Add NSECE childcare attendance candidate and validation tools

CLAUDE.md

@@ -133,6 +133,15 @@ to the private repository; when you run `tools/build_uk_rowwise_candidate.py`
 yourself, pass `--staging-local-only` unless the operator asked for a staged
 upload.
 
+US fiscal builds require the NSECE childcare-attendance stage
+(`--childcare-attendance-household-tsv`, `--childcare-attendance-calendar-tsv`,
+`--childcare-attendance-inherit-outside-domain-baseline`): attendance is a
+required, non-waivable export input bound by a per-person receipt, a build
+without it is refused before calibration. The exact-k launcher accepts the same
+inputs through an optional `childcare_attendance` configuration object, checks
+the packaged survey pins, and forwards them to the fiscal builder. See
+[the attendance runbook](docs/us-childcare-attendance.md).
+
 The US fiscal-refresh builder scores its written H5 in household batches.
 Before a release rerun, run the small-H5 guard sweep described in
 [the release build rule](docs/us-release-build-rule.md#post-export-scoring).

README.md

@@ -71,6 +71,13 @@ This writes `progress.json`, `events.ndjson`, `calibration_progress.json`, and
 final candidate diagnostics under `runs/<run_id>/` without updating production
 `latest.json`.
 
+The three childcare-attendance inputs are required export inputs. A US fiscal
+build also needs the licensed NSECE files
+(`--childcare-attendance-household-tsv`, `--childcare-attendance-calendar-tsv`
+and `--childcare-attendance-inherit-outside-domain-baseline`); without them the
+build is refused before calibration. See
+[docs/us-childcare-attendance.md](docs/us-childcare-attendance.md).
+
 The UK commands (`tools/build_uk_frs_spine.py` and
 `tools/build_uk_rowwise_candidate.py`, whose `--release-role` builds either
 the national or the dense line) stage version 2 telemetry to
@@ -223,7 +230,9 @@ Check local files from HDF metadata alone with
 `uv run python -m microcosm.data.stored_inputs path/to/populace_us_2024.h5`.
 
 US exact-k ladder candidates use a tag-only lane. Run
-`tools/build_us_exact_k_ladder_release.py`, then execute the `publish_command`
+`tools/build_us_exact_k_ladder_release.py` with the
+[`childcare_attendance` source configuration](docs/us-childcare-attendance.md#build-and-reproduction)
+unless the pool already carries bound attendance inputs, then execute the `publish_command`
 recorded in `package_result.json`. That command includes `--create-tag`,
 `--no-latest`, and `--tag-only`: it uploads the immutable release and creates its
 tag without committing candidate artifacts or release copies to the production

changelog.d/915-us-childcare-attendance.added.md

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Derive the three PolicyEngine-US childcare attendance inputs (`childcare_attending_days_per_month`, `childcare_days_per_week`, `childcare_hours_per_day`) for children ages 0–12 from the licensed 2024 NSECE household and calendar files and transfer them onto the US fiscal refresh population (#915). `tools/build_us_fiscal_refresh_release.py` gains `--childcare-attendance-household-tsv`, `--childcare-attendance-calendar-tsv`, `--childcare-attendance-asec-cache` and `--childcare-attendance-inherit-outside-domain-baseline`; the three inputs become required release inputs bound to a per-person receipt that the native loaders and the builder's `--base-h5` loader check, that the L0 refit export carries forward, and that no coverage override can waive. The builder preserves receipts through value repairs, and the exact-k launcher accepts a `childcare_attendance` source configuration with packaged survey-pin checks. A build with neither the source files nor bound attendance is refused before calibration. PolicyEngine-US defaults are unchanged and no population is published.

changelog.d/916-attendance-cache-binding.fixed.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+Bind US fiscal target-frame checkpoints and reform-vector caches to the verified
+childcare attendance execution, so a rerun with changed attendance values or
+recipe cannot calibrate against stale targets. Revalidate attendance before any
+checkpoint lookup and preserve its native receipt before post-export scoring
+hashes the finished H5.

