How Can I Get Help Paying for Child Care?

In California, there are many programs that help families pay for the cost of child care. This financial help is known as child care subsidies. A subsidy is funding from the government to help pay specific child care costs. In this case, child care subsidies help families pay for child care services, making it more affordable for parents to work and attend school. These programs give parents the freedom to work and provide for their family while their children receive safe, stimulating, and nurturing care that meets the needs of the family. Please note that the following information is not an exhaustive list of all available programs or requirements. It is intended to provide a general overview of the criteria for eligibility.

Type of Child Care Subsidies & Who Can Receive Help

Each type of child care subsidy offers different services for children and has its own rules about who is eligible. Eligibility is often based on why there is a need for child care, and the family’s income. There are two types of programs that provide child care subsidies:

• Direct Service Providers
• Programs with vouchers

A direct service provider is a program where the State contracts directly with child care centers and family child care home networks. Voucher based programs are those programs that provide families with a voucher for use in a licensed family child care home, licensed centers or license-exempt care of their choosing.

For both types of subsidies, parents may be required to pay a family fee based on their income. Each year the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) releases a sliding family fee schedule effective July 1, of that year. The current link can be found here: 2024-25 Family Fee Scale (pdf) (Excel) (JPG).

For all subsidized child care, a family must meet at least one of each of these conditions regarding income and need:

Income Criteria:

• Family is a current cash aid recipient;
• Family is income eligible;
• Family is experiencing homelessness (as defined in section 11434(a)(2) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act) or seeking permanent housing; or
• Family has children who are recipients of child protective services, or are identified as at risk of being abused, neglected, or exploited.

Need Criteria:

In addition to meeting one of the income criteria, the parent must also demonstrate a need for child care. They must meet at least one of these need conditions:

• A child is receiving of protective services,
• The child is being or at risk of being neglected, abused or exploited,
• The child is homeless
• The parent is engaged in vocational training, an educational program for English language learners or to attain a high school diploma or general education certificate
• The parent is working or seeking employment
• The family is seeking permanent housing
• Or if a parent does not have the ability to care for their child(ren) due to a
  physical and/or mental condition.

Family Fees

The CDSS also has policies for waiving co-payments (family fees) for families eligible for subsidies.

You are exempt from paying family fees if you are a:

• Family receiving CalWORKs cash aid.
• Family receiving care through the Child Care and Development Services for Children with Special Needs (CHAN) program.
• Family enrolled in the Federal Based Migrant Program.
• Family experiencing homelessness in San Francisco County as stated in their Child Care Subsidy Plans.
• Family with an adjusted monthly income below 75 percent of the state median family income.

You may be eligible for an exemption to your family fees for 12 months if you are a:

• Family with children who have been identified as, at risk of being, abused, neglected, or exploited when the referral indicates that the fee is waived.
• Family with children who are receiving Child Protective Services.

More about the Subsidized Programs Available to You

There are many different subsidized child care programs.  This “Child Care Subsidy Programs” list will tell you the following information for each program:

• Services for children and families
• Eligibility: Income
• Eligibility: Family need
• Ages of children served
• Location of the services

Call your local child care resource and referral agency to get more information for these programs and to learn how to apply to them.

Understanding Child Care Subsidies Eligibility and Waitlists

Programs must keep a waiting list because there are not enough child care subsidies for all eligible families. This list is often called an eligibility list (CEL) because families are not served based on who signed up first. Instead, the families with the most people and the lowest income are helped first. In some areas, there’s one list for all programs, but in others, you have to sign up for each program’s list separately.

Contact your local child care resource and referral agency to see if your county has a CEL.

What you need to know about the eligibility list:

• Long Lists: Eligibility lists are often very long.
• Application Approval: Completing an application does not guarantee approval for services.
  
• Ranking System: Your rank is based on family size and income, and many families share the same rank.
  
• Priority Order: The list is not first come first served but based on your rank.
• Income-Based Priority: Families with the lowest income are served first.
  
• Special Priority: Child Protective Services children have special priority.
  
• Update Required: You need to update the list when you have new contact information, family size, or income.
  
• Centralized Eligibility List (CEL): Some communities offer a CEL for one-time sign-up; others require signing up for each program. Check with your local child care resource and referral agency to see if your county has a CEL.

For more information about subsidized child care programs and the application process, please reach out to your local Child Care Resource and Referral Program.