The Office of Child Care (OCC) is pleased to announce the fiscal year (FY) 2025-2027 CCDF Plan for States and Territories is now final and available on OCC’s website. As previously disclosed, State and Territory submissions of the FY 2025-2027 Plan are due to OCC no later than July 1, 2024. A separate Program Instruction with details for completing and submitting the Plan through the CARS data system is also included on the website. We expect the CARS system to be available starting in May 2024 and will send a separate announcement about CARS training dates.
The final CCDF Plan for States and Territories reflects input from a variety of stakeholders via the public comment process and feedback from Lead Agencies and other stakeholders collected throughout the previous plan cycle. The FY 2025-2027 State/Territory Plan serves as the State/Territory Lead Agency’s application for a three-year cycle of CCDF funds and is the primary mechanism OCC uses to determine Lead Agency compliance with the requirements of the statute and regulation. The Plan aims to capture the most accurate and up-to-date information about how a State/Territory is implementing its CCDF program and thus serves as a compliance document, a national data collection tool, and a planning resource for working with partners in states and territories to implement the CCDF program and reflect their priorities. The Plan will be used by OCC to evaluate Lead Agency compliance with the recently revised CCDF Rule, 45 CFR Part 98. This FY 2025-2027 State/Territory Plan is a key part of the overall framework OCC is using to align the Plan, monitoring, and technical assistance supports to effectively achieve the CCDF policy goals and a CCDF child care program that meets the needs of the children and families it serves.
Additional guidance, resources, and training on the Plan is forthcoming, including information on how the Plan will intersect with the 2024 final rule and the upcoming availability of transitional waivers related to new requirements in the Rule.