The California Department of Health Services has released guidance regarding changes to child care eligibility and attendance.

Effective January 1, 2026, medical and education appointments are considered excused absences from child care.  A child care contractor can claim attendance for days that the contractor is required to hold a space when the family is assumed to have abandoned care or is appealing disenrollment.

The income threshold for CalWORKs Stage 3 child care is now 70% to 85% of area median income adjusted for family size.

There is an exemption from family fees for abused, neglected, or exploited children who are receiving child protective services, or are at risk of being abused, neglected, or exploited and have a written referral from a legal, medical, or social services agency.  That exemption is extended to 24 months.  This exemption applies to General Child Care and Development, Migrant Child Care and Development (CMIG), Family Child Care Home Education Networks, California Alternative Payment Program, Migrant Alternative Payment Program, California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Stage 2, and California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Stage 3.  (CCB 26-02, January 22, 2026.)

Effective January 1, 2026, the definition of “migrant agricultural worker family” for purposes of migrant child care programs at least one family member earns at least 40 percent of their total gross income from employment in fishing, agriculture, or agriculturally related work during the 12 months prior to applying.

Parents must provide documentation of the family’s total countable income either by providing payroll records or a letter from the employer, or a release authorizing the contractor to contact the employer.  If the employer does not provided the requested documentation, or requesting the documentation would adversely affect the parent’s employment, the parent can provide other verification such as a client list with amounts paid, tax return, quarterly estimated tax return, or other records of income.  (CCB 26-03, February 24, 2026.)

Stage One Child Care administrators cannot end child care authorization because of non-utilization.  Stage One Child Care cannot be abandoned.

Counties and contractors can engage families when they are not using authorized child care including 1) contacting the family to determine if child care needs or hours have changed, and discuss the reasons for non-utilization, 2) offer alternative child care options, and 3) engage with families to create goals and a plan of action for child care.

If the county or contractor still does not reach the family, the county must continue to maintain the family’s eligibility for the full 24-month eligibility period and pay the provider based on the family’s maximum authorized hours of care, regardless of attendance.  (CCB 26-05, March 4, 2026.)

The California Department of Social Services released a bulletin stating that family child care providers are not public employees and do not have an employment relationship with the state, political subdivisions of the State (including counties), or contractors or subcontractors administering state-funded early care and education programs.   Family child care providers are not public employees and do have an employment relationship with the state. They are therefore not eligible for any of the following:

• Workers’ compensation, 
• Unemployment insurance, 
• Liability under the Labor Code or state wage orders, and
• Vicarious liability in tort. 

(CCB 25-31, November 25, 2025)

The California Department of Social Services reminds child care and development contractors that Social Security Numbers (SSN) shall not be collected from families receiving Child Care and Development (CCD) subsidized services. They should not collect or report this information from any member of the receiving family. It is not needed for the purpose of deciding eligibility and the state is prohibited from reporting personally identifiable information including SSNs. This was originally issued before the shift from the California Department of Education (CDE) to the California Department of Social Services.

Contractors cannot collect SSNs or any documentation for the purpose of enrollment and instead should use the Family Identification Case Numbers (FICN) as unique family identifiers.  The FICN cannot contain SSNs of the Head-of-House or the child. Old records that may contain SSNs do not need to be redacted or destroyed. They should be maintained for at least five years or when an audit has been requested, until the audit is resolved, whichever is longer.

Sharing or using the information pertaining to the child or family is restricted to the purposes directly connected with the administration of the program. The use of the last four digits of SSNs is still required for income-based Household Meal Applications for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, administered by the CDSS and other Child Nutrition Programs administered by the CDE. (CCB 25-33, December 3, 2025.)

The Emergency Child Care Bridge Program is meant to reduce child care barriers for children and parenting youth in the foster care system, their caregiver families, and nonminor dependent parents. The goal is to make sure children can stay in safe and stable homes, avoid unnecessary placement moves, support permanency, increase the ability of child care programs to meet the needs of children in foster care, and maximize funding to support the child care needs for eligible families, and support reunification or permanency.

Families who qualify can:

• Get temporary financial help to cover child care costs (from birth through age 12, or up to 21 for youth with special needs);
• Receive support from a child care navigator;
• Benefit from having more child care providers trained in trauma-informed care.

This program is designed to give foster families immediate child care options during emergencies or placements, while helping them transition into longer-term, stable child care.

The Bridge Program child care subsidy is provided for up to six months. If a long-term child care arrangement is not secured, the county can extend eligibilty for another six months. After 12 months, the subsidy can only continue if there is a compelling reason, such as the family being unable to transition to other child care, or if ending the subsidy would disrupt the child’s stability, permanency plan, or reunification. Any extension beyond 12 months must be documented by the county in its monthly status report, including the reason and duration of the extension.

Counties may determine eligibility for the Bridge Program based on several criteria, all of which are considered equally without priority. Eligible participants include approved resource families, as well as families who have taken in a child under emergency or compelling circumstances while still completing the resource family approval process. Parenting youth in the foster care system and nonminor dependent parents also qualify, along with homes that have received approval through a tribal process.

For fiscal year 2025-26, all counties that want Bridge Program funding must opt in again, even if they previously participated. Once a county opts in, it will stay enrolled unless it formally chooses to opt out.  (CCB 25-14, June 6, 2025.)