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Child Care Scholarship Policy Manual 67

2.4 SPECIFIC CHILD CARE ELIGIBILITY CATEGORIES A client may be eligible for more than one eligibility category. However, the eligibility category with the most stringent eligibility requirements for which the client qualifies takes priority. As a family’s eligibility changes, the client may be switched from one eligibility category to another based on the client’s status and availability of funds. A parent may apply for child care services for a dependent child who resides in the caretaker’s household. 2.4.1 PROTECTIVE SERVICES DEFINITION/CATEGORIES The Child Care Scholarship Program extends eligibility to specific populations of children, otherwise not eligible, by including them in the agency’s definition of “children who receive or need to receive protective services”. The categories identified under protective services for the purpose of not requiring a co-pay and/or (one or both) not requiring a parent to meet the work, school, or training criteria. Those categories are: children in foster care, kinship care, under court supervision or any child welfare category. Children in head start programs, families experiencing homelessness, and families affected by natural disasters. Additionally, families that qualify under dual language learners, children eligible for the 4K program to include siblings (4K+Siblings), Special Needs, First Steps evidence-based program initiative, child care after adoption (AdoptCC), Kinship Guardianship (KinGap), child care after reunification (Reunify CC), CCDF- Caretaker Relative (CCDF-CR), Dual Language Learners, Family Literacy, Head Start, SNAP E&T, Starlight and Criminal Domestic Violence.

2.5 TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES (TANF) The Family Independence Act of 1995 established the TANF Program administered by SCDSS. The purpose of child care through TANF is to provide the necessary child care for a family to participate in approved employment, education, training, or to comply with their TANF Family Plan. A fundamental goal of TANF is to emphasize parental responsibility and self-sufficiency. SCDSS must provide support services such as child care to enable the parent to move into employment, education or training. A parent participating in TANF is not required to pay a fee to the provider. However, the parent is responsible for paying the difference in what the Child Care Scholarship Program pays and