to enroll such child with a child care provider that has a grant or contract for the provision of such services; or

to receive a child care certificate as defined in section 9858n(2) of this title;

in cases in which the parent selects the option described in clause (i)(I), the child will be enrolled with the eligible provider selected by the parent to the maximum extent practicable; and

child care certificates offered to parents selecting the option described in clause (i)(II) shall be of a value commensurate with the subsidy value of child care services provided under the option described in clause (i)(I);

the availability of child care services provided through programs authorized by this subchapter and, if feasible, other child care services and other programs provided in the State for which the family may be eligible, as well as the availability of financial assistance to obtain child care services in the State;

if available, information about the quality of providers, as determined by the State, that can be provided through a Quality Rating and Improvement System;

information, made available through a State Web site, describing the State process for licensing child care providers, the State processes for conducting background checks, and monitoring and inspections, of child care providers, and the offenses that prevent individuals and entities from serving as child care providers in the State;

other programs for which families that receive child care services for which financial assistance is provided under this subchapter may be eligible, including the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families established under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), Head Start and Early Head Start programs carried out under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), the program carried out under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.), the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children established under section 1786 of this title, the child and adult care food program established under section 1766 of this title, and the Medicaid and State children’s health insurance programs under titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq., 1397aa et seq.);

programs carried out under section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.);

research and best practices concerning children’s development, including social and emotional development, early childhood development, and meaningful parent and family engagement, and physical health and development (particularly healthy eating and physical activity); and

the State policies regarding the social-emotional behavioral health of young children, which may include positive behavioral intervention and support models, and policies on expulsion of preschool-aged children, in early childhood programs receiving assistance under this subchapter; and

information on existing (as of the date of submission of the application containing the plan) resources and services the State can deploy, including the coordinated use of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment program under the Medicaid program carried out under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) and developmental screening services available under section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1419, 1431 et seq.), in conducting developmental screenings and providing referrals to services, when appropriate, for children who receive assistance under this subchapter; and

a description of how a family or eligible child care provider may utilize the resources and services described in subclause (I) to obtain developmental screenings for children who receive assistance under this subchapter who may be at risk for cognitive or other developmental delays, which may include social, emotional, physical, or linguistic delays.

shall be conducted on an ongoing basis, provide for a progression of professional development (which may include encouraging the pursuit of postsecondary education), reflect current research and best practices relating to the skills necessary for the child care workforce to meet the developmental needs of participating children, and improve the quality of, and stability within, the child care workforce;

shall be developed in consultation with the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care (designated or established pursuant to section 642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i))), and may engage training providers in aligning training opportunities with the State’s training framework;

incorporates 2 knowledge and application of the State’s early learning and developmental guidelines (where applicable), the State’s health and safety standards, and incorporates social-emotional behavior intervention models, which may include positive behavior intervention and support models;

shall be accessible to providers supported through Indian tribes or tribal organizations that receive assistance under this subchapter; and

different age groups;

English learners;

children with disabilities; and

Native Americans, including Indians, as the term is defined in section 5304 of title 25 (including Alaska Natives within the meaning of that term), and Native Hawaiians (as defined in section 7517 of title 20).

group size limits for specific age populations, as determined by the State;

the appropriate ratio between the number of children and the number of providers, in terms of the age of the children in child care, as determined by the State; and

required qualifications for such providers, as determined by the State.

the prevention and control of infectious diseases (including immunization) and the establishment of a grace period that allows homeless children and children in foster care to receive services under this subchapter while their families (including foster families) are taking any necessary action to comply with immunization and other health and safety requirements;

prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices;

the administration of medication, consistent with standards for parental consent;

the prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions;

building and physical premises safety, including identification of and protection from hazards that can cause bodily injury such as electrical hazards, bodies of water, and vehicular traffic;

prevention of shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma;

emergency preparedness and response planning for emergencies resulting from a natural disaster, or a man-caused event (such as violence at a child care facility), within the meaning of those terms under section 5195a(a)(1) of this title;

the handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of biocontaminants;

for providers that offer transportation, if applicable, appropriate precautions in transporting children;

first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and

minimum health and safety training, to be completed pre-service or during an orientation period in addition to ongoing training, appropriate to the provider setting involved that addresses each of the requirements relating to matters described in subclauses (I) through (X); and

may include requirements relating to nutrition, access to physical activity, or any other subject area determined by the State to be necessary to promote child development or to protect children’s health and safety.

ensure that individuals who are hired as licensing inspectors in the State are qualified to inspect those child care providers and facilities and have received training in related health and safety requirements, and are trained in all aspects of the State’s licensure requirements;

not less than 1 prelicensure inspection, for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards, of each such child care provider and facility in the State; and

not less than annually, an inspection (which shall be unannounced) of each such child care provider and facility in the State for compliance with all child care licensing standards, which shall include an inspection for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards (inspectors may inspect for compliance with all 3 standards at the same time);

require the ratio of licensing inspectors to such child care providers and facilities in the State to be maintained at a level sufficient to enable the State to conduct inspections of such child care providers and facilities on a timely basis in accordance with Federal, State, and local law; and

require licensing inspectors (or qualified inspectors designated by the lead agency) of child care providers and facilities to perform an annual inspection of each license-exempt provider in the State receiving funds under this subchapter (unless the provider is an eligible child care provider as described in section 9858n(6)(B) of this title) for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards, at a time to be determined by the State.

