Overview
The Maryland Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program is administered by the Department for Human Services and works towards providing financial support to working parents to help them pay for childcare costs.
The program aims to assist families from an underprivileged background to pay for childcare expenses. The goal of the CCS Program is to help parents pay for childcare while maintaining their jobs. It can be very difficult for working parents to manage both the work and child and paying for childcare can be expensive. The program ensures that the parents are unable to afford childcare without quitting their jobs.
Types of Families Eligible
The program aids different types of families including families who are the recipient of the TANF program, families who are financially unstable and come from low-income backgrounds, and families who are enrolled in the work program. The program also accepts applications from teen parents who are currently enrolled in a high school or GED program.
Criteria for Maryland Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program
Certain criteria need to be fulfilled to apply for the Maryland Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program. The program is available to the residents of Maryland who are either working full-time/ part-time, are attending college or school, or are participating in a training program that takes up most of their time. If both the parents of the children are living in the same household then, both of them must meet the program’s eligibility criteria to be considered for the Maryland Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program. Applicants who are recipients of either the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program or the TANF program are eligible to apply for the program.
Immunization Requirements
The program only selects those parents who agree to get their children immunized according to the state of Maryland’s immunization standards. If your child is already immunized you will be asked to provide Immunization documents as proof that your child is vaccinated. For a family to qualify for the Child Care Scholarship Program the parents need to provide documentation proving that their children are all legal citizens of the country; however, parents are not required to be legal citizens of the country. The family needs to provide a photo ID proof to be able to apply for the CCS program. Only one photo (usually of the family head) is required.
Citizenship and Documentation
The parents should be willing to provide legal documentation as proof of identity to be able to apply for the program. In case, the parents are not living together have to provide a reason for not pursuing a child support program.
Legal Documentation and Support
The applicants are required to send certain documents along with the application form for the Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program, a work or training certificate, and a bank statement for proof of total income. The applicants are also required to send the last four months of the income statement and identification proof which include the I.D card, driver’s license, and other such documents. Along with that, proof of child support payment ad your utility bill, and, your current address are required
Program Details and Assistance
It’s important to remember that the amount of monetary support provided to the families by the program varies from family to family and depends upon many things including family income, size, and the type of care. It is also advisable to visit a managing agency in your area to help you get your hands on the latest and up-to-date information regarding the Child Care Scholarship Program’s guidelines.
