Child Care Certificate Program is a program that helps and assists parents with the tuition for child care. It primarily covers a part of a payment for the child care of its beneficiaries.
Eligible families can freely choose the kind and type of child care as they participate within the said program.
The program prioritizes participants of Families First, parents that are working or pursuing post-secondary education programs, teen parents, and also children living in foster care facilities.
The Child Care Certificate program primarily provides financial assistance for eligible families within their child care. However, the said program does not cover the total cost of child care.
It is responsible for co-payments of the total cost. It means that parents still do have their part that needs to pay within the child care.
The federal government of the United States created and funded the said program. However, it was mainly supervised by the local state governments.
In addition, not all of the states implement the Certificate Program. Tennessee and Mississippi are two local states that mainly offer the said program.
The Department of Human Services of the said local states manages and handles the Child Care Certificate Program.
As we all know, quality child care requires financial stability. This is the reason why millions of families do not have access to child care, it’s expensive.
As the Child Care Certificate Program will cover a part of the child care cost of its beneficiaries. It will primarily lessen the financial hardships of parents.
Child care is extremely important in a person’s life. It acts as our foundation and guides us in our quest to become better people. Furthermore, an adult’s attitude and development mirror his or her child care, whether it is excellent or terrible.
It is essential for every kid and their family to access high-quality child care. It enables us to develop and be ready as we grow by giving social opportunities. Children must be educated and taught acceptable values.
The Certificate Program considers priority groups within the program. One of the best things is that if you belong to the first group, it will be easy for you to be a beneficiary of the program.
Refer below for the list of Child Care Certificate Program priority groups.
The first priority group, these are the referred clients. It includes parents who are part of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Transitional Child Care (TCC), Foster or Protective Services, or Homeless Agencies. The Department of Human Services will determine the eligibility of referred clients within the said program.
Moreover, referred clients must provide all of the requirements in order to qualify for the said program. Individuals that are unable to submit requirements could be ineligible for the Certificate Program.
The second priority group, these are individuals in a special and at-risk population. It includes those parents with special needs, children with special needs, or those parents who belong within the national guard or reserve. With this priority, parents must meet 85% of the State Median Income.
The third priority group, are individuals who belong in the very low-income community and those who are at the risk of joining the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The program ensures that low-income families, as well as those who are pursuing education, can be benefited from the Child Care Certificate Program
The last priority group, these are individuals with low-income and at the risk of joining the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
If there are still enough funds that can provide benefits for beneficiaries, individuals with low-income can also apply for the Certificate Program and support them with their respective child care.
The table below is for the income limits for the Child Care Certificate Program Eligibility.
The table below is for the copayment rates for the Child Care Certificate Program.
Check https://www.mdhs.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-Co-pay_Table.pdf for more information regarding the copayment rates of eligible parents under the Certificate program.
To apply for the Child Care Certificate Program, individuals must visit the application site of their respective local state.
Check the given websites below.
Individuals must complete the application and fax it. You can mail or bring it through your Local Department of Human Services Office to process your application. The website also contains the necessary information and documents that you will need for the application.
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Before you start the application procedure, double-check that you or your organization are eligible for the grant.