Child Care Financial Assistance Options

Paying for quality child care can be a struggle for many families in the United States. The cost of child care is often the biggest part of a family’s budget and can be higher than the cost of housing, food, or even college tuition.

If you need help paying for child care, there are programs that can help. Below is a summary of different programs that may be available to help with the cost of child care.

Note: Your state or territory’s online child care search may indicate if a provider participates in a government financial assistance program or offers its own assistance or discounts. To find your state or territory’s online child care search, visit the " Find Child Care” page.

Government Programs

• Child care financial assistance (also called vouchers, certificates, or subsidies): States and territories receive funding from the federal government to provide child care financial assistance to help families with low-income pay for child care so they can work or attend school. Eligibility requirements are different in each state. Select your state or territory and review the “Financial Assistance for Families” page to find your local child care financial assistance program.
• Head Start and Early Head Start: Head Start and Early Head Start programs help prepare children from birth to age 5 for school and provide services to support children’s early learning and development, mental well-being, and physical health. Head Start and Early Head Start are available at no cost to eligible families with low-income. Select your state or territory and review the “Child Development and Early Learning Resources” page to find Head Start and Early Head Start programs near you.
• State-funded prekindergarten: State-funded prekindergarten programs serve children between 3 and 5 years of age and focus on helping children get ready for kindergarten. Some states offer these programs to eligible families at low or no cost. Programs may be part-day or full-day. Select your state or territory and review the “Child Development and Early Learning Resources” page to see if public prekindergarten is available near you.
• Military child care financial assistance programs: There are several programs that help military families pay for child care, wherever they are stationed. To learn more, visit the "Child Care Financial Assistance for Military Families" page.

Local and Provider-Specific Assistance and Discounts

• Local assistance and scholarships: Local nonprofit organizations and individual child care providers may offer fee assistance or scholarships. Ask the providers that you are considering if they offer any child care assistance or scholarships.
• Sibling discount: Some child care programs offer a discount to families that enroll siblings. They may take a percentage or a specific dollar amount off of a child’s weekly or monthly fee. They may also waive the registration fee or other fees. If you need care for more than one child, ask providers whether they offer sibling discounts.
• Military discount: Some civilian child care providers (not associated with military child care) offer discounts for military service members. Ask potential providers if they offer a military discount.

Work- and School-Related Programs

• Employer-sponsoredDependent Care Flexible Spending Account: Some employers may allow employees to put a portion of each paycheck into a special fund called a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, or “FSA,” to pay for child care services while the employees work. The money you contribute to a Dependent Care FSA is not subject to payroll taxes, so you end up paying less in taxes and taking home more of your paycheck. It can only be used to pay for dependent care, such as child care. Check with your human resources department to see if your employer offers this program.
• Other employer resources: Some companies offer child care onsite for employees’ children. In addition, some child care programs may offer discounts for employees of certain companies. Find out if your employer has relationships with any nearby child care programs that offer employee discounts.
• College or university child care: Some colleges and universities offer child care on campus. These programs may offer special discounts to students, faculty, and staff.

Native Hawaiian, Native Alaskan, and American Indian Programs

• Tribal Child Care Financial Assistance: Many Tribes and Tribal organizations receive child care grants from the federal government to provide child care financial assistance to Tribal families. There are also more than 150 Head Start and Early Head Start programs that serve American Indian and Alaska Native children. Find these programs with the Head Start Center Locator .
• Child Care Assistance for Indigenous People of Hawai’i and other Pacific Islands child care and preschool programs: There are programs in Hawaii that assist with cost of child care and preschool for children of Indigenous People of Hawai’i and other Pacific Islands. Families should contact PATCH (the local child care resource and referral agency) for more information.

Tax Credits and Support

Tax credits reduce the amount of tax you owe and may result in a tax refund. To claim tax credits, you need to meet certain requirements and file a tax return, even if you have no other filing requirement or owe no income tax.

• Child and dependent care tax credit: This credit is available to people who had to pay for child care for their children (younger than age 13) so they could work or look for work.
• Earned income tax credit: This tax credit helps low- to moderate-income workers and families get a tax break. If you qualify, you can use the credit to reduce the taxes you owe and possibly increase your refund.
• IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance: This program provides free tax help to eligible low-income taxpayers.

Speak with a tax specialist or visit the Internal Revenue Service's web page to learn more about these tax credits and more.