About the Child Care Scholarship Program

The Child Care Scholarship Program vouchers provide financial assistance with child care costs to eligible working families in Maryland.

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), and 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.

“Annual household income” is what is written in Line 11 (Adjusted Gross Income) of your 2021 Form 1040 Tax Return.

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.
• UPDATE (8/24/22): Expanded eligibility guidelines now allows parents in graduate or professional programs (such as medical school, law school, AND kollel) to qualify for CCS
• Within CCS income guidelines (see above) or a recipient of Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
• 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. (Includes court-ordered, voluntary or have “Good Cause” for not pursuing child support)
• 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.)

To apply, a family will need:

• Proof of identity for every adult member of the household (i.e. driver’s license, birth certificate, government issued identification, etc.)
• Proof of address (i.e. utility bill, driver’s license, etc.)
• For working household members, most recent pay stubs representing four weeks of consecutive wages for each household member
• Verification of work/training activity (Employment Verification Statement completed by employer)
• For household members reporting education or training as their activity,  a copy of their current school/training schedule on school letterhead to verify days and hours of classes
• For applicants who receive SNAP, WIC, TCA, WAG, GBI, and/or Housing Assistance, a copy of your eligibility statement and/or housing voucher receipt
• Proof of citizenship or resident alien status
• Proof of all other income

How to apply:

• You can apply online by submitting an application through the Child Care Scholarship Family Portal
• Go to the Child Care Scholarship Family Portal and create an account by clicking on “Register for a New Account” and entering your information

•  Fill out and complete the short, fast-track online Scholarship application, and submit your Proof of Employment or Proof of Enrollment in training or school

• If you are eligible, a temporary, 60-day Scholarship will be issued to assist with the cost of child care while we process your full application
• Once you’ve receiving the 60-day scholarship, you will need to submit additional information in order to receive the 52-week Scholarship
• We will ask for additional information and documentation to see if you are eligible for a 52-week scholarship 

For additional information, visit the CCS website. For help applying or to check on the status of your application, follow the instructions here. Additionally, you can try calling our office (410-484-3632).

Click here for more information on the Child Care Scholarship and the Maryland EXCELS program