period

• Project results

• Staffing vacancies

The Contractor shall abide by a template or format agreed to or supplied by the COR. The due date for monthly reports will be the 15th of the following month, or the next business day when the 15th falls on a weekend or holiday.

The Contractor shall submit an annual report to the COR 15 calendar days prior to the end of the project year. The annual report will contain a summary of accomplishments for all project tasks, including a cumulative assessment of its project results and outcomes of project activities.

Subtask 1.5 Transition Out

The contractor shall develop and submit a Transition-out Plan not later than 90 calendar days prior to the end of the period of performance for the contract. The Contractor's transition plan will be approved by the COR, will designate the transition team members and their role, and will contain a milestone schedule of events and component turnovers. The contractor shall transition with no disruption in operational services. Once approved, the contractor shall execute the transition-out plan as directed by the COR. The Contractor shall plan and participate in weekly transition meetings between the COR and other participants as identified by OCC and ACF OCIO. The meetings will be held at the ACF Switzer Building at 330 C Street SW, Washington, D.C. location or via web or teleconference as negotiated with the COR. The Contractor shall prepare and submit an agenda two (2) business days prior to each meeting and prepare and provide meeting minutes within 24 hours after the meeting. The meeting minutes, at a minimum, will include the following:

• List of participants

• Purpose of the meeting

• Decisions reached during the meeting

• Action items identified (including the person responsible for addressing the action and the date the action is to be completed)

• Date, time, and location of next meeting

The contractor shall facilitate the transition of contracted activities, documentation, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), source code, and all details and information for any services performed to the Federal Government or to a follow-on contractor at the end of the contract period of performance.

Task 2: Coordination and Data

The contractor shall coordinate all technical assistance delivered to the states and territories and shall also track and report on that work. This includes TA assessment, planning, and evaluation work OCC uses to ensure TA meets the needs of lead agencies and results in desired outcomes.

The data support within this task also includes support for the triennial state/territory Plan.

Subtask 2.1: State and Territory Systems Specialists

The contractor shall coordinate technical assistance for states and territories across the OCC technical assistance network. To that end, the contractor shall provide state and territory systems specialists (STSS) for each of the five OCC regional offices, and those specialists will be the first TA network point of contact for all lead agencies for TA. The STSS shall either provide TA as they are able or work with subject matter experts across the TA network to facilitate the provision of TA.

OCC expects that the STSS will be knowledgeable about the child care programs and systems within each state and territory and are the leads for tracking the technical assistance delivered within them, and that they will monitor details and information about the state/territory relevant to CCDF Administration and report on changes quarterly.

Subtask 2.2: TA Assessment, Planning, and Tracking

The contractor shall assess TA needs for each state and territory lead agency, and information to be considered will include but is not limited to:

• Current approved CCDF Plans, including waivers and amendments

• OCC monitoring findings (if applicable)

• State goals and context

• Regional Office input

Findings shall be shared with OCC and all relevant CCTAN partners quarterly. Based on the assessment of TA needs, the TA Specialists shall develop TA plans for each state and territory, leveraging support from various CCTAN partners and, where appropriate, including resources or tools from non-OCC TA sources. The iterative plans will be regularly discussed with the state or territory CCDF administrator, Regional Office, and COR (when necessary for questions related to scope or level of effort) and adapted as needed. Plans must also be developed with consideration for the scope and capacity of other TA partners when their support is proposed as part of the plan.

TA plans should include, but are not limited to:

• TA goals for the state/territory

• Recommended types of TA (topics and activities)

• Recommended levels of TA (universal, targeted, individualized)

• Timelines for TA delivery

The contractor shall also be ultimately responsible for working with all CCTAN staff to track TA plans, goals, and activities in the OCC TA Tracker (TAT). Updates shall reflect the TA planned and delivered to CCDF state and territory grantees and shall be made within 7 business days of TA delivery or status update. Data entry processes in the TAT shall align with best practices for TA data collection as determined by OCC. Reports from the TAT shall be included with the monthly project reports (see Subtask 1.4). Regional reports shall also be sent monthly, and ad hoc reports shall also be available to the COR or OCC Leadership on a regular basis, as needed. Ad hoc reports shall be delivered within 48 hours unless a different timeline is agreed upon with the COR.

