The CalWORKs Child Care Program pays for child care so parents on CalWORKs cash aid, or those who left cash aid within the last 24 months, can work, go to school, or complete other approved activities. It runs in three stages managed by different agencies, and families can keep subsidized care well past their time on cash aid as long as household income stays at or below 85 percent of the State Median Income.1California Department of Social Services. CalWORKs Child Care For fiscal year 2025–26, that ceiling runs from $6,860 a month for a family of two to $9,020 a month for a family of four, with higher limits for larger households.
Who Qualifies
You qualify if you currently receive CalWORKs cash aid, or if you received it in the last 24 months and are working or in an approved welfare-to-work activity.1California Department of Social Services. CalWORKs Child Care Families who took a CalWORKs lump-sum diversion payment instead of ongoing cash aid also qualify and can enter Stage 2 or Stage 3 directly, depending on funding.
Approved welfare-to-work activities cover a wide range: ESL classes, community college, job skills training, employment, work study, community service, and services that address barriers like mental health counseling, substance use treatment, or domestic violence support.2California Department of Social Services. Welfare to Work Most participants commit to 20, 30, or 35 hours a week depending on their household situation, unless exempt.
Income Limits
Your adjusted monthly income must be at or below 85 percent of the State Median Income for your family size.3California Department of Social Services. CalWORKs Child Care – Program Eligibility For 2025–26, key thresholds are:
- Family of 2: $6,860 per month ($82,326 per year)
- Family of 3: $7,785 per month ($93,418 per year)
- Family of 4: $9,020 per month ($108,237 per year)
- Family of 5: $10,463 per month ($125,555 per year)
Cross that ceiling at any point and you lose eligibility, whatever stage you’re in.
Children’s Ages
The program covers children through age 12. Children with exceptional needs or severe disabilities can stay eligible up to age 21.4Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Child Care
The Three Stages
CalWORKs child care runs in three stages, each handled by a different agency. Transitions happen automatically as your circumstances change; you don’t reapply from scratch when you move between stages.
Stage 1
Stage 1 begins as soon as you start CalWORKs cash aid and need child care to work or complete welfare-to-work activities. Your county welfare department runs this stage directly.1California Department of Social Services. CalWORKs Child Care You’re entitled to child care before you can be required to attend a CalWORKs orientation, assessment, or activity.
Stage 1 gives you continuous child care authorization for 12 months. Even if you’re sanctioned or temporarily stop participating in your assigned activity, care continues until the 12-month authorization ends or you move to Stage 2.5California Department of Social Services. Subsidized Programs That protection matters. A gap in child care can end a new job fast.
Stage 2
Once the county determines your work or training situation is stable, your case shifts to Stage 2, administered by Alternative Payment Program agencies under contract with the state rather than the county welfare office.5California Department of Social Services. Subsidized Programs Former CalWORKs recipients can stay in Stage 1 or Stage 2 for up to 24 months total after leaving cash aid.6Justia Law. California Education Code 8350-8359.1 – Child Care for Recipients of the CalWORKs Program
The move to Stage 2 doesn’t change what kind of care you can use or which providers are available. It’s largely an administrative handoff.
Stage 3
Families who exhaust their 24 months of Stage 1 and Stage 2 after leaving cash aid move to Stage 3, so long as income stays under 85 percent of the State Median Income and a funded space is open.1California Department of Social Services. CalWORKs Child Care Diversion-payment families are also eligible for Stage 3 directly.6Justia Law. California Education Code 8350-8359.1 – Child Care for Recipients of the CalWORKs Program
Stage 3 has no built-in time limit. You can stay as long as funding exists and your income remains eligible. Stage 3 spaces depend on state budget allocations, and waitlists develop in lean years. Families with the lowest incomes get priority when spaces open.
Choosing Your Provider
You pick the provider. CalWORKs families can choose any legal child care arrangement, licensed or license-exempt.5California Department of Social Services. Subsidized Programs Three categories exist:
- Licensed child care centers, the traditional daycare facilities with set hours and state licensing oversight.
- Licensed family child care homes, where a provider cares for children in their own home under a state license, usually in smaller groups.
- License-exempt providers, meaning a relative, friend, or neighbor caring for your child without a state license.
That last option matters for parents working evenings, nights, or weekends. Plenty of entry-level jobs have shifts that don’t line up with a daycare’s 7-to-6 window, and a grandparent or neighbor who can handle a 4 a.m. drop-off often makes the schedule work.
TrustLine for License-Exempt Providers
A license-exempt provider must register with TrustLine before the state will pay them. TrustLine is California’s background screening system for unlicensed caregivers and checks three databases the general public cannot access: California Department of Justice fingerprint records, FBI criminal history records, and the California Child Abuse Central Index.7California Department of Social Services. TrustLine A provider with a disqualifying conviction or a substantiated child abuse report will not be registered.
Registration runs about $143 as a one-time fee: a $43 application fee to CDSS, a $64 Department of Justice fingerprint processing fee, and a variable Live Scan vendor fee.8TrustLine. California Nanny Agency Resources and Support Info There’s no renewal fee. Ask your caseworker whether the county covers this cost for your provider; policies vary.
How Providers Get Paid
Providers are reimbursed up to the Regional Market Rate ceiling for their area, set by the state using periodic market rate surveys.9California Department of Social Services. Regional Market Rate Survey – Child Development If your provider charges more than the ceiling, you may owe the difference. License-exempt providers are reimbursed at 70 percent of the family child care home ceiling for their region.
What You’ll Pay
Families currently on CalWORKs cash aid pay no family fee. Neither do safety net families or sanctioned families.3California Department of Social Services. CalWORKs Child Care – Program Eligibility Once you leave cash aid and enter Stage 2 or Stage 3, you’ll pay a fee based on income and family size. Each family pays a single fee no matter how many children are in care, and the maximum caps at roughly 10 percent of income.
CDSS maintains an online Family Fee Rate Calculator where you can enter your fiscal year, family size, and income to see your exact fee. Fees rise gradually with income.
How to Apply
CalWORKs child care is administered county by county, so your starting point is your local county welfare department. If you’re already on CalWORKs cash aid, your caseworker should raise child care as part of your welfare-to-work plan.10California Department of Social Services. CalWORKs Child Care You don’t have to wait to be offered it. If you need child care for a required activity, ask.
Bring the following:
- Proof of income: recent pay stubs, an employer’s statement, or, if self-employed, business records and tax returns.
- Proof of activity: a certified school schedule, welfare-to-work plan, or employment verification.
- Children’s identification: birth certificates or hospital records showing each child’s age and your relationship.
- Provider information: your chosen provider’s name, contact details, and proof of licensing or TrustLine registration.
State rules require child care requests to be evaluated and processed right away. Payments can be made retroactively for care provided up to 30 calendar days before you submitted your request, so don’t delay asking because you’re worried about a coverage gap.
Report honestly. Intentionally giving false information to obtain child care benefits is a misdemeanor under California law, punishable by up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $500, or both.11California Legislative Information. California Code WIC 10980 – Penalties Larger-scale fraud carries steeper penalties. Update your caseworker promptly when circumstances change.
If You Disagree with a Decision
Whenever the agency approves, modifies, or denies your benefits, you’ll get a written Notice of Action describing the action, effective date, specific facts supporting the decision, and how to appeal.12Cornell Law Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 5 Section 17783 – Notice of Action, Recipient of Services The notice should arrive in your primary language and by the delivery method you requested on your application.
If you disagree, you have 90 days from the date the notice was mailed or handed to you to request a hearing. You can file online through the CDSS Appeals Case Management System or call the toll-free hearing line at 1-800-743-8525.13California Department of Social Services. Public Appeal Request – ACMS Request the hearing before the action takes effect and your services may continue while you wait for a decision. The catch: if the hearing goes against you, you’ll owe back any extra benefits you received in the meantime. You also have the right to review your case file and get a copy of the county’s written position at least two days before your hearing.