Who Can Get Help?
Words to Know
About the Application
What happens after the
application is completed?
What is an alternative
payment/certificate program?
History of Child Care San
Diego
Privacy
Statement
Please click login to connect with a secure connection and proceed with the application process.
Some people receive help with child care payments before others do. Some people are on the list and never receive the help. The number of people that can be enrolled in subsidized programs depends on the funding (money).
- Requirements for APP programs: Something that prevents you from watching your child(ren). Example: working, looking for work, training, or incapacitated.
- You must be low income: There is a maximum gross monthly income you can have to qualify for subsidized child care. (Review the table below.)
- State preschools and Head Start programs do not necessarily have a need requirement. Special needs children may qualify for some programs without a need.
Subsidized child care - someone else (an agency or child care center) pays for part of or possibly all of the child care for your child(ren)
Gross monthly income - all of the money you receive for the month added together. Pay checks (gross not net) + cash aid + any other income = Total Gross Monthly Income.
Need Status - what you do during the day or night that prevents you from watching your child (ren) ~ Work, school, looking for a job, medically incapacitated .
Low Income - there is a maximum gross monthly income you can have to qualify for subsidized child care. (Review the table below to see if you are eligible. Look for your family size and the gross monthly income below.)
| Family Size | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Income | 3518 | 3769 | 4188 | 4858 | 5528 | 5653 | 5779 | 5904 | 6030 | 6156 | 6281 |
Foster/Guardian caretaker - the person who is responsible for the child(ren) in need of care.
You can now fill out this computer application to be placed on a waiting list to receive help in paying for your child care needs! You only have to fill out one application. All subsidized child care agencies will use this one application. You can update your application by yourself, any time, day or night! There is no need to wait for an agency phone call to do it.
How long will it take to fill out? It will take about 20 minutes to complete the application.
What do I need to complete the application?
- Social Security numbers and Dates of Birth of all the people in your family.
- Information about your income (pay checks, child support amount, cash aid amount, etc.)
- End date of your cash aid (if this applies to you.)
- Your child(ren)'s elementary school information (school name, district, grade.)
What happens after the application is completed?
- When you fill out an application, your name will be placed in an eligibility file. YOU DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE BY PUTTING YOUR INFORMATION IN THE ELIGIBILITY FILE!
- Every night, the information you submit is compared to the information other people have submitted. The computer then makes a list of all the people in the eligibility file. You may be at the top of the list one day and the middle of the list another day. It all depends on the income you receive, the number of people in your family, and the information other people submit. (Example: If your family is made up of 1 parent and 2 children and you have a Gross Monthly Income of $978, your name will come up before a person who's family is 1 parent and 1 child with the same income.)
- When an agency has funding (money) available, the agency will go to the eligibility file and pick the names of the people who are first on the list that day and call them.
- It is VERY important that you keep the information up to date. If you have any changes in your phone number, address, need status, gross monthly income, number of people in your family, or any other changes, you need to update your information.
- When you receive the phone call from the agency, and you still qualify for the help, the agency will enroll you onto their subsidized child care program.
- If you do not update your application every six months, your application will be set to inactive. Your name will not appear on the agencies list for needing child care. You may re-activate your application by updating your information.
What is an alternative payment/certificate program?
Alternative Payment Programs are state and federally funded programs that pay a partial cost or the full cost of child care for low-income families. In doing so, the Alternative Payment Programs help families to achieve self-sufficiency.
The programs are referred to as “parent choice programs” because the parents that are enrolled can choose any provider that best fits the needs of their child(ren) and their own needs. The provider may be a licensed public or private child care center, licensed family child care home, or a legally licensed exempt provider (family member who becomes registered or friend who completes Trustline).
The Alternative Payment Programs serve children between the ages of birth to 13 years (up to 18 or 21 who have documented exceptional needs) as long as the parent / caregiver remains eligible for the program.
History of Child Care San Diego
For more than 25 years San Diego County has helped many low income families by paying for the families child care expenses. There are several agencies who provide this service: Click on Participating Agencies for a list.
In the past, each agency maintained their own waiting list. What this meant is that if a family wanted a better chance at receiving help with their child care expenses, the family had to apply for services with all agencies. Each time there was a change to the family's file, the family would have to contact all agencies to update their file.
Realizing that this was not the most efficient way to serve the families, San Diego County's Child Care Planning Council decided to begin what is now a centralized eligibility list. This allows families to apply for subsidized child care through this one on-line service. All agencies have access to this one waiting list.
Please click login to connect with a secure connection and proceed with the application process.
Privacy Statement
We recognize the importance of protecting the privacy of all information provided by users of the Centralized Child Care Eligibility List. Any personal information can only be accessed by authorized and qualified agency personnel. Since security and privacy remains the primary concern of on-line consumers, we use secure server digital certificates to protect the personal information disclosed in the application form.