For further information about the technical requirements regarding the maintenance and operations of the TAT, see Task 4.

Subtask 2.3: Meeting Planning and Support

As a part of their coordination responsibilities, the contractor shall support planning and agenda development for OCC national meetings, a key aspect of OC’s universal TA. The contractor shall also assist in training and technical assistance delivered at those meetings. Specifically, the Contractor shall support:

• The CCDF State and Territory Administrators’ Meeting (STAM), an annual 3–4-day meeting held in the Washington, D.C. metro area.

• Regional meetings, either virtually or – as OCC budget and guidance allows – in person. The Contractor shall provide pre-meeting and on-site support for regional meetings.

• A CCTAN All Hands Meeting, either virtually or – as OCC budget and guidance allows – in person. The Contractor shall provide pre-meeting and on-site support for the All Hands Meeting.

Working in collaboration with OCC, COR, and other CCTAN partners, the support shall include agenda development, planning, facilitation, TA consultation, note-taking and follow-up as needed.

Subtask 2.4: Coordination and Support of the Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) and Technical Assistance Data

The contractor shall coordinate work across the Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN), which helps to ensure efficient TA without duplication of effort. As a part of this task, the contractor reports on TA delivered, coordinates CCTAN work groups, maintains and curates the content of the CCTAN website, and works with OCC on updates and maintenance of the OCC federal website. The contractor responds to inquiries related to CCDF TA as requested by OCC, either for OCC use or as needed for reporting to ACF, HHS, or other government entities.

The contractor shall appoint a professional to work with the CCTAN to assess significant TA efforts being conducted across all TA Centers, including resources and materials being developed and intensive TA being delivered. The contractor shall have the ability to present a broad understanding of TA needs, TA delivered, and other relevant updates to OCC, as requested, and no less frequently than on a monthly basis.

The contractor shall convene and lead cross-TA Center work groups to improve CCTAN cohesion and efficiency and to propose best practices for cross-network practices and protocols. The contractor shall keep OCC informed on the progress of the work groups and any practices or protocols developed. The convening shall require scheduling and management of meetings, and work group topics and audiences will include, but not be limited to:

• CCTAN Project Directors and Deputy Directors

• CCTAN leads for specific TA topics

• TA Tracker governance and best practices

• Resource development and dissemination (including website) best practices

• TA evaluation

Subtask 2.5: Website Content Administration

The contractor shall serve as the lead for the administration of the OCC website hosted by ACF and shall maintain and update the content of the OCC website in accordance with OCC requests and guidance and the ACF Office of Communications (OC) processes and procedures. The contractor shall ensure a system for managing OCC requests for website updates and shall remediate documents developed by OCC, as needed to ensure compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The contractor shall serve as the lead for the broad oversight of the content of the OCC TA website, also known as the Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) website. In this role, they shall lead the work group focused on resource development and dissemination (see Subtask 2.4), and in collaboration with the larger CCTAN, shall propose TA website best practices for OCC approval.

Additionally, the contractor shall be responsible for the maintenance and curation of the following pages and resources on the OCC TA website:

• Data Explorer and State Profiles

• Provider Cost of Quality Calculator

• National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations

• OCC Spanish language glossary

The Contractor shall be responsible for the technical updates only to the following resources:

• Resources related to Comprehensive Background Checks (content updates to be provided by the National Center on Subsidy Innovation and Accountability)

• CCDF Fiscal Fundamentals (Content to be provided by the National Center on Subsidy Innovation and Accountability)

For additional information regarding contract technical requirements regarding the CCTAN website, see Task 4.

Subtask 2.6: Management and Reporting of Child Care TA Information

The Contractor shall respond to OCC data calls focused on TA needs, TA activities, TA events, TA delivered, TA website use and analytics, and other topics related to technical assistance delivered to OCC grantees. The Contractor shall respond to requests using information in the TAT, as well as other relevant sources, such as cross-network information collected for other reports, and information tracked for other tasks. The Contractor should plan for 4-5 requests per month.

