The short answer
The Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF, helps families with low incomes pay for child care so parents can work, look for work, or attend school or training. It is federally funded but run by each state, often under its own program name, so income limits, copayments and waiting lists depend on where you live. Under federal rules a child generally must be under 13, and family income must be at or below 85 percent of the state median income, though most states set lower limits. Help usually comes as a subsidy paid to the provider, and the family pays a copayment based on income. Once approved, a child generally stays eligible for at least 12 months even if income rises, up to the federal limit. CCDF is not an entitlement, so many states keep waiting lists or serve priority groups first. Apply through your state or local child care agency, and ask about other help such as Head Start and the child care tax credit.
Why this matters
Child care can cost as much as rent, and for many parents it decides whether working is worth it at all. Child care assistance can cut that cost to a modest copayment, but the program is easy to miss because each state runs it under its own name and rules, and waiting lists mean the time to apply is before you need care. This guide explains the federal rules every state follows, what varies, and how to apply.
Who is eligible?
Federal rules set the outer limits, and each state sets its own rules inside them:
- Age: a child must generally be under 13. States can serve children up to 19 who have a disability or are under court supervision.
- Income: family income at or below 85 percent of the state median income for the family's size. Most states set a lower limit for starting assistance.
- Activity: parents must be working, looking for work, or attending school or job training, as the state defines it. Some states also serve families receiving protective services.
- Assets: family assets must not exceed $1 million, as certified by the family.
Many states use a lower limit to enter the program and a higher one to stay in it, so a family whose income rises can keep help while its income grows, up to 85 percent of the state median.
Is help guaranteed if you qualify?
No. CCDF is not an entitlement. States receive a fixed amount of funding and are not required to help every eligible family, so many keep waiting lists or limit new enrollment to priority groups. Common priorities include families receiving TANF cash assistance, families experiencing homelessness, children with special needs and families with very low incomes.
Apply as early as you can, ask how the waiting list works and how often you must confirm your place, and keep your contact details up to date. Families receiving TANF often get child care help through the same agency.
How much will you pay?
States set copayments on a sliding scale based on income and family size. Families with the lowest incomes often pay nothing, and the copayment rises as income rises. The state pays the provider the rest of the cost, up to its own payment rates, and some providers charge parents the difference between their price and the state rate.
Example (hypothetical): a single parent returning to work
Maya has a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old and starts a job paying $2,600 a month. In her state that is under the entry limit for a family of three, so after a short wait she is approved. The state pays her child care center for the toddler's full-time care and for after-school care for the older child, and Maya pays a copayment of a small share of her income each month. When she gets a raise six months later, her children stay eligible for the rest of the 12-month period.
What care can you choose?
Federal law gives parents a choice of provider. Depending on the state, that can include licensed child care centers, family child care homes, after-school programs and, in many states, relatives or in-home caregivers. Every provider paid with CCDF money must meet the state's health and safety requirements, including background checks, and most must be licensed or registered.
Your state's child care resource and referral agency can help you find providers that accept assistance, check their licensing and inspection records, and compare hours and costs.
How eligibility is kept
Once a child is found eligible, the child generally stays eligible for at least 12 months, even if the parent's income rises, as long as it stays under 85 percent of the state median, or if work or school stops for a short time. That rule lets families take a raise or change jobs without losing care in the middle of the year.
At the end of the period you redetermine eligibility. States can require you to report only a few changes in between, such as income above the federal limit. Read every notice and send what is asked for, because missing a redetermination is a common reason care stops.
Special situations
Families experiencing homelessness
States must make it easier for families without stable housing to get care: they can enroll a child before all documents are provided, with a grace period to supply them, and many give these families priority on waiting lists.
Parents in school or training
Most states count college, vocational training and adult education as qualifying activities, though some limit how long or what kind of program counts. Ask whether study hours and travel time are included when the state sets how many hours of care it will pay for.
Children with disabilities
States can serve children with disabilities up to age 19 and often pay higher rates to providers who care for them. Tell the agency about any special needs when you apply, since many states give these children priority.
Other help with child care costs
- Head Start and Early Head Start: free early learning programs for children from birth to 5 in families with low incomes; see our guide to Head Start.
- The Child and Dependent Care Credit: a federal tax credit for part of what you pay for care so that you can work; see our guide to the credit.
- Dependent care accounts through an employer, which let you pay for care with pre-tax money, up to $7,500 a year from 2026.
- Public pre-kindergarten programs, which many states and cities offer free for 4-year-olds and sometimes 3-year-olds.
How to apply
Contact your state or local child care assistance agency, often part of the human services or early learning department; a local child care resource and referral agency can tell you where to apply, and many states take applications online. Have proof of income, the children's birth dates, proof of where you live, and proof of your work, job search or school schedule. If you also receive SNAP, TANF or Medicaid, ask whether the same agency can screen you for child care help at the same time. Ask how long processing takes and whether care can begin while your application is pending.
Common mistakes
- Waiting until a job starts to apply, when the waiting list can take months.
- Assuming a raise will end assistance, when the 12-month period usually protects it.
- Choosing a provider that does not accept assistance before checking with the agency.
- Missing the redetermination at the end of the eligibility period.
Common questions
Who qualifies for child care assistance?
Working, job-seeking or studying parents of children under 13, or older children with a disability, whose family income is within the state's limit, which cannot be more than 85 percent of the state median income.
Is child care assistance guaranteed?
No. States run waiting lists and set priorities, so some eligible families wait or do not receive help.
Can I get help with after-school or summer care?
Yes. School-age children under 13 can usually get help with before-school, after-school and summer care while the parent works or studies.
Can I pick any child care provider?
You can choose among providers that meet your state's health and safety rules and accept assistance, which can include centers, family child care homes and, in many states, relatives.
What this does not tell you
Income limits, copayments, provider rates and waiting lists are set by each state and change. The federal rules here are a starting point, and your state agency has the rules that apply to you.
This guide does not cover state pre-kindergarten programs in detail or the tax rules for dependent care accounts, which have their own requirements.
Official sources
What you can do next
Find your state's child care assistance agency, ask about the waiting list, and gather proof of income and work or school. Then check whether the Child and Dependent Care Credit can add to the help, and whether your family qualifies for SNAP.
