Published by David Eigner
Last Updated July 2, 2021
New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) has announced on 6/23/2021 a $25 million grant for child care scholarships for essential workers. The grant can potentially cover schools, camps, daycares, and other child care costs for all your children!
The term Essential Worker is very broad and includes first responders, teachers, therapists, retail workers, child care services, and many more. Check here to see if your work is considered essential.
What are the Income Requirements?
The child care costs will be covered for essential workers whose income is less than 300% of the federal poverty level (for example: for a family of 6, they will need to show income of less than $106,740 (based on chart below 35,580 x 3) to qualify) and will be paid up to the market rate for each region statewide for children aged six weeks through 12 years.
Federal Poverty Level Chart
Eligible Child Care Providers
To qualify for the grant, you need to send your child to a child care that is considered registered, or legally exempt with OCFS. You can search here to see if your child care provider is listed.
If you don’t find your schools listed, please contact your school directly to check with them.
| 👉 We have found that many schools outside of New York City are not registered with the state and therefore can not accept this child care grant. |
Summary of the Eligibility Requirements
At least one adult in the household (either the applicant or co-applicant) must meet all of the following to be eligible.
- New York State resident
- Children need to be US citizens
- Essential worker
- The applicant must currently be working as an essential worker
- Have a child over 6 weeks old and under 13 years old, or 13-18 if incapable of caring for themselves
- No other legally responsible adult (over 21) in the household is available for child care
- Household income is below the 300% threshold
- Total family assets cannot exceed $1,000,000
How to Apply
You will need an NYS account in order to apply. If you got unemployment you don't need to register, you can click on the Apply button below and complete the application. If you don't have an NYS account, you will first need to create an account and then apply for the grant.
Apply for Child Care Scholarship
Watch this video for a walk-through on how to complete the application.
Applications will be processed and awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it is advisable to submit the application as early as possible for the best chance of receiving an award.
