1. Who is eligible for help paying for child care and/or out-of-school time programs?
EEC helps Massachusetts families pay for child care and out-of-school time programs through federal and state child care financial assistance programs (CCFA).
CCFA eligibility is based on who is in your family, income, and certain expenses. “Eligibility” means who can and can’t get the benefit. If you aren’t sure if you are eligible, family access administrators can help you find out.
Learn more about the income levels and "service need" eligibility.
2. If I qualify for financial assistance, how much will I pay for child care?
The amount of money you pay depends on the size of your household and your income. This is known as the parent fee. You pay a lower fee for part-time care. If you have more than one child in care, each additional child has a discounted fee.
Example:
Martha has one child and their monthly income before taxes is $1,700.
- Subtract the standard deduction amount (see chart below) from the family monthly income: $1,700 - $1,526 = $174
|
Household Size |
Parent Fee Deduction Amount |
|
2 |
$1,842 |
|
3 |
$2,041 |
|
4 |
$2,240 |
|
5 |
$2,439 |
|
6 |
$2,638 |
|
7 |
$2,837 |
|
8 |
$3,036 |
2. Look at the parent fee scale to find the amount of income to pay each month. For Martha, that is 4%.
3. Multiply new income from #1 by the answer to percent from the table in #2: $174 X 0.04 = $6.96
Martha will pay an estimated $6.96 a month.
3. My family size has changed. Should I tell my family access administrator?
If your family size increases, the amount of money you pay a month for child care and/or out of school time programs may go down. Also, if you have more than one child in care, each additional child has a discounted fee.