Child Care Assistance Family Copayment Policies: Family of Three, 2003¹

¹ Information reported is based on a family of three (including one or two children) with no infants or children with special needs. Some States provide different fee scales for families with infants and/or children with special needs.

² Where the Lead Agency provided information on an annual income, income was divided by 12 and reported as "monthly." Where the Lead Agency reported information on a weekly income, it was multiplied by four and reported as "monthly." All monthly income levels were rounded to the nearest dollar.

³ Where the Lead Agency provided different sliding fee scales for different localities, the locality used is the one containing the largest urban area in the State.

⁴ Families with more than one child in care pay one-half the applicable fee for each sibling in care.

⁵ Sliding fees set as a percentage of adjusted gross income, varying by family income level expressed as a percentage of SMI. The minimum fee is based on the lowest level of the sliding fee scale, 1% of adjusted gross income.

⁶ Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, and New Jersey prohibit some providers from charging fees in addition to copayment fees established by the State.

⁷ In Indiana, copay amounts vary by how long a family receives child care assistance; the maximum family fee applies in the third year of receipt.

⁸ In Maryland, copay amounts vary by age of child, as well as by family income and size.

⁹ Montana has a flat fee of $10.00/month at the lowest income eligibility levels, but bases fees at higher income levels on percentage of gross monthly income; at the highest income level, the copayment represents 14% of gross monthly income.

¹⁰ The maximum fee listed for New Jersey applies only in cases where a family receiving services applies for redetermination of eligibility to continue to receive services; for families making initial application to receive child care assistance, at a maximum income level of $2,543.33, the maximum fee is $180.55/month for the 1^st child and $209.15/month for the 2^nd child.

¹¹ Each Social Service District in New York State selects its own fee percentage, within a range permitted by the State (between 10 and 35 percent, to calculate the family contribution towards child care); The family share is determined by applying the percentage to the excess of the family's gross annual income over the State income standard for the size of family in question, divided by 52. The selections of the local departments of social services are subject to the approval of the State. The Lead Agency did not report data for any Social Service District.

¹² Income eligibility is capped at 165% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Ohio Families participating in Head Start-child care collaborations may remain eligible at higher incomes and are assessed higher copayment amounts.

¹³ In Oklahoma, a family's contribution also is determined based on number of children in care. For example, at monthly income levels above $1,936.00, the family pays the full cost of care for the first child, plus a copay for a second child that varies with income; at monthly income levels above $2,377.00, the family pays the full cost of care for the second child also, plus a copay amount for a third child that varies with income. For families of five or fewer members, at monthly income levels of $2,919.00, copays phase out and families pay the full cost of care for all children in care.

¹⁴ Although the Puerto Rico copayment table includes a lower sliding fee amount of $36.00/month, families below 50% of SMI (1994) are not required to pay the family fee.

¹⁵ CCDF Plan did not specify maximum monthly income at which the maximum required fee applies.

¹⁶ In Virginia, there is a minimum fee of $25 per month for fee-system families with income of at least $250.00 per month.

¹⁷ West Virginia reported that it capped intake at 150% of FPL.

¹⁸ The West Virginia sliding fee scale included in its CCDF Plan did not include information on the frequency with which the copay is paid (daily, weekly, or monthly).