Acronyms
ACF: Administration for Children and Families: The primary federal agency that oversees programs for young children and their families, ACF is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and contains the Office of Child Care (OCC) and the Office of Head Start (OHS).
AFDC: Aid to Families with Dependent Children: A grant program to enable states to provide cash welfare programs for needy children who have been deprived of parental support or care because their father or mother was absent from the home, incapacitated, deceased, or unemployed. PRWORA replaced AFDC.
ARRA: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: A stimulus packaged developed in response to the Great Recession. The primary objective was to save existing jobs and create new ones as soon as possible. Other objectives were to provide temporary relief programs for those most affected by the recession and invest in infrastructure, education, health, and renewable energy.
CACFP: Child and Adult Care Food Program: Pays for nutritious meals and snacks for eligible children enrolled at participating child care centers and family child care homes and provides ongoing training, technical assistance and support.
CCAMPIS: Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program: Pronounced "see-campus," this program supports the participation of low-income parents in post-secondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services.
CCDBG: Child Care and Development Block Grant: The name of the law that funds states' child care subsidy programs and enforces regulations for programs receiving those funds. Created in 1990 and last reauthorized 2014. May also be referred to as CCDF, or the Child Care and Development Fund.
CDCTC: Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: Offsetting a portion of eligible families' child care expenses, it is the only federal tax credit designed specifically to address child care affordability. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is a different credit, with different purposes.
CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program: Federal-state partnership that provides health coverage options for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford marketplace or other coverage. It was formerly known as S-CHIP (for State) and is sometimes still called by that name.
CLASS: Classroom Assessment Scoring System: A tool designed to analyze the quality of teacher-student interactions in the classroom. It produces qualitative ratings of teacher performance on a scale from 1-7 across three broad domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support.
ECERS-R: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised: An observational tool designed to assess the quality of center-based preschool classrooms. There are 43 items organized in 7 sub-scales: space and furnishings, personal care routines, language and literacy, learning activities, interaction, and program structure.
EHCY: Education for Homeless Children and Youth: a program that provides formula grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) to help ensure that all homeless children and youth have equal access to the same FAPE including public preschool education that is provided to other children and youth. It is the only federal education program exclusively focused on homeless children and youth.
ESSA: Every Student Succeeds Act: Newest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, previously known as NCLB, or No Child Left Behind. It is the main federal law governing the nation's elementary and secondary schools.
FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education: An educational entitlement of all students in the U.S., guaranteed by IDEA. A cornerstone of IDEA is that each eligible child with a disability is entitled to "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet the child's unique needs and that prepares the child for further education, employment, and independent living.
FCCERS-R: Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale Revised Edition: A thorough revision of the original FDCRS, designed to assess family child care programs conducted in a provider's home for children from infancy through school age. The scale consists of 38 items organized into 7 sub-scales: space and furnishings, personal care routines, listening and talking, activities, interaction, program structure, and parents and provider.
JOBS: Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training: A welfare-to-work program created by the Family Support Act of 1988 to replace the Work Incentive program created by the Social Security Act Amendments of 1967.
IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Makes available a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to eligible children with disabilities for children beginning at age 3 (Part B); and provides grants to states for Early Intervention (EI) services for infants and toddlers (Part C).
ITERS-R: Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised Edition: A classroom assessment tool designed to measure the quality of group programs for infants and toddlers. The scale consists of 39 items organized into 7 sub-scales: space and furnishings, personal care routines, listening and talking, activities, interaction, program structure, and parents and staff.
HEA: Higher Education Act: Governs higher education programs and student loan programs, guiding states and institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the implementation of the law. Created in 1965; last reauthorized in 2008.
HELP: Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee: The name of the Senate committee that has jurisdiction over health care, education, employment and retirement policies.
LEA: Local Education Agency: A public board of education or other public authority within a state that maintains administrative control of public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a state.
OMB: Office of Management and Budget: Creates the President's budget and reviews all regulations.
PDG: Preschool Development Grant: Created as a part of ESSA in 2015, these are grants to states that are designed to help states improve early childhood systems serving children from birth to five.
NDD: Non-defense discretionary spending: Refers to the domestic and international programs outside of national defense that Congress funds on an annual basis. These programs are called "discretionary" because Congress must set funding levels for them each year through the appropriations process.
SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Also known as "food stamps," SNAP is a federal program that provides nutrition benefits to low-income individuals and families.
TANF: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Often known as "welfare," TANF replaces Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in 1996 and provides cash assistance, job training, and other services, including child care, to low-income families via grants to states.
T.E.A.C.H. vs. TEACH: Teacher Education and Compensations Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood is a comprehensive scholarship program and national strategy helping address the need for a well-qualified, fairly compensated and stable workforce, operating in 20 states. Though they share the same name - and we care about both - T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood is different from the federal TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) grants, which provide up to $4,000 a year to eligible students preparing to be teachers, who have to take certain kinds of classes in order to get the grant, and then do a certain kind of job to keep the grant from turning into a loan.
