The California Department of Social Services has provided guidance regarding eligibility for the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children (Bridge Program) for intercounty and interstate foster care placements.
When a child or parenting youth is placed outside of the county of jurisdiction, the county of jurisdiction is responsible for child care vouchers, reimbursements and navigation services.
If a county of jursidiction has not opted into the Bridge Program, but the county of placement has opted into the Bridge Program, the county of placement may, if it decides to, provide child care payments. The county of placement would also be responsible for providing navigator services.
If a child or parenting youth has their juvenile dependency case transferred from one county to another and both counties have opted into the Bridge Program, the county from where the person is transferred will continue to provide the child care voucher and navigator services until the case is fully transferred to the new county. If the new county has not opted in to the Bridge program, the transferring county can continue providing child care vouchers or reimbursements at its discretion.
If a child or parenting youth’s juvenile dependency case is determined by another state and that person is placed in a California county that has opted into the Bridge Program, that county may provide child care vouchers and navigator services, if the county decides to do so. For dependency cases determined in California but the child or parenting youth is placed outside of California, the county of jurisdiction is not allowed to provide child care vouchers or navigator services. Counties that have provided child care vouchers or reimbursements that have provided child care vouchers or reimbursements for children placed outside of California can continue doing so for cases opened before February 26, 2025, and payments must end in six months.
If a service provider is located outside of California, the county shall provide the child care voucher or reimbursement based on the Regional Market Rate of the California county of placement. (CCB 25-03, February 26, 2025.)