Subtask 2.7: CCDF Plan Support, Training, and CCDF Data Organization and Analysis

The contractor shall support all aspects of the triennial state/territory CCDF Plan process, including support on revisions to the plan template, training on CCDF Plan completion and submission, and supporting the federal review of submitted Plans, as appropriate.

Using a previously developed framework, the Contractor shall also provide Plan template training for CCDF lead agencies and OCC staff. The Contractor shall amend the training, as appropriate, related to edits to the template and/or to improve the efficacy of the training based on feedback from lead agencies or OCC staff. With the approval of the COR, the Contractor shall also support the Plan review process in ways that are appropriate for non-federal staff. This support may include, but is not limited to

• Reviewing plans for completeness;

• Confirming web links are correct and lead to the specific section(s) required by the plan questions;

• Reviewing plans for consistency with known state activities; and https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/data https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/provider-cost-quality-calculator https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/licensing https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/public/occ_spanish_language_glossary_1.pdf

• Logistical support for OCC to have individual state or territory dialogue and follow-up calls (via conference line and/or meeting platform).

The contractor shall support organization and analysis of CCDF Plan data and other data reported by lead agencies, including data related to content; review-tracking processes; non-compliance and implementation findings; and best practices. The contractor shall support both analysis of the data as well as working with OCC to determine the best ways to present the data to be most useful to OCC, lead agencies, and entities to whom OCC reports on Plans and other program administration data (including ACF/HHS leadership and the Government Accountability Office).

Subtask 2.8: Evaluation of Technical Assistance

The contractor is responsible for all aspects of evaluation related to the technical assistance they deliver and for collaborating with other TA Centers to coordinate a streamlines evaluation process that reduces burden on CCDF lead agencies. The contractor shall design and develop the necessary processes and systems to track a variety of project data, including but not limited to, the type of TA delivered, TA outcomes, and recipient feedback about the impact. The contractor provides regular updates to OCC, ad hoc information as requested, and the contractor is required to deliver an annual report prior to the end of the contract year.

Task 3: Subject Matter Expertise and Content TA

The contractor shall provide subject matter experts to deliver TA related to various requirements of the CCDF program. Types and duration of TA are outlined in an earlier section of the SOW, and the contractor shall provide TA on specific topics as outlines below with an emphasis on individualized TA. Targeted (for example, communities of practice) and universal TA (for example, STAM sessions) will also be required as requested by OCC.

TA will be responsive to requests and needs of states and territories, and most will be short or near term, but the contractor shall plan for 6-8 long-term, high effort TA projects related to the content TA topics within this task. These projects will be focused on long term change and will have regular assessments by OCC to determine whether the project is meeting goals and continues to be effective.

Subtask 3.1: CCDF Leadership and Systems Building

The contractor shall provide subject matter expertise and TA related to the management of CCDF programs, including strategic planning, partnership across agencies, governance, and other elements of systems building and long-term planning. This TA includes support for new CCDF Administrators and other new lead agency staff, specifically offering them knowledge about program requirements and operations that can serve as the foundation for successful program administration.

The contractor shall be responsible for content and technical updates to the Fundamentals of CCDF Administration training. Review of all materials should occur annually, as well as in the case of major relevant OCC policy changes.

Subtask 3.2: Expanding Child Care Supply and Strengthening Business Practices

The contractor provides TA for CCDF Lead Agencies establishing workforce supports to improve knowledge, skills, abilities program quality and retention of child care providers across all settings, programs, and age groups to encourage the expansion of the child care workforce. This may include implementation of professional development systems or support for apprenticeships, but it also includes a focus on expanding access to high-quality child care based on parent preferences and needs, specifically targeting care for infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and those in rural and underserved areas. The contractor will provide and deliver train-the-trainer modules focused on strengthening business practices and fiscal management, with the intention of increasing Lead Agency capacity to enhance/optimize child care business practices and data analysis strategies and supporting providers in collecting real-time data to track supply, demand, and costs.

