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New Childcare.gov Technical Assistance Resource Page Available Now!


From the Office of Child Care -- We are pleased to share the new childcare.gov resource page that includes a wide range of technical assistance resources for the childcare.gov project and Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) grantees who will connect their consumer education website data with childcare.gov. The new resource page is available at this website.

The page highlights new and existing technical resources and documentation related to data and information technology topics that States and Territories can use to develop their own consumer education websites and to connect with childcare.gov. We encourage you to review and use these resources and to share them with others who might find them useful. Please visit the new childcare.gov resource page often to get new and updated resources. Also, you can reach out to the childcare.gov project team at askchildcaregov@icf.com with any questions, comments, or feedback.

New Resources

  • Roadmap for connecting to childcare.gov—The resource page includes a roadmap for connecting to childcare.gov. The roadmap is broken into eight steps and identifies key considerations, staff to involve, and resources for each step. States and Territories can use the roadmap to plan and implement connections with childcare.gov.

  • Data Dictionary (DD), Version 1.0—As the first release of the data dictionary for childcare.gov, the data dictionary provides a high-level overview of the data elements collected within childcare.gov.

  • Technical Bulletin for the Data Dictionary (v1.0)—As a companion document to the data dictionary for childcare.gov, the bulletin includes the technical details and frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to the data elements.

  • CSV Sample Template (for DD v1.0)—This Excel spreadsheet provides the structure and sample data for submitting data to childcare.gov using the comma separated values file format, one of two submission options.

  • Childcare.gov FAQs, Version 2.0—These updated FAQs respond to inquiries submitted by CCDF administrators and provide new details on the childcare.gov project.

  • Ready to Connect, Version 2.0—This updated guide will assist States and Territories in preparing for participation in the childcare.gov project.

Additionally, older resources and materials related to a series of listening sessions, family focus groups, and other communication and outreach forums to help inform the design are available.

Childcare.gov vision: Childcare.gov will disseminate family-friendly, publicly available child care consumer education information for parents, providers, and the general public to help families access safe, high-quality child care services in their communities. The website will provide access to a location-based search for child care providers to meet parents’ needs and to support States’ and Territories’ efforts to connect families to quality child care. Childcare.gov will rely on publicly available data provided by State and Territory child care agencies, CCDF grantees, and partner agencies.

For more information, contact Paula Bendl Smith, Office of Child Care (OCC), at paula.smith@acf.hhs.gov.

Office of Child Care

Administration for Children and Families

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Mary E. Switzer Building, Fourth Floor, MS 4425

330 C Street, S.W.

Washington, DC 20201

General office number: (202) 690-6782

Fax: (202) 690-5600

General e-mail: occ@acf.hhs.gov

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