Apply for Child Care

Who Can Apply for a Child Care Voucher?

Your family may qualify for child care assistance if your family's income falls below 85% of the State Median Income and you have an approved reason for seeking child care ("reason for care"). This reason must be at least one of the following:

You work 10+ hours per week
You are in an educational or vocational training program
You have been looking for work
You live in temporary housing (priority access)
You are attending services for domestic violence
You are receiving treatment for substance abuse

Eligibility is based on your family size, residency, income, and reason for care. It is verified using the documentation you submit with your application. If you're unsure whether you're eligible, take this short survey to see if you might be!

How Do I Apply for a Child Care Voucher?

Due to insufficient funding, the City is no longer able to offer child care vouchers to families that are not on cash assistance. While you may submit an application for child care assistance, please be aware that, if you meet income and programmatic eligibility criteria, your child(ren) will be placed on a waitlist for a voucher.

If you currently have a child care voucher, your child care assistance will continue uninterrupted. Please make sure to submit recertification materials by the deadline provided in your annual recertification packet. If you do not successfully recertify by the end of your eligibility period, you will lose your child care assistance benefits. You will be required to submit a new application and, if determined eligible, be placed on the waitlist.

For more information and to submit an application for child care assistance, visit MyCity.

Alternatively, you may choose to apply by mail. Printable application forms can be found on our Forms for Families page. If you apply through MyCity, please do not also send a paper application – it will slow down the processing of your application. Completed applications and required documentation must be mailed to: NYC Children - EDU, PO Box 40, Maplewood, NJ 07040.

If you are living in shelter or temporary housing, on Cash Assistance from HRA, receiving child welfare services, or a working foster parent, please see additional information below.

For information on all early care and education services available for eligible families in New York City, please review the Early Care & Education Programs for New York City Families. Translations of the flyer can be found here.

Families Experiencing Homelessness

If your family is in shelter or temporary housing, you may be eligible for free child care assistance. This includes families who may be sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reason.

To apply for a child care voucher and be placed on the voucher waitlist, follow the directions on how to apply above, select "Homelessness" as your reason for care in Section 3, and submit your application with a housing questionnaire and all other required documentation.

Our Early Care & Education Programs for Families Experiencing Homelessness Flyer has more information on all early care and education programs available for families in shelter or temporary housing. Translations of the flyer can be found here.

Families on Cash Assistance

If you are receiving Cash Assistance and are employed or engaging in work-related activities (required or voluntary), including those in school, you may be eligible for child care. Please contact your HRA Benefits Access Center apply. See more information.

Transitional Child Care

If you were previously on Cash Assistance but are no longer financially eligible, you may be eligible for subsidized child care services under the one-year Transitional Child Care (TCC) Benefits program. For more information on your eligibility and how to apply, please contact CFWB.TCC@acs.nyc.gov.

Families Receiving Child Welfare Services

If you are a foster family or a family receiving prevention services or protective services and need child care assistance, your caseworker or case planner should submit a referral form to ACS's Division of Child and Family Well-Being. Please reach out to them to ensure they have all the information they need to submit your referral.