Child Care Service Program Eligibility

Eligibility for CalWORKs child care is based upon the client being eligible for CalWORKs and in the AU. An AU is defined as all family members for whom cash assistance is being paid.

A foster parent who is receiving Foster Care payments on behalf of a foster child must be receiving cash aid for themselves to be eligible for help with child care costs in Stage I. A foster child does not need to be in the AU.

Non-needy caretaker relatives are not eligible for help with child care costs in Stage I.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for Stage I child care, the following conditions must be met:

• Children must meet child eligibility criteria, unless otherwise specified,
• Need for child care has been established,
• Income must be within the established limit,
• Provider must be licensed, license-exempt, or registered with TrustLine,
• A child’s parent, legal guardian, other caretaker relative or other person in the AU is not available to provide adequate dependent care.

Two-Parent Families

For two-parent families, where both are participating, and child care is approved, and one parent stops participating, child care is to continue until the remainder of the 12-month period. At the conclusion of the 12-month period, the EC needs to re-evaluate for child care eligibility. If the other parent is available to provide child care, then child care would not be recertified for another 12 months.

Note: At the point of cash aid approval, if one parents decides to stay home, then child care would not be approved, because one parent is available at the point of initial Intake to provide child care. Document in CalSAWS Journal Detail page.

Eligible Child

Child care services are available to every CalWORKs Employment Services client with a child who meets at least one condition in each of the following categories listed below:

The Child:

1. Is in the CalWORKs assistance unit, or
2. Receives Foster Care, or
3. Receives SSI/SSP, or
4. Is a member of a family with a former CalWORKs client who has become employed, or
5. Is not in the assistance unit but is related by blood, marriage or court decree, and child care is needed for the client to participate in approved CalWORKs or Cal-Learn activities or employment,

AND

6. Is 12 years of age or under, or
7. Physically or mentally incapable of caring for himself/herself based on a written statement from:
   1. A physician, or
   2. A licensed or certified psychologist, or
   3. Receipt of SSI/SSP and meets the age requirements for CalWORKs cash benefits, or
   4. Under court supervision and meets the age requirements for CalWORKs cash benefits.

Intercounty Transfers (ICTs)

WTW participants who are receiving stage 1 child care are entitled to continue receiving child care without disruption in child care payments when he/she moves to/from another county [MPP 47-310]. The table below provides the required steps when addressing child care for active CalWORKs clients who move as follows:

• To Santa Clara County from another county, or
• From Santa Clara County to another County.

Example 1

Client is participating in the WTW program in Monterey County and is receiving Stage I child care. She moves to Gilroy on February 8. Monterey County informs client to apply for child care in Santa Clara County. Client changes provider and starts to receive child care services for her children effective February 15 to support her existing WTW activity. Although the ICT is completed effective April 1, since the client changed providers, Santa Clara County is responsible to pay the child care beginning February 15, 2010. To make the payment, the CalSAWS Child Care Program Block would need to be back-dated with an "Active" status effective February 15.

Example 2

Client is participating in the WTW program in Santa Clara County and her child care provider is in Los Altos. She moves to San Mateo County on February 8, but she does not change child care providers. Santa Clara County informs client to apply for child care in San Mateo. The ICT is completed effective April 1. Since she does not change child care providers, Santa Clara County is required to continue paying child care until March 31, 2010. However, with mutual agreement, San Mateo County agrees to pay the child care beginning March 1.

Relatives

No reimbursement will be made for child care provided by:

• Child’s parent(s),
• Child’s legal guardian,
• Members of the assistance unit, including a step-parent or an Alternatively Sentenced Parent (ASP). An ASP is a parent who is a convicted offender permitted to live at home while serving a court-imposed sentence which requires performing unpaid community service or unpaid public work during the workday.

Other Stage I Clients

Stage I child care is also paid for the following individuals:

• Clients suspended from cash aid for not more than one month. However, the client must be participating in CalWORKs-approved welfare-to-work activities, or be employed;
• Clients on cash aid who are penalized for reasons other than failure to participate in required CalWORKs welfare-to-work activities. The client must be participating in CalWORKs approved welfare-to-work activities, or be employed.