Collaborating to Transform Childcare Services

Overview

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) to support low-income families. ACF faced challenges integrating data from diverse grantees, meeting federal guidelines, adapting to changing reporting requirements, and ensuring secure user access. To address these issues, Sky Solutions developed the Childcare Automated Reporting System (CARS), a modern, cloud-based platform that streamlined data collection, improved governance, and reduced administrative burdens.

Goal

The goal of this project was to streamline data management with a secure, cloud-based infrastructure, automate reporting workflows for efficiency and compliance, and enable data-driven decision-making through improved transparency and governance. It aimed to enhance user engagement with an intuitive design and create a scalable, cost-effective system adaptable to future needs.

Challenge

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), supports low-income families through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). ACF faced challenges such as integrating information from diverse grantees while adhering to strict federal guidelines, adapting quickly to frequent changes in reporting requirements, and ensuring secure self-registration and Single Sign-On (SSO) for its diverse user base. ACF required a resilient, cloud-based infrastructure to support mission-critical applications and improve overall service delivery.

Solutions

Sky Solutions partnered with ACF to develop the Childcare Automated Reporting System (CARS), automating the data collection, review, and reporting process for the CCDF program. Our approach emphasized collaboration, interoperability, and leveraging best-of-breed technologies to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency. Sky developed a modern platform focused on enhancing data governance and transparency, enabling stakeholders to make data-driven decisions while achieving federal compliance and reducing the administrative burden. The solution improved ACF’s ability to manage and leverage data as a strategic asset.

Technologies Used

Cloud (AWS, Azure, ServiceNow)
Appian
MariaDB
Tableau
Okta
Jira and Confluence
Agile Scrum

Outcome

Sky Solutions’ approach yielded high-quality outcomes, establishing a flexible, scalable framework adaptable to future needs. By using Agile Scrum methodology, we shortened delivery times and optimized user interfaces, creating an intuitive system that eased the submission process. Other key outcomes of the solution include:

Reduced operational and maintenance costs through AWS
Developed a single portal for states and tribes to submit OMB-approved forms, ensuring compliance
Developed a scalable system for rapid deployment of new features
Increased user engagement and adoption with a user-centered design

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