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Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program Policy Manual Chapter 4. Application, Eligibility Determination & Documentation

REVISED 04/27/2026

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A child meets the age requirement if they are:

i. Birth through 12; or

ii. 13 through 17, when one of the following situations is documented in the case record.

a) Child has a special need or circumstance which could include a documented medical situation.

b) Child is under court-ordered supervision.

c) Child is receiving child protective services or foster care services.

d) Child would be left in an unsafe situation if care were not provided. For example, a single parent works second, or third shift and the child would be home alone at night.

A child may be eligible for Adult and Family Services once they reach their eighteenth birthday. When a child becomes eligible for kindergarten services in public school (turns age five (5) on or before August 31 of that school year), child care services may only be provided during those days and hours that the regular school program is not in operation.

However, there may be case-specific situations when it is in the best interest of the child to delay entry into the public-school system. An example may be when the child just meets the cutoff date to be eligible for public school but is small or immature for their age or has some other developmental delays and the child would benefit from continuing to receive preschool care for an additional year. The reason for the child not enrolling in public school must be documented in the record. In any case, child care may not be provided for more than one (1) year past the date the child is eligible to begin kindergarten.