docs/evidence/spec-engine/us-f0-coverage.json

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
   "country": "us",
   "documentation_sha256": "0931cbd3aae2abcd8c072b78eba40c1c006b1bf7fa23c6a6681f9a895e47070e",
   "field_usage": {
-    "authored_normative_field_count": 32404,
+    "authored_normative_field_count": 32407,
     "claim_count": 49,
     "claims": [
       {
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@
         "legacy_sinks": [],
         "mode": "front_end_validation",
         "pointer_class": "all",
-        "pointer_count": 104,
-        "pointer_sha256": "8a186065f5b8ffc59bc3f62fe927975e6f36bc1e913aa61761652c9a8aa67988",
+        "pointer_count": 107,
+        "pointer_sha256": "2c2099d3d5ef3d664f74a2e732870391022a852cf49d5cf96810c9a984d2b20b",
         "rationale": null,
         "relative_sink_prefix": null,
         "source_prefix": "/authored/country_package.json",
@@ -772,20 +772,20 @@
         "verifier": "vintages"
       }
     ],
-    "configuration_field_count": 42184,
-    "consumed_field_count": 42184,
+    "configuration_field_count": 42187,
+    "consumed_field_count": 42187,
     "generation0_effect_counts": {
       "legacy_behavior": 38498,
-      "no_generation0_effect": 3686
+      "no_generation0_effect": 3689
     },
     "mode_counts": {
       "compiler_semantic": 27717,
-      "front_end_validation": 354,
+      "front_end_validation": 357,
       "identity_only": 103,
       "legacy_behavior": 14010
     },
     "multiple_primary_use_field_count": 0,
-    "pointer_inventory_sha256": "8f655670b9794adae905ede64bdceba6395eeb8d642b6c5896d5c516f1f6a6a7",
+    "pointer_inventory_sha256": "72c746d5f084f96c2b776c65d69acb82b53c26feaa591bfacf2d8d8c878ef01f",
     "resolved_binding_field_count": 9780,
     "unused_field_count": 0
   },
@@ -2599,7 +2599,7 @@
       "country": "us",
       "schema_id": "country_spec",
       "schema_version": 1,
-      "spec_sha256": "1cf1f44d9a11458f59ea7d75dce68303816cab3e66668a6c6f6ecfe62d56f8dc"
+      "spec_sha256": "dde0912303e7ee8cfdcad306f0cdc0b92fbab047f99e01cf3ea8bba1aa855269"
     }
   },
   "report_schema_version": 3,
@@ -2609,7 +2609,7 @@
     "country": "us",
     "schema_id": "country_spec",
     "schema_version": 1,
-    "spec_sha256": "1cf1f44d9a11458f59ea7d75dce68303816cab3e66668a6c6f6ecfe62d56f8dc"
+    "spec_sha256": "dde0912303e7ee8cfdcad306f0cdc0b92fbab047f99e01cf3ea8bba1aa855269"
   },
   "status": "pass"
 }

docs/us-annual-static-aging.md

@@ -62,6 +62,14 @@ independent demographic, monetary, identity, and runtime acceptance checks.
 That process supplies the separate annual projection acceptance report and
 publication decision; this module supplies no certification override.
 
+If the base contains NSECE childcare attendance, every annual file preserves the
+original content-bound attendance receipt. Static aging holds ages and schedules
+fixed while changing weights and monetary inputs; the writer verifies that those
+bound values remain exact before finalizing a file. It rejects missing receipts
+for nonzero attendance and detects altered ages, identities or attendance instead
+of rebinding them. Each annual round-trip report includes the validated binding
+hash. This preserves provenance, not evidence of attendance changes over time.
+
 ## Qualification and publication order
 
 1. Qualify the base release under its existing contract with the intended