Eligible families receive payment vouchers from CCS Central to cover part of their child care costs. The voucher shows:
- The subsidy rate -- the part of the child care costs that the State is paying for the family
- The family co-payment -- the amount that the family is required to pay according to State regulation
Families take the voucher to a child care provider that participates in the Maryland EXCELS program.The voucher is a signed agreement between the State, provider and parent. The voucher is returned to CCS Central for processing. The family is responsible for paying the State assigned co-payment directly to their child care provider. Once the child begins care, the child care provider submits an invoice for payments and is then reimbursed for the subsidy portion of the payment by the State.
To apply, a family must submit the following to CCS Central:
- The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) application (PDF)
- Verification of work/training activity and income
- To complete the application you MUST send in the information listed for all household members. This includes you, and your spouse or your child’s other parent living in your household.
- Most recent four (4) weeks of consecutive pay stubs
- Proof of identity (i.e. driver’s license, birth certificate, government issued identification, etc.)
- Proof of approved activity (i.e. work, school or job training)
- Proof of all other income
- Proof of child support cooperation or payment
- Proof of address (i.e. utility bill, lease, etc.)
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the CCS Program, you must be:
-
A Maryland resident who is working/employed, in an approved training program or attending school. For families where both parents live within the same household, both parents must meet all eligibility requirements.
-
A recipient of Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or within CCS income guidelines (see below).
-
Willing to have your child immunized to Maryland state standards or provide documentation supporting Exemption from Immunization.
-
Pursuing child support, if both parents do not live within the same household composition.
-
Willing to provide proof that each child needing child care is a citizen of the United States or a qualified alien. (Provide a Birth Certificate for each child or documentation that certifies the child's status.) NOTE: Parents ARE NOT required to be citizens of the United States.
-
Willing to provide proof of identity for all members within the household composition. (Proof of identity for the parent can be any form of a government issued document. The birth certificate or immigration status documentation can serve as proof of identity for each child in the household composition.)
-
Willing to provide a Photo I.D. (Only required of the head of households.) The Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program provides financial assistance with child care costs to eligible working families in Maryland. The program is managed through a centralized vendor -- Child Care Subsidy Central (CCS Central).