children in underserved areas;

infants and toddlers;

children with disabilities, as defined by the State; and

children who receive care during nontraditional hours.

a certification that the payment practices of child care providers in the State that serve children who receive assistance under this subchapter reflect generally accepted payment practices of child care providers in the State that serve children who do not receive assistance under this subchapter, so as to provide stability of funding and encourage more child care providers to serve children who receive assistance under this subchapter; and

an assurance that the State will, to the extent practicable, implement enrollment and eligibility policies that support the fixed costs of providing child care services by delinking provider reimbursement rates from an eligible child’s occasional absences due to holidays or unforseen 4 circumstances such as illness.

be research-based, developmentally appropriate, and aligned with entry to kindergarten;

be implemented in consultation with the state 5 educational agency and the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care (designated or established pursuant to section 642B(b)(I)(A)(i) 6 of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i)); 7 and

be updated as determined by the State.

will be the sole basis for a child care provider being determined to be ineligible to participate in the program carried out under this subchapter;

will be used as the primary or sole basis to provide a reward or sanction for an individual provider;

will be used as the primary or sole method for assessing program effectiveness; or

will be used to deny children eligibility to participate in the program carried out under this subchapter.

supporting learning or improving a classroom environment;

targeting professional development to a provider;

determining the need for health, mental health, disability, developmental delay, or family support services;

obtaining information for the quality improvement process at the State level; or

conducting a program evaluation for the purposes of providing program improvement and parent information.

mandate, direct, control, or place conditions (outside of what is required by this subchapter) around adopting a State’s early learning and developmental guidelines developed in accordance with this section;

establish any criterion that specifies, defines, prescribes, or places conditions (outside of what is required by this subchapter) on a State adopting standards or measures that a State uses to establish, implement, or improve such guidelines, related accountability systems, or alignment of such guidelines with education standards; or

require a State to submit such guidelines for review.

evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place, and lock-down procedures, and procedures for communication and reunification with families, continuity of operations, and accommodation of infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children with chronic medical conditions;

guidelines for the continuation of child care services in the period following the emergency or disaster, which may include the provision of emergency and temporary child care services, and temporary operating standards for child care providers during that period; and

procedures for staff and volunteer emergency preparedness training and practice drills.

inform the State that the State has until the date that is 6 months after the Secretary has issued such report to fully comply with clause (i);

provide the State an opportunity to modify the State plan of such State, to make the plan consistent with the requirements of clause (i), and resubmit such State plan to the Secretary not later than the date described in item (aa); and

if the State does not fully comply with clause (i) and item (bb), by the date described in item (aa), withhold 5 percent of the funds that would otherwise be allocated to that State in accordance with this subchapter for the first full fiscal year after that date.

provide parents in the State with consumer education information referred to in paragraph (2)(E) (except as otherwise provided in that paragraph), concerning the full range of child care options (including faith-based and community-based child care providers), analyzed by provider, including child care provided during nontraditional hours and through emergency child care centers, in their political subdivisions or regions;

to the extent practicable, work directly with families who receive assistance under this subchapter to offer the families support and assistance, using information described in item (aa), to make an informed decision about which child care providers they will use, in an effort to ensure that the families are enrolling their children in the most appropriate child care setting to suit their needs and one that is of high quality (as determined by the State);

collect data and provide information on the coordination of services and supports, including services under section 619 and part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [

collect data and provide information on the supply of and demand for child care services in political subdivisions or regions within the State and submit such information to the State;

work to establish partnerships with public agencies and private entities, including faith-based and community-based child care providers, to increase the supply and quality of child care services in the State; and

as appropriate, coordinate their activities with the activities of the State lead agency and local agencies that administer funds made available in accordance with this subchapter.

reserve the minimum amount required to be reserved under section 9858e of this title, and the funds for costs described in subparagraph (C); and

from the remainder, use not less than 70 percent to fund direct services (provided by the State) in accordance with paragraph (2)(A).

demonstrate that the State has, after consulting with the State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care designated or established in section 642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9837b(b)(1)(A)(i)), local child care program administrators, local child care resource and referral agencies, and other appropriate entities, developed and conducted (not earlier than 2 years before the date of the submission of the application containing the State plan) a statistically valid and reliable survey of the market rates for child care services in the State (that reflects variations in the cost of child care services by geographic area, type of provider, and age of child) or an alternative methodology, such as a cost estimation model, that has been developed by the State lead agency;

demonstrate that the State prepared a detailed report containing the results of the State market rates survey or alternative methodology conducted pursuant to clause (i), and made the results of the survey or alternative methodology widely available (not later than 30 days after the completion of such survey or alternative methodology) through periodic means, including posting the results on the Internet;

in accordance with the results of the market rates survey or alternative methodology conducted pursuant to clause (i);

taking into consideration the cost of providing higher quality child care services than were provided under this subchapter before November 19, 2014; and

without, to the extent practicable, reducing the number of families in the State receiving such assistance to carry out this subchapter, relative to the number of such families on November 19, 2014; and

describe how the State will provide for timely payment for child care services provided under this subchapter.

geographic location of child care providers (such as location in an urban or rural area);

the age or particular needs of children (such as the needs of children with disabilities and children served by child protective services);

whether the providers provide child care services during weekend and other nontraditional hours; or

the State’s determination that such differentiated payment rates may enable a parent to choose high-quality child care that best fits the parent’s needs.