In combination with a traditional voucher system, contracted slots can be utilized to serve vulnerable or underrepresented populations and help ensure a variety of child care choices are available for lowincome families. The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has provided contracted slots to providers across the Commonwealth to serve Infants and Toddlers since the launch of a pilot program in 2018.

The Infant Toddler Contracted Slots (CS-IT) program has since expanded to serve additional children and families spanning 18 of the 19 Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) regions. This program is mutually beneficial to families, children, and early learning providers as it offers guaranteed payment for a oneyear service period to the provider and does not require co-payment from the family.

In April 2024, the Administration of Children and Families’ (ACF) – Office of Child Care (OCC) issued a final rule with regulatory changes to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) which is the primary federal funding source devoted to supporting child care for families with low incomes and to increasing the quality of child care for all children. The Final Rule amends the CCDF regulations to: (1) lower families’ costs for child care, to increase access to child care and improve family well-being; (2) strengthen CCDF payment practices to child care providers, to expand parents’ child care options and better support child care operations; and (3) reduce program bureaucracy for families, to make it easier for families to enroll in CCDF programming. (federalregister.gov)

The rule requires Lead Agencies to use some grants and contracts for direct child care services to enable CCDF to better address child care supply issues for participating families. The rule specifically requires “Lead Agencies to use some grants and contracts for children in underserved geographic areas, infants and toddlers, and children with disabilities.” (federalregister.gov)

Pennsylvania’s Contracted Slots program aims to improve access to high-quality early childhood education and services to vulnerable populations, including infants, toddlers, and children with differing abilities. This initiative is designed to enhance access to early learning and support long-term developmental outcomes for children and families. These programs will allow Pennsylvania to be compliant with the Final Rule as it relates to grants and contracts for specific populations. The Contracted Slots program will benefit providers, children, and their families.