Maryland's Child Care Scholarship program

Working families in Maryland with a child care provider who participates in the Maryland EXCELS program may qualify for financial assistance through the Child Care Scholarship (CCS), formerly known as the Child Care Subsidy Program.

The CCS program is funded through a combination of state andfederal sources, which provide financial assistance to help eligiblefamilies working or attending educational/training programs to affordchild care costs by issuing vouchers, which are then given tothe child care providers.

In 2018 Governor Larry Hogan signed a law that increasesprovider reimbursement rates over the next three years to “not lessthan the 60th percentile of the cost of child care market rate by2022.” This legislation, combined with improved federal fundingthrough the Child Care Development Block Grant, allows CCS toreach more eligible families.

Eligibility for CCS is based on annual income and the number ofhousehold members. The sliding scale starts at an annual incomeof $48,637 for a family of two, increasing with each additional familymember all the way up to $102,996 for a family of ten. In addition,the following requirements must be met by the applicant(s):

• A Maryland resident who is working/employed, in an approvedtraining program or attending school. For families where bothparents live within the same household, both parents must meetall eligibility requirements.

• A recipient of Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) or SupplementalSecurity Income (SSI) or within CCS income guidelines.

• Willing to have your child immunized to Maryland statestandards or provide documentation supporting Exemptionfrom Immunization.

• Pursuing child support, if both parents do not live within the samehousehold composition.

• Willing to provide proof that each child needing child care is acitizen of the United States or otherwise qualified. Note: Parentsare not required to be citizens of the United States.

• Willing to provide proof of identity for all members within thehousehold. (Proof of identity for the parent can be any form of agovernment issued document. The birth certificate or immigrationstatus documentation can serve as proof of identity for each child.)

• Willing to provide a Photo ID. (Only required of the head ofhouseholds.)“High-quality care and education programs at a young age translate to a better start in kindergarten,” says Dr. Karen Salmon, StateSuperintendent of Schools. “We want families to take advantage ofthis important expansion in eligibility.”

For those who wish to apply, the Child Care Subsidy applicationcan be found at earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org.Additional documentation and subsidy forms are required oncethe application is approved. Complete guidelines can be foundthrough the Maryland Department of Education Division of EarlyChildcare website.