DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES TO PREPARE REPORTS ON DEMOGRAPHIC DATA IN EARLY CHILD CARE AND EDUCATION POPULATIONS.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Romer

Reps. Bolden, Neal, Ross Levin, K. Johnson

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 14

DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES TO PREPARE REPORTS ON DEMOGRAPHIC DATA IN EARLY CHILD CARE AND EDUCATION POPULATIONS.

WHEREAS, the Purchase of Care (POC) Program in Delaware is a subsidy that provides support for early childhood and after-school education for children from birth through age 12 living within 215 percent of the federal poverty level; and

WHEREAS, funding for POC comes from federal and state sources, which help low-income families pay for their child care so that parents or guardians can work or receive workforce training; and

WHEREAS, the Delaware Division of Social Services (DSS) is responsible for setting the standards and distributing this benefit to Delawareans; and

WHEREAS, having accurate data is integral to determining appropriate funding for the POC program as well assisting in formulating policy to expertly build and expand the program.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware that the Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) is directed to provide a report on or before December 1, 2025, March 1, 2026, and June 1, 2026, on Delaware POC that details the number of individual children served each month in Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025; the total amount of money spent on POC in Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025; and what portion of the funds came from state, federal, or one-time stimulus sources, parent co-pays, and any other sources. For federal funding sources, DHSS shall provide a breakdown including the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Social Services Block Grant Program (SSBG), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and any other funding source and whether those funds are one-time funded. The report must include the following information, if available:

1. Utilization data, including number of children billed for half day and full day rates, school age only children, school age summer only children, number of children authorized, number of children enrolled, percentage of children who use the POC program compared to the percentage of children who never utilize the POC service, and attendance of children by month and for the year, using an unduplicated count statewide and broken down by county.

2. Utilization data in 2024 and 2025 during the months of September through June, including school age children billed part day, number of children enrolled, and a percentage of school age children who use POC compared to the percentage of utilization data from 2024 and 2025 during the months of July and August, including full time school age children only, number of children enrolled, and a percentage of school age children who use POC. The report shall include the number of absent days covered for children utilizing the service, for 0-5 and school age, including how many individual children missed 10 or more days for more than 3 months per year.

3. The demographics of children and their families that utilize POC, including race, household income range by percentage of the federal poverty level, and household type.

4. The number of unduplicated children, per year, receiving a special education rate and progress on implementing the new rates as recommended in 2023.

5. A report on Fiscal Year 2026, broken down by state and federal funding, on spending to date by quarter, anticipated spending by quarter, the number of children anticipated to attend each month, and anticipated remaining funding at the end of Fiscal Year 2026, including an assessment of what portion of the budget is being held in reserve in the event attendance increases or for any other purposes. The report should document the number of families and households

that are at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, that are between 150% and 185% of the federal poverty level, that are between 185% and 200% of the federal poverty level, that are between 200% and 215% of the federal poverty level, that are between 215% and 250% of the federal poverty level, and that are between 250% and 300% of the federal poverty level. The report should include a cost estimation for families and households at 300%, 350%, and 400% of the federal poverty level; cost estimation for extending the graduated phase out to 350%, and 400% of federal poverty level; and a cost estimation for increasing rates to the federal benchmark of the 75th percentile of the market rate study. The report should also include the number who are eligible for reauthorization of POC who are denied or no longer eligible, with a breakdown of the reasons, including increase of wages and not meeting 200% of the federal poverty level, change in work status, and other reasons.

5. Progress made toward implementing policies adopted in the Child Care Development Fund plan, including paying based on enrollment beginning in 2026, contracting for spots, and incentivizing providing care during non-traditional hours.

6. Any anticipated and enacted changes in the reporting period to policies including co-payments, absence days, and other changes.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DHSS shall report and summarize cost estimation for the new alternative methodology for rate setting, known as “cost estimation modeling,” which shall be included in the new quarterly reports.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DHSS and DOE shall present to the Delaware Early Childhood Council and the Interagency Resource Management Committee (IRMC) data collection and implementation, and the data included in this report. The reports shall be made public on a state website within one week of the published date.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any report discussed herein must be submitted to the Controller General, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Co-Chairs of the Joint Finance Committee, the Delaware Early Childhood Council, and the Interagency Resource Management Committee (IRMC).

SYNOPSIS

This Resolution directs the Department of Health and Social Services to prepare reports on the Purchase of Care Program.