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Bill to let ACA‑accredited camps accept childcare subsidies advances amid federal-alignment concerns
Summary
Senate Bill 293 would let camps accredited by the American Camp Association qualify for state childcare purchase-of-care dollars; the Department of Education cautioned that ACA standards are not automatically equivalent to federal CCDBG requirements and asked for clarifying revisions to avoid jeopardizing federal subsidies.
Senator Pardee presented SB 293 to the Senate Education Committee, saying the bill creates a pathway for camps accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA) to meet Delaware licensure standards and accept purchase-of-care (state-administered federal subsidy) funding. Pardee said the change responds to a bottleneck: only a handful of licensed camps in the state can accept purchase-of-care, limiting access for working families outside New Castle County.
Nicole Friedman of the YMCA of Delaware told the committee ACA accreditation aligns closely with federal health and safety rules and said, if passed, the bill’s implementation could begin Jan. 1 with regulators filling gaps in rule revisions this fall. She noted that some other states already authorize ACA-accredited camps to receive childcare subsidy dollars.
Department of Education officials warned against assuming automatic equivalence between ACA accreditation and the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) health and safety requirements that underpin federal subsidy eligibility. An agency official explained OCCL (Office of Child Care Licensing) must confirm whether ACA accreditation includes required federal training, background checks and other program-level standards; the department said it is obtaining the ACA standards text to perform a detailed crosswalk before endorsing legislation as written.
Officials and the sponsor agreed to continue working on a revised bill or substitute to ensure state law aligns with federal CCDBG requirements and does not jeopardize existing federal funding. James Torrance of the Maryland Alliance of YMCAs offered technical assistance to help the state compare ACA and federal standards.
The committee did not vote on the final bill text; sponsors asked regulators and stakeholders to collaborate on an amendment that would allow expanded access while preserving compliance with federal rules.