The contractor shall work with states, territories, and Tribes to support the early childhood educator workforce, emphasizing support for providers as a key driver of quality in child care supporting continuity of care and retention of the workforce. TA shall be offered on topics including wages and benefits, professional development, and support for expanding provider participation in CCDF and increasing families’ access to high-quality child care.

The contractor shall develop and implement strategies, including targeted TA, to improve child care business practices and financial management for child care programs (all settings with special attention to in home providers that offer alternate hour care, and providers serving children with disabilities), including training on topics such as budgeting and planning, understanding financial reports and internal controls, business taxes, marketing, and staff recruitment and retention. This TA is expected to include training for trainers to increase Lead Agencies capacity to enhance/optimize child care business practices.

Subtask 3.3: Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response and Recovery (EPDRR) Technical Assistance

The contractor shall provide subject matter expertise and TA related to emergency preparedness and disaster response and recovery, including content and technical updates to the Emergency Preparedness, Disaster Response, and Recovery Resource Guide. Review of each of the materials should occur annually, as well as in the case of major child care and ECE-relevant policy changes.

The contractor shall support OCC and state and territory lead agencies in their administration of funding related to emergencies and disasters, including funds made available in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 and the American Relief Act signed in December of 2024. The contractor shall designate specialists to support the Regional Offices in this work, which will include, but is not limited to, administrative supports such as tracking processes, facilitation, and note-taking, and TA supports related to allowable uses, programmatic changes, and reporting.

The contractor shall hold primary responsibility for tracking disaster recovery-related TA activities and resources and for reporting that information to OCC. The contractor shall also track publicly available information related to state and territory child care system changes that have been made as a result of disaster recovery funding. The contractor shall work with OCC Regional Offices and CCDF lead agencies, as appropriate, and at the direction of the COR. A reporting schedule for https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/epdrr https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/epdrr disaster funding-related information will be agreed upon by the COR and the contractor at the orientation meeting (see Subtask 1.1).

Subtask 3.4: Consumer Education and ChildCare.gov Content Management

The contractor shall provide subject matter expertise and TA related to child care consumer education topics, with a particular focus on meeting CCDF requirements and supporting best practices relevant to consumer education websites. Areas of focus may include but are not limited to posting of monitoring and inspection reports; CCDF program requirements for consumer education websites; integration with other state systems and programs; and website accessibility.

The contractor shall also serve as the lead for content updates for the OCC-administered ChildCare.gov website and shall maintain and update the content of the site in accordance with the ACF processes and procedures. The contractor shall maintain and update written content as needed for ChildCare.gov Learn More pages at https://childcare.gov/consumer-education.

Updates should be made related to changes in requirements and/or best practice in child care systems.

In addition, SCBC consumer education subject matter experts shall conduct quality assurance of links to grantee consumer education websites and share that information with the ChildCare.gov technical team on an ongoing basis. ChildCare.gov maintains thousands of individual links to multiple Grantee webpages through the State Resource pages on ChildCare.gov at https://childcare.gov/state-resources-home. These links must be checked on a regular and ongoing basis for accuracy, broken links, and relevancy. Each set of State Resource page links must be checked for quality control at least every 12 months.

Subtask 3.5: Infant/Toddler Child Care Technical Assistance

The contractor shall provide subject matter expertise and TA related to infant and toddler child care topics, including but not limited to: infant/toddler networks; mental health for infants and toddlers and their caregivers; requirements and funding specific to infant/toddler populations; supply building for infant/toddler care; and research related to infant/toddler development.

Working with OCC Central and Regional Offices, the contractor shall provide TA to support CCDF lead agencies and their designees in administering the CCDF program with a focus on infant and toddler populations, and as appropriate, shall also work with trainers, Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies, and other intermediaries to strengthen child care systems in states and territories.

