Section 410-U. Establishment of block grant for child care

1. The
  department shall establish a state block grant for child care  comprised
  of all of the federal funds appropriated for child care under title IV-A
  of  the federal social security act and under the federal child care and
  development block grant act and any additional federal  funds  that  the
  state  chooses  to  transfer from the federal family assistance to needy
  families block grant to the child care and development block grant  plus
  any  state  funds  appropriated  for  the  provision  by social services
  districts of child care assistance to  families  in  receipt  of  family
  assistance  and other low income families and for activities to increase
  the availability and/or quality of child care programs.
    2. The state block grant for child care  shall  be  divided  into  two
  parts pursuant to a plan developed by the department and approved by the
  director  of  the  budget.    One part shall be retained by the state to
  provide child care on a  statewide  basis  to  special  groups  and  for
  activities  to  increase  the  availability and/or quality of child care
  programs, including, but not limited to,  the  start-up  of  child  care
  programs,  the  operation  of child care resource and referral programs,
  training  activities,  the  regulation  and  monitoring  of  child  care
  programs,  the  development  of  computerized data systems, and consumer
  education, provided however,  that  child  care  resource  and  referral
  programs  funded under title five-B of article six of this chapter shall
  meet additional performance standards developed  by  the  department  of
  social  services  including but not limited to: increasing the number of
  child care placements for persons  who  are  at  or  below  two  hundred
  percent  of  the  state  income  standard  with  emphasis  on placements
  supporting local efforts in meeting federal and state work participation
  requirements, increasing technical assistance to all modalities of legal
  child care to persons who are at or below two  hundred  percent  of  the
  state  income  standard,  including  the provision of training to assist
  providers in meeting child care standards  or  regulatory  requirements,
  and creating new child care opportunities, and assisting social services
  districts in assessing and responding to child care needs for persons at
  or  below  two  hundred  percent  of  the  state  income  standard.  The
  department shall  have  the  authority  to  withhold  funds  from  those
  agencies  which  do not meet performance standards. Agencies whose funds
  are  withheld  may  have  funds  restored  upon  achieving   performance
  standards.    The  other  part  shall  be  allocated  to social services
  districts to provide child care assistance to families receiving  family
  assistance and to other low income families.
    3.  Notwithstanding  any other provision of law, expenditures of funds
  from the block grant shall be governed by this title.