The Child Care Bureau’s National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCICC) offer a comprehensive database of government daycare assistance. The site contains information, data, and other resources about all the settings and auspices where child care takes place. This includes center- and home-based, public and private, for- and nonprofit, secular and nonsecular, and regulated and unregulated child care settings.
On-site resources include everything from Drop-in Care Licensing Regulations with resource information from about 27 States that exempt some or all drop-in care facilities from child care licensing requirements. Government daycare assistance data for the Child Care Bureau includes a Supporting Quality in Family Child Care resource with information about efforts to support the provision of quality family child care (FCC) in the United States.
The NCICC
The Child Care Bulletin is published by the National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) under the direction of the Child Care Bureau, Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Both government daycare assistance and after school care information, can be sourced through these bulletins.
In addition, the NCCIC Child Care: National Data Overview offers samples of resources with data concerning;
- child care arrangements;
- parental decision-making;
- child care choices;
- child care programs and practitioners;
- socioeconomic factors that impact choices;
- funding; and
- other factors that may inform the discussion of quality benchmarking.
Government Daycare Assistance programs and resources
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) supports state and territory child care assistance programs. Each state and territory thus can generate its own program guidelines, requirements, and policies. The CCDF government daycare assistance and childcare program is federally funded, designed to assist low?income families, families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and families transitioning from TANF who need child care so they can work or attend training or education.
Applicants are eligible if they align with criteria namely; child care is needed to allow family members to work, attend school, or receive training; the household income is not greater than the income limit set by the State or Territory, and if the child is younger than 13 years. Government daycare assistance in each state and territory has different eligibility requirements and methods available for families to apply for services, including different forms to fill out and steps to follow. The following are some program requirement examples:
- In- person applications/ or off?site application services such as online, telephone, or mail options.
- Families to pay a co?payment fee based on their family income; however, some programs waive the fee under special circumstances.
- Single parents to cooperate with child support enforcement regulations to be eligible
- Offering assistance to grandparents and other relatives who meet program requirements.
Child Care Aware
In addition to government daycare assistance, organisations such as child care aware assist parents and guardians to find a new provider and locate high-quality child care. Selecting a child care provider is a sensitive matter and CCA’s website has Parent Pages to assist in offering information as a consumer of child care.
Child Care101 helps you to find information related the types of child care available as well as how to evaluate child care providers you visit. The Parent Information section provides links to your state licensing agency, accreditation information, and tips on how your Child Care Resource and Referral agency can help you. Government daycare assistance and federal programs can be found in the Parent Information section which supplies state licensing information, accreditation information, what your Child Care Resource & Referral agency can do for you, as well as additional information about Child Care Aware and the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA).
You can also find a glossary of common child care terms, national organizations related to children and families, a child care budgeting calculator, and a child care decision making tool. Locate Child Care Aware publications that will assist in your child care search, as well as, current “hot topics” and government daycare assistance, FAQ’s related to Child Care Aware and CCR&R services and information targeted especially at fathers.
Child Care Plus : Montana State
In addition to Child Care Aware and other government daycare assistance programs there is Child Care Plus, which envisions; ‘a world where meeting the needs of every child is a natural part of everyday life.’
Montana’s Special Needs Subsidy is an integral part of its federal Special Needs Services of Child Care Plus. This service provides financial support to low income families working or enrolled in a training/education program. The primary purpose of this government daycare assistance program is to assure that children with special needs receive quality and appropriate care while their parents are at work or attending educational programs.
In addition to their adjusted monthly child care subsidy payment, one-time expenses may be reimbursed through using the state’s Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship fund for support and resources such as adaptive equipment, tuition for specialized training, or individualized technical assistance required to learn caregiving routines for the child.
The Special Needs Subsidy Application Process for government daycare assistance with Child Care Plus entails the following:
- The family goes to their local Child Care Resource and Referral program/network (CCR&R) to apply.
- CCR&R staff then assist the family in determining eligibility and completing paperwork required for the subsidy.
- A referral for the Special Needs Subsidy can be made if a family is already receiving child care assistance and a situation develops in which the provider and/or family has concerns about a child.
- Determination for referral is based on; diagnosis of a disability or developmental delay; parent description of the child’s current needs, or past difficulty of finding or maintaining a child care placement for the child.
- As part of the government daycare assistance program, The Early Childhood Specialist will visit the child care facility and meet the provider to observe the setting, how the child interacts with the environment and other children.
- Thereafter, the Early Childhood Specialist interviews the parent, completing the Special Needs Subsidy Rating Scale to determine the amount of additional special needs subsidy that could be paid to the child care provider.
- When both parents and provider meet with the Early Childhood Specialist to complete the Rating Scale, the next step is to complete the Montana Individual Child Care Plan as a team.
- In order to complete the process for government daycare assistance the Early Childhood Specialist will the use the completed Child Care Plan and the Special Needs Rating Scale together to document and apply for additional funds.
The Special Needs Services Coordinator will respond to the Early Childhood Specialist within approximately 10 working days of receiving the completed paperwork. If approved, the CCR&R staff will enter a final amount into the system for the government daycare assistance subsidy for special needs to support the child care placement. Copies of all paperwork must be given to: the family, the Early Childhood Specialist at the R&R, and the Special Needs Services Coordinator.
Appropriate follow-ups will be conducted by the Early Childhood Specialist, as per the Child Care Plan. A review of each case will also be conducted at the end of the certification period of that particular government daycare assistance subsidy with the family and provider. The Scale will be completed again and the Plan updated appropriately. If there is no particular change, the Recertification Form is sent to the Special Needs Services Coordinator for approval for the continuing rate. For more information on the details of eligibility of this government daycare assistance program, the website offers a set of Frequently Asked Questions which cover any additional queries you may have.