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Child care assistance
Help paying for child care
Every state runs its own program, with its own name, its own income limits and its own rules. Here is what that actually means, what your state will look at, and where to apply — free.
- Email only — no SSN, no income details
- Free. Applying is always free too
$13,184 a yearWhat child care cost the average American family in 2025 — about a third of a single parent’s median income.
85%of state median income
The federal ceiling on family income for child care assistance. Most states set their own limit well below it.
45 C.F.R. § 98.20(a)(2)
Under 13in most cases
The federal age limit for a child receiving assistance. States may go up to 19 for a child with a disability or under court supervision.
45 C.F.R. § 98.20(a)(1)
$13,184average yearly price, 2025
What child care cost American families on average in 2025 — roughly a third of a single parent's median income.
Child Care Aware of America, 2025 Price & Supply
400,500+children waiting, 2025
Children on state waiting lists in 2025. Funding is limited, so qualifying does not guarantee a place.
National Women's Law Center, 2025
What it is
There is no one national program
Most child care help in the United States flows from a single federal source called the Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF. The money does not go to families directly. It goes to each state, territory and tribe, and each one designs its own program inside broad federal rules.
That is why there is no national application and no single income cutoff. Your neighbour two states away may qualify on an income that is over the limit where you live — and the program will not even have the same name.
The same help, under different names
You may see it called a subsidy, a voucher, a certificate, fee assistance or a scholarship. A few real examples:
- Illinois & New YorkChild Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
- PennsylvaniaChild Care Works
- WashingtonWorking Connections Child Care
- TexasChild Care Scholarships
- CaliforniaCalWORKs Child Care & Alternative Payment
If you search for your state's name plus “child care assistance”, you will usually land on the right agency. The official finder below does it for you.
What it covers
What the money can be used for
You choose the provider — that is the point of the program. You pick from the providers your state allows. What follows is broadly true everywhere; the details are set by your state.
Licensed child care centers
Larger centers, usually grouping children by age. Some programs are legally licence-exempt — public school programs, faith-based programs and part-time nursery schools often are.
Licensed family child care homes
Care in the provider's own home, with smaller groups and often more flexible evening and weekend hours. When a licence is required differs by state.
Care by a relative, in many states
Federal law lets a relative aged 18 or over be a paid provider for a grandchild, great-grandchild, niece, nephew, or sibling if they live elsewhere — where the state allows it and its rules are met.
42 U.S.C. § 9858n(5)
Care while you work, study or train
Assistance exists so a parent can hold a job or finish a program. If you lose that job, federal rules require your state to continue help at the same level for at least three months.
45 C.F.R. § 98.21
Providers who have been checked
Providers paid with these funds must clear a five-part background check — state criminal and sex-offender records, the child abuse and neglect registry, the NCIC, an FBI fingerprint check and the national sex offender registry.
42 U.S.C. § 9858f
Most of the bill — rarely all of it
Families usually still pay a share, often called a family fee or copayment, on a sliding scale by income and household size. Some states charge nothing at the lowest incomes.
Eligibility
What your state will look at
Nearly every state weighs these six things. None of them is a decision — only your state can decide, and this page cannot tell you whether you qualify.
Household income
Differs by stateFederal rules cap eligibility at 85% of your state's median income. Most states set a lower limit, often expressed against the federal poverty level. There is no national cutoff.
Family size
Differs by stateIncome limits are always read against the number of people in your household, so the same paycheck can qualify one family and not another.
Work, school or training
Federal floorA parent generally needs to be working, or enrolled in a job training or education program. Children who receive or need protective services may qualify without this, and income rules can be waived case by case.
Your child's age
Federal floorUnder 13 is the federal standard. States may extend it up to age 19 for a child who cannot care for themselves because of a disability, or who is under court supervision — but they are not required to.
Your child's citizenship — not yours
Federal ruleThe child must be a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen. A parent's immigration status is not a factor, and agencies may not ask about it. Citizen children in mixed-status families are eligible.
Where you live
Differs by stateYou apply to the state, territory or tribe you live in. A minority of states also ask you to cooperate with the state child support agency; most do not.
If you are approved, two federal protections apply
- Your eligibility is generally reviewed no sooner than 12 months later, and a mid-year pay rise will not end it as long as you stay under 85% of state median income.
- If you lose your job or your training program ends, help continues at the same level for at least three months while you look for work.
45 C.F.R. § 98.21
How it works
How to actually get it
Nothing here is an application. This is simply the route most families take, start to finish.
