- Complete the online registration form here and submit a Form W-9.
English | Spanish | Cambodian | Chinese (Simplified) | Farsi | Tagalog | Vietnamese - Funds will be mailed out as applications are received and validated. Please allow 6-8 weeks for receipt of funds.
After you receive funds, we would love to hear from you! Please send us your testimonials here.
Contact Information:For any questions, please contact the Alameda County Social Services Agency – Office of Policy, Strategy, and Innovation at SSAChildCareGrant@acgov.org.
What is Child Care?
The Alameda County Social Services Agency provides child care subsidies for children 0 to 12 years of age that are made available to eligible families on a time-limited basis. This two-generational approach is not only vital to finding and maintaining employment, education and/or training for our families but provides critical support for a child’s development.
Types of Child Care Subsidies Available
CalWORKs Stage OneSupports a family’s access to immediate and continuous child care as they participate in their welfare-to-work activities. The purpose of the program is to support parents as they transition to the stable, long-term child care necessary for the family to leave and remain off aid. Administered by Workforce and Benefits Administration
California Alternative Payment Program (CAPP)Child Care subsidies for CAPP prioritize low-to-moderate income parents who meet the guidelines set forth by the California Department of Social Services. Administered by the Department of Government and Community Relations (GCR).
- Family is a current aid recipient;
- Family is income eligible;
- Family is homeless; or
- Family has children who are recipients of protective services, or whose children have been identified as being abused, neglected, or exploited, or at risk of being abused, neglected, or exploited.
This program, also known as the Emergency Child Care Bridge, addresses lack of child care as a barrier for families otherwise willing to bring a foster child into their home, and for parenting foster youth.
It provides subsidies for child care and child care navigator services for families as well as Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) training and coaching for child care providers to enhance their ability to provide nurturing and safe environments for children.
The Program is a time limited “bridge” to longer term child care solutions used at the time of placement to stabilize children in the best possible settings ensuring that caretakers have adequate support to balance their work and home lives. Administered by the Department Children and Family Services (CFS).
Fast Facts
- The architecture of the brain is built in early childhood and access to care is limited
The need for high quality, affordable and accessible child care and early education is well documented by researchers nationwide. Ninety percent (90%) of a child’s brain develops in the first five years of life, and is the most significant from birth to age three. This makes the early years the most critical period for our youngest learners to engage in nurturing, stimulating environments with skilled teachers and caregivers. This critical period is a window of opportunity to lay the foundation for all of the years that follow. If children have what they need early in life, they are set on a path for future success.
More than 115,000 Alameda County children lack access to formal child care and early education. Only thirty-one percent (31%) of Alameda County children with working parents have a licensed child care and early education space available to them.
Child Care Resource & Referral and Alternative Payment Agencies
If you are looking to access child care in Alameda County contact one of the agencies below:
