Child Care Scholarship

Child Care Scholarship Partial Enrollment Freeze – The Child Care Scholarship Program continues to operate with a waitlist because demand exceeds available funding.

The Child Care Scholarship (CCS) helps eligible families in Maryland pay for high-quality child care and early education programs.

Applying for a Child Care Scholarship is quick and easy!

If eligible, Scholarships are available for:

a child who is younger than 13, or
an individual 13-19 years old who has a note from a medical professional attesting to inability to care for oneself.

To be eligible to fast-track your Child Care Scholarship application, you must:

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.
A recipient of Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or within CCS income guidelines.
Willing to have your child immunized to Maryland state standards or provide documentation supporting Exemption from Immunization.
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.)

Families in the following income categories may be eligible for a Child Care Scholarship.

**Applicant Annual Income Limits**
Household/ Family Size	Maximum Annual Income*	Redetermination Maximum Annual Income**
2	$76,117	$86,266
3	$94,026	$106,563
4	$111,936	$126,861
5	$129,846	$147,159
6	$147,756	$167,457
7	$151,114	$171,262
8	$154,472	$175,068
9	$157,830	$178,874
10	$161,188	$182,680
11	$164,546	$186,486
12	$167,904	$190,292

* Initial Income Scale – applies to families without an active child care scholarship, customers submitting a Fast-Track initial application for a 60-Day Scholarship and customers submitting a Fast-Track Full “Redetermination Application” along with all documents for an “initial” full evaluation of all documents required for continued child care scholarship services beyond the 60-Day fast-track eligibility – family income must be below Initial Income Scale
**Continuation Income Scale – families that have already received at least 52-weeks to 24 months of child care services, they have at least one active child care scholarship that has not expired at the time of submitting a new Child Care Scholarship Application for continued services – family income must be below Continuation Income Scale

How to Apply

To apply for a Child Care Scholarship, you must submit an application through the Child Care Scholarship Family Portal as described below.

Step 1: Go to the Child Care Scholarship Family Portal and create an account. Click on “Register for a New Account” and enter your information. (If you need help with the registration process, view the Learn How to Register instructions.)

Step 2: Fill out and complete the online Scholarship application and submit your documents:

Verification of income
To complete the application you MUST send in the information listed for all household members. This includes you, and your spouse or your child’s other parent living in your household. Most recent four (4) weeks of consecutive pay stubs.
- Proof of identity (i.e. driver’s license, birth certificate, government issued identification, etc.)
- Proof of approved activity (i.e. work, school or job training)
- Proof of all other income
- Proof of address (i.e. utility bill, lease, etc.)

Step 3: If you are eligible, you will be placed on the you’ll be added to the frozen status list.

Families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and families experiencing homelessness are not subject to frozen status.
Families can add new children. Requests to add a new child to an existing scholarship are reviewed as part of the family’s existing case and are not subject to the partial freeze.

Create your account and apply now!

APPLY NOW

How to use a Scholarship

Eligible families receive Scholarships from CCS Central 2 to cover all or part of their child care costs. The Scholarship shows:

The Scholarship Rate – the part of the child care costs that the State is paying for the family
The Family Co-Payment – the amount that the family is required to pay according to State regulation

Families take the Scholarship to a child care provider that participates in the Maryland EXCELS program. The Scholarship is a signed agreement between the State, provider and parent. The Scholarship is returned to CCS Central 2 for processing. The family is responsible for paying the State assigned co-payment and any amount not covered by the Scholarship 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 scholarship portion of the payment by the State.

Providers that accept Scholarships

To use a Scholarship, families must enroll their children in programs participating in Maryland EXCELS.

Maryland EXCELS awards quality ratings to child care and public prekindergarten programs. Maryland EXCELS also helps families find child care and early learning programs that provide high-quality environments that welcome children of all abilities and support the development of each and every child.

If you don’t see your program/provider listed on the Find a Program page, contact: LOCATE: Child Care or call 1-877-261-0060.

Find a Program

HAVE QUESTIONS?

CONTACT CCS CENTRAL 2

877-227-0125
Office Hours: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (Need help in your home language? Call CCS Central 2 and ask for a Translator.)

CCS Provider Portal Help Desk is 410-650-5937

MSDE staff members are ready to assist both enrolled families and dedicated child care providers with any questions about applications, payments, or managing a Scholarship account during Monthly Open Office Hours.

Attend Open Office Hours

Family Assistance Form Provider Assistance Form

FAQs Brochure Application Process Eligibility Checklist Customer Service

Report Fraud

Anyone concerned about the health or development of a child from birth through age two can contact the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program.