Find your state's program
Start at the federal state-by-state directory. Pick your state and open “Financial Assistance for Families” — that page names the actual program, the agency behind it and the application link.
Check that state's limits
Read its income limit for your household size, the age rules and what counts as work, school or training where you live. This is the step that decides most outcomes.
Gather what they will ask for
Commonly: photo ID, proof of address, recent pay stubs or an employer letter, your work or class schedule, and your child's birth certificate. Assets are self-certified, not documented.
Apply, and ask about the waiting list
Apply through the official portal or office — always free. Ask directly whether there is a waiting list and where you would sit on it, because in many states there is one.
Get the steps
Want this as a checklist you can keep?
Give us one email address and we will show you the same route in a form you can keep: where your state's program lives, what it will ask for, and the free official links.
- The official state-by-state finder, and how to read it
- The documents most states ask a family to bring
- The free help lines that cost nothing to ring
Other help that exists
Four more ways families cut the cost
People often think these are the same thing. They are not — each is its own program, with its own rules and its own form to fill in. It is worth checking all of them, because you can often use more than one.
Head Start
Birth to age 5
Free early learning that also covers health, dental and nutrition. Early Head Start takes children from birth to 3, Head Start from 3 to 5. It is mainly for families at or below the federal poverty guidelines.
State pre-K
Usually ages 3 to 5
Publicly funded preschool, most often run through your local school district. Forty-four states and Washington DC fund a program. Six states do not.
Child & Dependent Care Tax Credit
A child under 13
Money back at tax time on care that let you work or look for work. You claim it on Form 2441. Costs count up to $3,000 for one child, or $6,000 for two or more. This is a tax return, not an application.
Dependent Care FSA
If your employer offers it
Your employer lets you set aside pay before tax to spend on care. The yearly limit went up to $7,500 on 1 January 2026. This one only exists if your workplace offers it, so ask your HR team.
$7,500 limit in 2026Ask your HR team
Free official help
Free help, from the people who run it
These are the real, free, public services. You never have to pay anyone to apply, and nobody legitimate will ask you to.
Childcare.gov — state resources
The federal state-by-state directory. Pick your state or territory, then open “Financial Assistance for Families” for the program, the agency and the application link.
Child Care Aware of America
A free family help line that connects you to your local Child Care Resource & Referral agency, which will build you a provider list at no cost.
2-1-1
Free, confidential local referrals for child care, housing, utilities and food. Dial 2-1-1 from anywhere in the United States.
USAGov — child care & Head Start
The federal plain-language hub covering child care help, Head Start and related family programs.
Questions
Straight answers
Including the ones where the honest answer is “it depends on your state” or simply “no”.
It is help paying for child care, funded largely by a federal block grant called the Child Care and Development Fund and run by your state, territory or tribe. Assistance is usually paid toward a provider you choose, and most families still pay a share of the bill themselves.
Families under their state's income limit who need care because a parent works, studies or trains, for a child under 13 — or under 19 in some states for a child with a disability. Every number is set by your state, so only your state agency can answer reliably.
More than most people expect. The federal cap is 85% of state median income, but states set their own limit below it and choose what counts as work, which providers can be paid, and whether relative care is covered.
Not as a federal guarantee. A 2024 rule capped copayments at 7% of income, but it was rescinded on 13 July 2026. Many states still use 7% by choice. Ask your state agency what your share would be.
The child must be a U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen. A parent's status is not a factor, and agencies may not ask about it. Citizen children in mixed-status families are eligible. If your situation is complicated, speak to legal aid rather than any website.
It differs by state, but commonly: proof of identity, proof that you live in the state, proof of income for the household, proof of your work, school or training schedule, and your child's birth certificate. The $1,000,000 federal asset limit is self-certified rather than documented. Once you pick a provider, the agency will need their details too.
No, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. Child care assistance is not an entitlement — it is funded by a capped grant, so states stop enrolling when the money runs out. Waiting lists grew past 400,500 children in 2025. Meeting every requirement means you may be approved or placed on a list, not that a place exists.
No. We are not a government agency, we are not affiliated with any state or federal program, we do not take applications, and nothing here is a determination of eligibility. Everything on this page is general information. Your state agency makes every decision.
Use the federal state-by-state directory at childcare.gov, pick your state and open “Financial Assistance for Families”. You can also ring Child Care Aware of America free on 1-800-424-2246, or dial 2-1-1 for local referrals. None of these charges a fee.
Next step
Find out what your state actually offers
It takes a few minutes and costs nothing. Get the checklist by email, or skip us entirely and go straight to the official finder — we would rather you got help than stayed on this page.