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24 Chapter 5: Parent Eligibility Requirements
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) regulations require that child care assistance provided through certificates permit parents to choose from child care categories and be provided information regarding the range of provider options. MDHS makes the following choices available to parents: (1) Licensed Center Based Care, (2) Licensed Family Child Care, or (3) Licensed In-Home Care. Parents participating in the Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) must select a CCPP Provider.
Source: 45 CFR 98.30; Miss. Code Ann. § 43-1-2(4); Miss. Code Ann. § 43-1-4 Revised: August 2025
Rule 5.1 Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to participate in CCPP, a child typically must meet the following requirements to receive CCDF subsidy unless the child is a member of a household that falls within one of the priority populations as described in Chapter 3:
1. Be under the age of 13 (or under the age of 19 with special needs); and
2. Reside with a family whose income does not exceed 85% of the State Median Income (SMI) for a family of the same size and whose assets do not exceed $1,000,000; and
3. Reside with a parent(s) who is working, attending a job training program, or enrolled in an educational program or a parent who has been approved for the CCPP but has been diagnosed with a life threating illness that temporarily prevents the parent from meeting the working or school requirement for the Child Care Payment Program; and
4. Reside with a parent who is a Mississippi resident.
Source: 45 CFR 98.20; Miss. Code Ann. § 43-1-2(4); Miss. Code Ann. § 43-1-4 Revised: August 2025
Rule 5.2 Proof of Eligibility Requirements
Parents/applicants must prove they meet eligibility requirements through the submission of documents. When possible, MDHS will access other documentary evidence in available databases, however, proof of eligibility requirements is the applicant’s responsibility.
Provision of social security numbers is NOT an eligibility requirement and is strictly optional. Eligibility will not be denied due to the failure of the parent to provide a Social Security Number. Social Security numbers may be used, if applicants choose to provide them, to assemble research data sets that do not identify individuals or to verify other requirements.