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.)