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DE Child Care Subsidy Overview

Delaware's Child Care Subsidy program is administered by the Division of Social Services (DSS).

Its purpose is to provide support to families who need care and who otherwise cannot pay for all or part of the cost of care.

Goals

The goal of the Child Care Subsidy program is to supplement the care and protection that children receive from their parents. This supplemental care is necessary when parents/caretakers must be apart from their children during a portion of a 24-hour day because:

·      The children's parents/caretakers work; or

·      The children's parents/caretakers must attend school or participate in a training program which leads to employment; or

·      The children or parents have a special need requiring either one of them to be out of the home; or

·      The children need to be protected from neglect and/or abuse.

Child care provided under these circumstances enables families:

·      To achieve and maintain independence;

·      To provide care, protection, health, supervision, social experience and learning opportunities which are essential to a child's growth and development; and

·      To maintain the bonds of family unity.

Eligibility

Eligible families generally include:

·      Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients who work or must attend school or be involved in training which leads to work as part of the TANF Employment and Training program;

·      Families who receive Food Stamps and participate in the Food Stamps Employment and Training (FSE&T) program;

·      Families with low incomes (that is, families whose countable incomes are equal to or less than the Child Care Income Limit for their family size) and who:

·                   work (or are out of work for up to a month); or

·                   attend a job training program; or

·                   receive or need to receive protective services through the Division of Family Services; or

·                   have a special need (either a child or parent -- verified by a physician or other professional competent to do so); or

Certain categories of child care are guaranteed, while others have funding caps. See Child Care Subsidy - Eligibility for details.

Services Provided

Delaware's Child Care Subsidy program offers the following services:

·      An evaluation of the need for child care services;

·      A determination of eligibility;

·      An explanation of the available types of child care, the choices parents/caretakers have regarding these provider types, and various provider requirements such as licensure, health, and safety;

·      An explanation of the State's Provider Payment Rates and fee scale, including a discussion of how DSS assesses fees, where fees are to be paid, what happens if they are not paid, and how parents/caretakers are to keep DSS informed of changes that affect eligibility, need, and fees;

·      Payment of Child Care Providers (either directly or through reimbursements to the family) up to the Provider Payment Rate minus any Fee.

·      An explanation of parent/caretakers' rights as recipients of DSS subsidized child care, including:

·                   the right to retain legal rights to their child while the child is in care;

·                   the right to make decisions about the choice of child care and child care provider;

·                   the right to request information about any substantiated parental complaints on any licensed or license-exempt child care provider; and

·                   the right to appeal any denial and/or termination of child care services.

See Also:

DE Child Care Subsidy - Eligibility

DE Child Care Subsidy - Homelessness

DE Child Care Subsidy - Need

DE Child Care Subsidy - Countable Income

DE Child Care Subsidy - Family Size

DE Child Care Subsidy - Change Reporting Requirements

DE Child Care Subsidy - Provider Payment Rates

DE Child Care Subsidy - Fees

DE Child Care Subsidy - Income Limits

Source:

DSS Policy Manual (Sects. 11002.1-3)

Back to:

DE TANF Employment and Training Overview

DE TANF Overview

DE General Assistance Overview

DE Division of Social Services - Overview

DE Benefit Information System Overview

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