Every fee on the page.
Cancel within 60 days of your first charge, and your money comes back automatically.
How the guarantee works →California child care assistance.
The program that helps California families pay for child care, who can apply, how to apply, and how providers take part. Last checked November 3, 2026.
Get startedor book a demo
The program in California
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Program | CalWORKs Child CareSource: CalWORKs Child Care, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026. |
| Run by | California Department of Social ServicesSource: CalWORKs Child Care, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026. |
For families: who can apply
- Current or former CalWORKs cash aid recipients who work or take part in county approved welfare-to-work activities can get help paying for care.Source: CalWORKs Child Care, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- Care is for children through age 12, and up to age 21 for children with exceptional needs or severe disabilities.Source: CalWORKs Child Care, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- Families not on CalWORKs cash aid can contact the Alternative Payment Program or Child Care Resource and Referral agency in their county.Source: CalWORKs Child Care, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- A family is income eligible when its adjusted monthly income is at or below 85 percent of the state median income.Source: CCB 26-17, Revised State Median Income (SMI) Ceilings And Income Ranking Table For Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
For families: how to apply
- Families apply for CalWORKs child care through their local county social services office.Source: CalWORKs Child Care, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.Find your county social services office
For providers: how to take part
- Family child care homes are licensed by the Child Care Licensing Division of the California Department of Social Services.Source: Parent Resources, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- A license-exempt provider may need to pass a background check before a voucher program can pay for their care.Source: Parent Resources, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- For center-based programs, the state contracts directly with child care centers and family child care home networks for a set number of slots.Source: Child Care and Development Programs, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- License-exempt CalWORKs providers who must be on the TrustLine Registry complete an online background check.Source: TrustLine, California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.TrustLine background check
Questions about child care assistance in California
What is the child care assistance program in California called?
CalWORKs Child Care. It is run by the California Department of Social Services.
Who can apply for child care assistance in California?
Current or former CalWORKs cash aid recipients who work or take part in county approved welfare-to-work activities can get help paying for care. Care is for children through age 12, and up to age 21 for children with exceptional needs or severe disabilities. Families not on CalWORKs cash aid can contact the Alternative Payment Program or Child Care Resource and Referral agency in their county. A family is income eligible when its adjusted monthly income is at or below 85 percent of the state median income.
How do families apply in California?
Families apply for CalWORKs child care through their local county social services office. Official page: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/county-offices
How does a child care provider take part in California?
Family child care homes are licensed by the Child Care Licensing Division of the California Department of Social Services. A license-exempt provider may need to pass a background check before a voucher program can pay for their care. For center-based programs, the state contracts directly with child care centers and family child care home networks for a set number of slots.
Sources
Every source is an official government page.
- CalWORKs Child CareCalifornia Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- CalWORKs Child CareCalifornia Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- Child Care and Development ProgramsCalifornia Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- Parent ResourcesCalifornia Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- TrustLineCalifornia Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
- CCB 26-17, Revised State Median Income (SMI) Ceilings And Income Ranking Table For Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27California Department of Social Services. Checked November 3, 2026.
About this page
We read each source above on an official government site on November 3, 2026. Each fact links to the page it came from.
If a fact is not here, we could not read it on an official page, so we left it out.
Programs change their rules, limits and forms. Confirm with the agency before you apply or enroll as a provider.
This page is a summary of public information. Bloomily does not run these programs or decide who qualifies.
More about child care in California
- California child care licensing
Ratios, required training and official rules for programs.
- Child care assistance in every state
Each page links every fact to the official page it came from.
Child care assistance in other states
- Alabama
Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
- Alaska
Child Care Assistance Program, run by the Alaska Department of Health.
- Arizona
Child Care Assistance Program, run by the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
- Arkansas
School Readiness Assistance, run by the Arkansas Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood.
- Colorado
Colorado Child Care Assistance Program, run by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood.
- Connecticut
Care 4 Kids, run by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood.
- Delaware
Purchase of Care, run by the Delaware Division of Social Services.
- District of Columbia
DC Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).
- Florida
School readiness program, run by the Florida Department of Education.
- Georgia
Childcare and Parent Services, run by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.
- Hawaii
Child Care Subsidy, run by the Hawaii Department of Human Services.
- Idaho
Idaho Child Care Program, run by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
- Illinois
Child Care Assistance Program, run by the Illinois Department of Early Childhood.
- Indiana
Child Care and Development Fund, run by the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration.
- Iowa
Child Care Assistance, run by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
- Kansas
Child Care Assistance, run by the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
- Kentucky
Child Care Assistance Program, run by the Division of Child Care.
- Louisiana
Child Care Assistance Program, run by the Louisiana Department of Education.
- Maine
Child Care Affordability Program, run by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
- Massachusetts
Child Care Financial Assistance, run by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.
- Michigan
Child Development and Care, run by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.
- Minnesota
Child Care Assistance Program, run by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
- Mississippi
Child Care Payment Program, run by the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
- Missouri
Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Childhood.
- Montana
Best Beginnings Child Care Scholarship, run by the Montana DPHHS Early Childhood and Family Support Division.
- Nebraska
Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
- Nevada
Child Care and Development Program, run by the Nevada Division of Social Services.
- New Hampshire
NH Child Care Scholarship Program, run by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration.
- New Jersey
New Jersey Child Care Assistance Program, run by the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Family Development.
- New Mexico
Child Care Assistance, run by the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department.
- New York
Child Care Assistance Program, run by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.
- North Carolina
Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program, run by the NC DHHS Division of Child Development and Early Education.
- North Dakota
Child Care Assistance Program, run by the North Dakota Health and Human Services.
- Ohio
Publicly Funded Child Care, run by the Ohio Department of Children and Youth.
- Oklahoma
Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Oklahoma Human Services.
- Oregon
Employment Related Day Care, run by the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care.
- Pennsylvania
Child Care Works, run by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.
- Rhode Island
Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), run by the Rhode Island Department of Human Services.
- South Dakota
Child Care Assistance, run by the South Dakota Department of Social Services.
- Tennessee
Child Care Payment Assistance, run by the Tennessee Department of Human Services.
- Texas
Child Care Services, run by the Texas Workforce Commission.
- Utah
Employment Support Child Care, run by the Department of Workforce Services.
- Vermont
Child Care Financial Assistance Program, run by the Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division.
- Virginia
Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Virginia Department of Education.
- Washington
Working Connections Child Care, run by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
- West Virginia
Child Care Assistance, run by the West Virginia Department of Human Services, Bureau for Family Assistance.
- Wisconsin
Wisconsin Shares, run by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.
- Wyoming
Child Care Subsidy Program, run by the Wyoming Department of Family Services.
Billing a family with a subsidy
- See billing in Bloomily
In Bloomily, you record the subsidy once. Invoices split between the agency and the family, and each side sees its share.
Check us before you commit.
Three things directors ask before they start, answered where you can read them.
Help whenever you need it.
AI help is built in, plus full support from our team. Ask a question, and it answers from your own records.
How AI help works →Children’s data deserves grown-up care.
Encrypted on the way and at rest. Each program’s records are walled off. We never hold card numbers.
Trust and security →Run a program in California? Bill each family its share on Bloomily.
Get startedor book a demo
One flat price per location, never per child. $199 a month billed yearly ($2,388), or $249 month to month. Free for home daycares up to 18 children. Every fee is on the pricing page.
Sign up today and set up in an afternoon.
Run more than one kind of program? Talk to us.