PROGRAM INSTRUCTION
- Log No: ACF-OCC-CCDF-PI-2025-09
- Issuance Date: September 10, 2025
- Originating Office: Office of Child Care
- Key Words: Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF); Revised ACF-801 Child Care Case-Level Report and Instructions
TO
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) State and Territorial Lead Agencies and other interested parties.
SUBJECT
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Child Care Case-Level Form and Instructions (ACF-801 Report) for State and Territorial Lead Agencies.
REFERENCES
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 1990, as amended (42 USC 9857, et seq.); regulations at 45 CFR 98.70(a) and 98.71(a).Relevant Technical Bulletins are located on the Office of Child Care (OCC) website.
PURPOSE
To inform state and territory lead agencies that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the revised ACF-801 Report with changes. The approved form and instructions are attached.
BACKGROUND
Case-level child care program information for CCDF is required by Section 658K of the CCDBG Act, as amended. The case-level administrative information received through this collection provides the means to analyze and evaluate the CCDF program and the extent to which states and territories are assisting families in addressing child care needs.
The approved ACF-801 Report will provide the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) with the information necessary to make its biennial Report to Congress, address national child care needs, offer technical assistance to grantees, meet performance measures, and conduct research. The OMB has approved the ACF-801 Report through June 30, 2028 (OMB Control Number 0970-0167).
REVISED REPORT AND INSTRUCTIONS
OCC has incorporated revisions and additions to the child ethnicity and race data elements as required by the new OMB’s Statistical Policy Directive 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity (SPD 15). Effective as of October 2027, the specific changes to data elements include:
- New Data Element #17a: Middle Eastern or North African (MENA): New reporting category distinct from all other previous reporting categories for race of child.
- New Combined Race and Ethnicity Question: Hispanic or Latino (data element #18) will now be combined with Race of Child to create one Race and/or Ethnicity of Child question (data elements #17a-23).
Note: Technical bulletins for the ACF-801 standards and format will be updated in FY2026 to provide guidance for ensuring accurate data in time for the October 2027 report submission.
DUE DATES
Case-level data is collected monthly and reported quarterly. Reports are due 60 days after the end of each quarter. States and territories may submit case level data monthly instead of quarterly. If they choose to submit the data monthly, the report is due 90 days after the reported month. State and territory lead agencies are expected to begin reporting the approved changes in the October 2027 monthly ACF-801 submission.
WHO MUST REPORT
State and territory Lead Agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), and Territories (including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) are responsible for completing the ACF-801 Report.
PENALTIES FOR NON-REPORTING
The statute provides that the Secretary of Health and Human Services may impose sanctions on a Lead Agency for non-compliance with any requirement of the CCDF program (CCDBG Act, Section 658I(b)(2)(B)). For example, the regulations provide that the Secretary may impose a penalty of not more than four percent of the discretionary funds for a fiscal year, if a determination is made that a Lead Agency has failed to implement a provision of the Act, the regulations, or the Lead Agency's triennial Plan (45 CFR 98.92(b)(2). Lead agencies failing to provide reports may be subject to this penalty (63 FR 39980) or other sanctions.
ELECTRONIC REPORT
State and territory lead agencies are expected to begin reporting the approved changes in the October 2027 monthly ACF-801 records submitted electronically to theChild Care Automated Reporting System (CARS). CARS is a web-based, password protected application that checks for data compliance with data standards at the time of submission. OCC will notify state and territory lead agencies when CARS is ready to receive and process the updated ACF-801 format. OCC plans to provide training and technical support to lead agencies in submitting the updated ACF-801 data in CARS.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Assistance related to the submission of the ACF-801 Reportis available on the OCC website. CARS technical assistance specialists can answer questions and provide guidance in preparation of the program information and submission of the ACF-801 Report. State and territory lead agencies may contact the CARS team at their toll-free number, (877) 249-9117, weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), or by email at cars@acf.hhs.gov to discuss their ACF-801 and other CARS questions.
REPORTING PROBLEMS OR POLICY QUESTIONS
Lead agencies that have problems complying with the statutory reporting requirements should contact ACF for technical assistance.Questions should be directed to the appropriate ACF Regional Child Care Program Manager.
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT
Collection of the information for the ACF-801 Report is expected to average 25 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The information collection required under this Program Instruction is approved under OMB Control Number 0970-0167, which expires June 30, 2028.
/s/
Anne-Marie D. Twohie
Acting Director
Office of Child Care
ATTACHMENTS
ACF-801 Form and Instructions (PDF)—approved through September 2027 report
ACF-801 Form and Instructions (PDF)—effective with October 2027 report