DES provides child care assistance to eligible families who participate in employment and specific education and training activities by providing financial support to offset a portion of child care costs for children from birth through age 12.
Child care assistance is also available for children experiencing homelessness and children referred by the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) or a Tribal child welfare program.
DES child care assistance can help families pay for care in child care center-based or home settings that are contracted with DES to provide high quality child care. Families are required to cost-share (co-pay) based on family size and income.
Child care assistance is available for a parent with an income at or below 165% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) with children Birth through age 12 who is:
DCC also provides child care assistance to individuals receiving Cash Assistance (CA) who are employed or enrolled in the Grant Diversion program, as well as grandparents and guardians when the parent of the child is not living in the same home and when the grandparent or guardian is engaged in an eligible activity.
DCC does not consider income when determining eligibility for an individual who is referred from the TANF Jobs Program, Department of Child Safety (DCS), or a Tribal child welfare program.
Student parents attending school at a DES Higher Education Child Care Project (HECCP) community college or university may be eligible for child care assistance through one of these participating HECCP institutions:
Student with a child Birth through age 12, with a household income of 85% of the State Median Income or less.
To learn more about the HECCP, contact your school’s HECCP administrator, scholarships office, or student services.
Families applying for DES child care assistance must meet certain eligibility criteria, and submit the following to a local DES office in person, by email, or fax:
Verification of eligible activity documents (as applicable) may also be required:
Additional verification documents (as applicable):
Application for Child Care Assistance is not required for families from:
Applications for child care can take up to 30 days to process and complete. Applicants are encouraged to not disregard correspondence from the DES Division of Child Care, as this may delay services.
Once your application is received, an eligibility specialist conducts an interview and determines if additional information is needed.
For more information, contact your local DES office to speak with a Child Care Eligibility Specialist.
Documents Center for Families - search for reports, forms, policies and pamphlets and posters with information about child care programs and services.
Looking for child care? Parents can receive free referrals and information about DES child care programs from Child Care Resource and Referral through the CCR&R website, or by calling 1-800-308-9000, Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm, and 8:00am to 12:00pm on Saturday. Se habla Español. Referrals to all types of child care providers - licensed centers, family child care homes, and group child care homes are available. Information on quality of care, State licensing and other resources are also available.
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Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other nondiscrimination laws and authorities, ADES does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Persons that require a reasonable modification based on language or disability should submit a request as early as possible to ensure the State has an opportunity to address the modification. The process for requesting a reasonable modification can be found at Equal Opportunity and Reasonable Modification