Child Care Assistance

Child Care Assistance (CCA) is available to the children of income-eligible parents who are gone for a portion of the day due to employment or participation in academic (such as higher education) or vocational training or PROMISE JOBS activities.  

Assistance may also be available for a limited period of time to the children of a parent looking for employment.

PROMISE JOBS Program 

Child care services are provided to people participating in activities approved under the PROMISE JOBS program and people who receive Family Investment Program (FIP) assistance without regard to Child Care Assistance eligibility requirements if there is a need for child care services.  

PROMISE JOBS staff administer Child Care Assistance for child care needed to participate in PROMISE JOBS activities.

Eligibility 

You may get help from the Child Care Assistance program if you:

• Have a child who needs care who is under the age of 13 (or under the age of 19 if the child has special needs).
• Are a member of a Family Investment Program (FIP) participant household.

Child care services for a child with protective needs are provided without regard to income.  To receive protective child care services, the family must meet specific requirements, and child care must be identified in the child's case permanency plan as a necessary service.

If you're not a Family Investment Program participant, you may qualify for the CCA program if you:

• Have a child who needs care who is under the age of 13 (or under the age of 19 if the child has special needs) and have income under the program's limits and work an average of 32 hours per week (28 hours per week if the family has a special needs child needing care); or
• Attend an approved training or education program full-time; or
• Attend approved training part-time and also work part-time for a total of at least 32 hours per week (28 hours per week if the family has a special needs child needing care); or
• Are looking for work; or
• Become unable to work or attend school because of an approved medical reason.

NOTE:  Child care provided while you participate in postsecondary education or training has a 24-month lifetime limit.

How to Apply

To get most of our services, you must fill out an application form.

• You can apply for the Child Care Assistance (CCA) program on-line at our Family Portal where you can apply, access forms and rules, and search for a child care provider.  
• If you have access to a printer, you can print an application from this website (see links below).  Complete the application by hand then return it to the HHS centralized child unit in Des Moines.

HHS CCA Eligibility
2309 Euclid Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50310-5703

• You can also get an application form from any county Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) office. 

Resources