AFDC: Aid to Families with Dependent Children: A grant program to enable states to provide cash welfare programs for needy children who have been deprived of parental support or care because their father or mother was absent from the home, incapacitated, deceased, or unemployed. PRWORA replaced AFDC.
ARRA: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: A stimulus packaged developed in response to the Great Recession. The primary objective was to save existing jobs and create new ones as soon as possible. Other objectives were to provide temporary relief programs for those most affected by the recession and invest in infrastructure, education, health, and renewable energy.
CACFP: Child and Adult Care Food Program: Pays for nutritious meals and snacks for eligible children enrolled at participating child care centers and family child care homes and provides ongoing training, technical assistance and support.
CCAMPIS: Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program: Pronounced "see-campus," this program supports the participation of low-income parents in post-secondary education through the provision of campus-based child care services.
CCDBG: Child Care and Development Block Grant: The name of the law that funds states' child care subsidy programs and enforces regulations for programs receiving those funds. Created in 1990 and last reauthorized 2014. May also be referred to as CCDF, or the Child Care and Development Fund.
CDCTC: Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: Offsetting a portion of eligible families' child care expenses, it is the only federal tax credit designed specifically to address child care affordability. The Child Tax Credit (CTC) is a different credit, with different purposes.
CHIP: Children's Health Insurance Program: Federal-state partnership that provides health coverage options for children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford marketplace or other coverage. It was formerly known as S-CHIP (for State) and is sometimes still called by that name.
CLASS: Classroom Assessment Scoring System: A tool designed to analyze the quality of teacher-student interactions in the classroom. It produces qualitative ratings of teacher performance on a scale from 1-7 across three broad domains: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support.
ECERS-R: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised: An observational tool designed to assess the quality of center-based preschool classrooms. There are 43 items organized in 7 sub-scales: space and furnishings, personal care routines, language and literacy, learning activities, interaction, and program structure.
EHCY: Education for Homeless Children and Youth: a program that provides formula grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) to help ensure that all homeless children and youth have equal access to the same FAPE including public preschool education that is provided to other children and youth. It is the only federal education program exclusively focused on homeless children and youth.
ESSA: Every Student Succeeds Act: Newest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, previously known as NCLB, or No Child Left Behind. It is the main federal law governing the nation's elementary and secondary schools.
FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education: An educational entitlement of all students in the U.S., guaranteed by IDEA. A cornerstone of IDEA is that each eligible child with a disability is entitled to "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet the child's unique needs and that prepares the child for further education, employment, and independent living.
FCCERS-R: Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale Revised Edition: A thorough revision of the original FDCRS, designed to assess family child care programs conducted in a provider's home for children from infancy through school age. The scale consists of 38 items organized into 7 sub-scales: space and furnishings, personal care routines, listening and talking, activities, interaction, program structure, and parents and provider.
JOBS: Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training: A welfare-to-work program created by the Family Support Act of 1988 to replace the Work Incentive program created by the Social Security Act Amendments of 1967.
IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Makes available a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to eligible children with disabilities for children beginning at age 3 (Part B); and provides grants to states for Early Intervention (EI) services for infants and toddlers (Part C).
ITERS-R: Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale-Revised Edition: A classroom assessment tool designed to measure the quality of group programs for infants and toddlers. The scale consists of 39 items organized into 7 sub-scales: space and furnishings, personal care routines, listening and talking, activities, interaction, program structure, and parents and staff.
HEA: Higher Education Act: Governs higher education programs and student loan programs, guiding states and institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the implementation of the law. Created in 1965; last reauthorized in 2008.
HELP: Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee: The name of the Senate committee that has jurisdiction over health care, education, employment and retirement policies.
LEA: Local Education Agency: A public board of education or other public authority within a state that maintains administrative control of public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a state.
OMB: Office of Management and Budget: Creates the President's budget and reviews all regulations.
PDG: Preschool Development Grant: Created as a part of ESSA in 2015, these are grants to states that are designed to help states improve early childhood systems serving children from birth to five.
NDD: Non-defense discretionary spending: Refers to the domestic and international programs outside of national defense that Congress funds on an annual basis. These programs are called "discretionary" because Congress must set funding levels for them each year through the appropriations process.
SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Also known as "food stamps," SNAP is a federal program that provides nutrition benefits to low-income individuals and families.
TANF: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Often known as "welfare," TANF replaces Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in 1996 and provides cash assistance, job training, and other services, including child care, to low-income families via grants to states.
T.E.A.C.H. vs. TEACH: Teacher Education and Compensations Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood is a comprehensive scholarship program and national strategy helping address the need for a well-qualified, fairly compensated and stable workforce, operating in 20 states. Though they share the same name - and we care about both - T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood is different from the federal TEACH (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) grants, which provide up to $4,000 a year to eligible students preparing to be teachers, who have to take certain kinds of classes in order to get the grant, and then do a certain kind of job to keep the grant from turning into a loan.
