The Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF, is the main federal program that helps low-income working families pay for child care. It is run by the Office of Child Care within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and reaches roughly 1.4 million children in an average month, per the Office of Child Care.
Sources used: Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), CCDF program overview and fact sheets 2024; Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014; state child care subsidy agency program pages. Dollar amounts and income limits are set by each state and change; confirm current figures with your state agency before relying on them.
What does CCDF mean?
CCDF stands for the Child Care and Development Fund. It is a federal block grant that gives states money to subsidize child care for eligible families, authorized by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, most recently reauthorized in 2014. The federal government sets the broad rules; each state decides the details and runs the program day to day.
- CCDF (the fund)
- The federal money sent to states to help families afford child care.
- CCDBG (the law)
- The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act, the statute that authorizes CCDF and sets health, safety, and eligibility ground rules.
- Subsidy or voucher
- How the help reaches a family: usually a certificate that pays an approved provider directly, with the family covering a modest copay.
Who qualifies for CCDF assistance?
CCDF is built for working families with low to moderate incomes. Federal rules let states serve households earning up to 85 percent of the state median income, with parents who are working, in school, or in job training, and children generally under age 13. States set their own income limits and priorities within that federal ceiling, so the exact cutoff differs by state, per the Office of Child Care.
| Eligibility factor | Federal framework (states may set stricter limits) |
|---|
| Income | Up to 85% of the state median income at entry. |
| Parent activity | Employment, education, or job training. |
| Child age | Generally under 13 (under 19 if the child has a qualifying disability). |
| Provider | A licensed, regulated, or otherwise approved center or home the family chooses. |
Source: Office of Child Care (ACF), CCDF eligibility framework 2024; Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014.
How do families use CCDF to lower daycare costs?
Most states deliver CCDF as a voucher. An approved family takes the certificate to a participating provider, the state pays the provider up to a set rate, and the family pays a copay scaled to income. That copay is meant to stay affordable, which is why a subsidized seat can cost a family far less than the sticker price of full-time care.
You apply through your state's subsidy agency, often the department of human services or the local Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) office, not through the federal government. Because demand frequently exceeds the available funding, some states maintain waiting lists, so applying early matters.
Honest tradeoff. CCDF can dramatically cut what a family pays, but it is not a guarantee. Funding is limited, waiting lists are common, and the rate a state pays providers is sometimes below local tuition, which means fewer centers accept it in some areas. It is worth pursuing, and worth having a backup plan in case the wait is long.
CCDF and the other ways to pay: how it fits in
CCDF is one tool among several. Families who do not qualify, or who are waiting, often combine other help: the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit at tax time, a Dependent Care FSA through an employer, Head Start and Early Head Start for eligible children, and state or local scholarships. Many families stack more than one.
For the full menu, see our explainers on the Child and Dependent Care Credit and the Dependent Care FSA, plus our broader guide to daycare subsidies. To set a realistic budget first, our daycare cost guide shows typical ranges by city.