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Child Care Subsidies
Helping Make Work Possible
Child care subsidies are provided by social services districts to enable a parent or caretaker to work or engage in other approved activities. Child care subsidies helps parent(s)/caretaker(s) to pay some or all of the cost of child care services. Social services districts can pay the cost of care up to the market rate.
There are three main categories of eligibility for receiving child care subsidies.
Category I - Guaranteed Child Care
- Temporary Assistance applicants and recipients, who need child care assistance for a child under 13 years of age to participate in activities required by the social service district.
- Families who are applying for and found eligible for Temporary Assistance or families that are receiving Temporary Assistance and need child care to work; and who choose child care in lieu of Temporary Assistance.
- Families who were receiving Temporary Assistance, but became ineligible when their income increased due to employment or child support and have received Temporary Assistance in three of the six months prior to their case closing are eligible for transitional child care for up to 12 months.
Category II - Families that are Eligible for Child Care When Funds Available in the Social Services District
- Temporary Assistance family needing care for a child 13 and older who has special needs or is under court supervision, so that the parent/caretaker can work.
- Temporary Assistance family that need child care to enable a teen parent to attend high school; or for the child to be protected because the child’s parent is unable to care for the child due to a physical or mental incapacity or has family duties away from home.
- Low-income family, with a child under 13 years of age. (Family has an income up to 200% of the State income standard.)
Category III - Families that are Eligible When Funds Available and Included in the Social Services District Child and Family Services Plan
- Temporary Assistance family with an eligible child participating in an approved activity in addition to their required activity.
- Temporary Assistance family with an eligible child and the sanctioned parent is participating in unsubsidized employment earning at least minimum wage.
- Families with an open child protective services case when child care is needed to protect the eligible child.
- Temporary Assistance families and families with income up to 200% of the state income standard, with an eligible child, attending various types of educational programs. Check with your social services district for a complete list of educational programs and eligible families.
- There are other categories of families that are eligible for child care subsidies when funds are available and included in the social services district Child and Family Services Plan. Check with your social services district for complete list of eligible families.
Financial Eligibility for child care subsidies is based on the family size and the family’s gross annual income.
| Family Size | Maximum Income Ceiling 1, 2 |
|---|---|
1 |
$21,660 |
2 |
$29,140 |
3 |
$36,620 |
4 |
$44,100 |
5 |
$51,580 |
6 |
$59,060 |
Each additional member |
Add $7,480 |
1 2010 figures - the eligibility levels are adjusted in June each year. 2 Social services district must provide child care assistance to families that fall under the child care guarantee regardless if they have funds available. If a social services district has insufficient funds to serve all eligible families they must serve those families based on the priorities they have established in their Child and Family Services Plan.
New York City, Schenectady, Albany, Rensselaer, Oneida and Monroe County, participate in Facilitated Enrollment projects, which allow these districts to provide child care subsidies to working families with incomes up to 275% of the state income standard.
Benefits
Child care assistance helps families become self sufficient. Some parent/caretakers fall under the child care guarantee. A child care guarantee means that if the parent/caretaker meets the eligibility requirements, the social services district must pay an eligible child care provider for the child care. This guarantee applies only to the hours the parent/caretaker works and a reasonable amount of time to get to and from work and to the child care provider. The following families are eligible for the child care guarantee:
Families that are on Temporary Assistance
If you are receiving Temporary Assistance and participating in your required work activity you are guaranteed child care assistance. This program has a 60-month life time limit.
Child Care in Lieu of (Instead of) Temporary Assistance
This program helps working families who are financially eligible to receive Temporary Assistance and need child care to work, but choose to receive child care assistance instead of Temporary Assistance. If you are eligible for Temporary Assistance, but choose not to continue receiving Temporary Assistance, then you may be eligible for child care in lieu of Temporary Assistance. To be eligible for child care in lieu of Temporary Assistance you must meet the following requirements:
- If you are a single parent household you must earn the State minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) or if you are self-employed you must earn at least $127 per week or $550 a month;
- If you are a single parent household working in a job exempt from the State minimum wage rules and paying less than minimum wage per hour you must work at least 17.5 hours per week;
- If you are a two-parent houshold with both parents earning the State minimum wage or more or, who are self-employed you must earn at least $181 per week or $784 per month;
- If you are a two-parent household where both parents are employed in a job exempt from minimum wage rules and paying less than minimum wage you must work at least 25 hours per week; or
- If you are a two-parent household and one parent is employed earning minimum wage or more per hour or self employed and the other parent is in a job exempt from minimum wange rules and paying less than minimum wage per hour one parent must earn a minimum of $127 per week or $550 per month and the other parent must work a minimum of 7.5 hours per week.
This program does not have a time limit. Families may receive Child Care In Lieu of Temporay Assistance for as long as they remain eligible. You will be required to pay part of the cost of child care. This is called your family share. The amount you will pay depends on your income and the size of your family.
Transitional Child Care (TCC)
This program helps working families who are no longer financially eligible to receive Temporary Assistance and need child care in order to work. If your family is receiving Temporary Assistance, but your Temporary Assistance case is closing due to an increase in earned income or child support, or you have voluntarily closed your Temporary Assistance case, you may be eligible for TCC. If your family is receiving Child Care in Lieu of Temporary Assistance you may also be eligible for TCC when you become financially ineligible for Temporary Assistance. To be eligible for TCC, families must have been receiving Temporary Assistance (or Child Care in Lieu of Temporary Assistance), for 3 of the past 6 months. Families may be eligible for assistance through TCC for up to 12 months after the family becomes ineligible for Temporary Assistance.
For all other families, eligibility is set at 200% of poverty as set forth above. However, because funds are limited, counties have the right to set priorities about who they will serve, leaving some eligible families without access to subsidized child care. All special eligibility rules for child care programs, are set forth in the social services district’s Child and Family Services Plan, which you can obtain by visiting the Office of Children and Family Services website.
The amount to be paid for child care is the actual cost of care up to the market rate. The market rate is set by the State. If your provider charges more than the market rate you will have to pay the difference. Social services district’s provide child care subsidy assistance through purchase of service contracts or through cash, vouchers or reimbursement. Families in receipt of child care subsidies are required to pay a family share towards the cost of the child care. The family share is calculated on a sliding scale with the family’s share based on an income based formula with a percentage applied to the income above poverty chosen by the county. Families on Temporary Assistance are not required to pay a family share.
Under the New York State Child Care Block Grant, parents have the right to choose their own child care provider. If the provider has a contract with the social service district, parents do not have to pay any more than their family share, regardless of the rate charged to non-subsidized parents. If the provider does not have a contract with the social service district and the provider charges more than the market rate the parent must pay the difference.
How to Apply
Applications for child care subsidy and information about eligibility may be obtained by contacting your local social services district. If you live in New York City and you are on Temporary Assistance or applying for Temporary Assistance, call or visit your local Job Center. If you are applying only for child care assistance, call the New York City information helpline at 311 and they will direct you where to call. You must complete the application package and turn it in either in person or by mail.
Information on the availability of child care providers can be obtained through the Office of Children and Family Services website or the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency in your county. To find the CCR&R agency in your county visit the New York State Early Care and Learning Council website.