Subtask 3.6: School-Age Child Care Technical Assistance

The contractor shall provide subject matter expertise and TA related to school-age child care topics, including but not limited to: building and expanding access to high-quality afterschool and summer programs; transitions; staffing and pathways; requirement for funding and licensing/license-exempt specific to school-age populations; and research related to school-age child care. As well as knowledge and collaboration with statewide afterschool networks; Summer Food Service Programs; etc. as appropriate and approved by COR.

https://childcare.gov/consumer-education https://childcare.gov/state-resources-home

Working with OCC Central and Regional Offices, the Contractor shall provide TA to support CCDF lead agencies and their designees in administering the CCDF program with a focus on school-age populations, and as appropriate, shall also work with trainers, Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies, and other intermediaries to strengthen child care systems in states and territories.

Subtask 3.7: Health & Safety, Licensing, and Quality

The contractor shall provide subject matter expertise and TA related to health and safety in child care settings; child care licensing; and quality in all child care settings.

The contractor shall provide TA related to compliance with the 12 health and safety areas required by CCDF. The contractor shall provide TA related to determination and implementation of health and safety standards and licensing regulations as well as pre-service orientation/ongoing health and safety training, and state/territory monitoring of health and safety requirements.

The contractor shall provide TA related to improving quality in child care systems, using health and safety as a foundation and expanding systems to include research-based and outcome-focused methods. The contractor shall provide expertise related to quality measures and tools, strategies, and incentives for quality improvement in child care systems and settings.

The contractor shall update and create toolkits and resources to support CCDF Lead Agencies in identifying the cost of providing child care that meets licensing and quality benchmarks, including the Provider Cost of Quality Calculator (see Subtask 4.2). This will include using both TA and research to help states and territories understand efficient payment practices and policies appropriate for all ECE provider types/programs/settings, including family child care ( FCC) and family, friend and neighbor (FFN) providers that are relevant to the ages of the children served receiving CCDF services, for both licensed and license-exempt programs, and a targeted focus on cost of providing child care during non-traditional hours and serving children with disabilities. In collaboration with OCC’s National Center on Subsidy Innovation and Accountability (NCSIA), the contractor shall provide TA that supports CCDF Lead Agencies in developing financing strategies and subsidy policies that promote quality child care.

The contractor shall offer strategies for using technology, data analysis, and research to enhance licensing, monitoring, and continuous quality improvement systems and other efficiencies and innovations that lead to increased protection, visible and accessible consumer education for providers and parents, and mechanisms supporting continuous quality of care for children across child care settings. This includes tracking information related to child care licensing across states and territories.

Task 4: Technical Assistance Tools and Websites

The purpose of this task is to outline the technical assistance (TA) tools used in the delivery of TA --and currently maintained by the SCBC Contractor. These TA tools are used to:

• track CCDF lead agency TA requests;

• measure TA outcomes; and

• promote excellence by sharing best practices, practical resources and approaches, consumer education, and data with CCDF lead agencies, providers, and families -- the consumers of child care services.

Table 4.1 below identifies and describes the tools that support these objectives.

Table 4.1. Office of Child Care Technical Assistance (TA) and Consumer Education Tools

TA Tool Current Hosting

Environment Description

Technical Assistance Tracker

(TAT)

ServiceNow managed platform

(FedRAMP GovCloud)

TAT is the tool that allows OCC and national technical assistance (TA) partners, funded by OCC, document TA requests from state, territory, and tribal lead agencies. OCC reviews and approves lead agency TA requests and assignments to TA partners, and TA partners deliver the requested TA, provide status updates in the TAT, and document status when a request is completed. TAT allows its users to generate reports on TA requests, activities, status, milestones, by grantee, topic, region, delivery method, etc.

Child Care Technical Assistance Network (CCTAN) website and its resources https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov https://pcqc.acf.hhs.gov https://LicensingRegulations.a cf.hhs.gov

AWS Public Cloud

CCTAN is a public facing website which provides resources designed to build early childhood program capacity and promote best practices across communities, states, territories, and tribes. The resources are developed by technical assistance (TA) providers funded by OCC and other ACF/HHS partners.

Consumer education website www.ChildCare.gov

ACF NGSC

environment

ChildCare.gov helps parents access safe and quality child care services in their community that best suits their family’s needs. ChildCare.gov provides links to State or Territory child care websites that parents use to search for child care and consumer education information.

Hosting for the TAT tool and the CCTAN website and its resources may migrate to one or more…