Policies and Practices Shaping Child Care Subsidy Access in Hispanic-Populous States Series

Through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program, state lead agencies receive federal funds to help subsidize eligible families’ child care expenses and improve the quality and supply of affordable care options in communities. Federal CCDF regulations include both program requirements and flexibilities that lead agencies may opt to use to meet their specific program goals. The 2024 final rule also includes federal recommendations to inform state program design.

In this series, we draw on lead agency CCDF Plans for fiscal years (FYs) 2025-2027 to describe the extent to which various strategies—both required and optional—are in effect in Puerto Rico and across 15 states with large populations of Hispanic children eligible for child care: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. Across the series publications found below, we focus on subsets of policies and practices with potential relevance for Hispanic families’.

• Subsidy Eligibility Policies to Support Working Families Vary Across Hispanic-Populous States: This brief highlights state-level variation in policies and procedures that shape who is eligible for child care subsidies and how these variations may impact Hispanic families, who represent a large segment of the low-income workforce and those eligible for federal assistance programs. Seven policy strategies that may be more responsive to working parents’ needs are discussed.
• Subsidy Policies for Child Care Affordability Vary Across States and Territories With Large Populations of Hispanic Families: This brief brief summarizes how lead agencies are currently implementing four policy strategies directly related to supporting child care affordability in 16 states and territories with large populations of Hispanic children who live in households with low incomes and likely eligible for subsidies.