Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Policies Database

2008-2023

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The CCDF Policies Database is a source of information on the detailed policies used to operate child care subsidy programs under the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). Since 2008, The Urban Institute has collected, coded, and disseminated the CCDF policies in effect across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories and outlying areas, using consistent methods across places and over time. The information in the CCDF Policies Database is based primarily on the documents that caseworkers use as they work with families and providers, as well as the CCDF Plans and amendments submitted by States/Territories to ACF, state law, and regulations used by the staff operating the program. The Database captures detailed information on eligibility, family payments, application procedures, and provider-related policies, including dates of enactment and some of the policy variations that exist within states/territories. The information collected by the project is being disseminated in different forms to meet the needs of different users — quantitative and qualitative researchers, policymakers, and administrators at all levels of government.

One product is a complete set of data files, containing the full detail of the database, periodically extracted from the database. Access to the data files allows researchers and others to address important questions concerning the effects of alternative child care subsidy policies and practices on the children and families served, specifically parental employment and self-sufficiency, the availability and quality of care, and children’s development. You can search the full database and download custom datasets using a search tool on the project’s website: http://ccdf.urban.org/  . All data and data documentation can be found on the project’s website. In addition, the data are archived, in various formats suitable for analysis, at the Child and Family Data Archive .

A second product is a set of reports, or “books of tables.” Each book of tables allows easy access to key policies for all states and territories, focusing on a specific point in time. All reports and other resources can be found on the project’s website: http://ccdf.urban.org/  . The tables from each report are also archived, in various formats suitable for analysis, at  the Child and Family Data Archive ; these tables are also updated to reflect any corrections made in the database after the release of the reports.

Point(s) of contact: Kathleen Dwyer and Sarah Blankenship

Related Resources

This brief serves as a companion piece to the report “Key Cross-State Variations in CCDF Policies as of October 1, 2022”, providing a graphical overview of some of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policy differences across States and Territories.

This brief serves as a companion piece to the report “Key Cross-State Variations in CCDF Policies as of October 1, 2021”, providing a graphical overview of some of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policy differences across States and Territories.

Learn how to use the CCDF State and Territories Policies Database search tool, and find examples of policies available from the database. The fact sheet includes a map showing whether States and Territories made changes to job search policies during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This brief serves as a companion piece to the report “Key Cross-State Variations in CCDF Policies as of October 1, 2020”, providing a graphical overview of some of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policy differences across States and Territories.

The CCDF Policies Database tracks State/Territory CCDF policies over time, with hundreds of variables tracking policies related to family eligibility, application and waiting list procedures, family copayments, provider reimbursement rates, and other provider policies. This brief serves as a companion piece to the project’s 2019 annual report, providing selected information about State and Territory policy differences using maps and charts.

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides federal money to States and Territories to subsidize the cost of child care for low-income families. The detailed policies used to administer the programs vary widely across jurisdictions, with States and Territories establishing different policies for family eligibility, family copayments, provider payment rates, and provider eligibility requirements...

If a child’s parents both work full-time and together earn $30,000 per year, can the family receive a subsidy to help pay for child care? What if one of the parents loses their job and needs child care while they look for a new job? If the family does qualify for a subsidy, how much will they have to pay out of pocket? The answers to these questions depend on a family’s exact circumstances...

If a single mother earns $25,000 per year, can she receive a subsidy to help pay for child care? What if she decides to attend a training program? If she does qualify for a subsidy, how much will she have to pay out of pocket? The answers to these questions depend on a family’s exact circumstances, including...

If a child’s parents both work full-time and together earn $25,000 per year, can the family receive a subsidy to help pay for child care? What if one of the parents is a full-time student and not working? If the family does qualify for a subsidy...

If a single mother earns $25,000 per year, can she get government help, or a subsidy, to pay for child care? What if she lost her job and needs child care while she hunts for a new one? If she is eligible for a subsidy, how much will the government pay, and how much will she have to pay out of pocket...

This brief describes an approach that researchers can use to examine differences in Child Care and Development Fund policies across states and what those differences mean for the parents and children served by subsidized child care and for the people providing the child care services...

These three briefs draw on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Policies Database, a source of information on the detailed policies used to operate childcare subsidy programs under CCDF. Each brief examines selected state/territory policies that were in effect as of October 1, 2014, a month prior to the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)...

Learn about the ways state and territory Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policies vary within federal program requirements and find dozens of detailed tables showing each state’s/territory’s policy choices.

This report describes the ways in which State and Territory Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policies vary within the context of the federal program requirements and includes dozens of detailed tables showing each State’s/Territory’s policy choices.

Appendix to the 2021 CCDF Policies Database Book of Tables: Child Care Subsidy Policies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic from March 2021 to March 2022.

This report serves as an appendix to the report “Key Cross-State Variations in CCDF Policies as of October 1, 2020”, providing supplemental information about how States and Territories changed their Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides federal money to States, Territories, and Tribes to subsidize the cost of child care for working families with low incomes. Detailed policies vary widely across jurisdictions, with States, Territories, and Tribes establishing different policies for:

  • Eligibility requirements for families and children
  • Application, waiting list, and redetermination requirements
  • Family copayment policies
  • Provider requirements and reimbursement rates

Whether families are eligible for child care assistance and how much assistance they receive depends in large part on the policies set by each jurisdiction. This report describes the ways in which policies vary within the context of the federal program requirements and includes dozens of detailed tables showing each State’s/Territory’s policy choices.

The CCDF Policies Database project produces a comprehensive, up-to-date database of CCDF policies for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. Territories and outlying areas. The database contains hundreds of variables designed to capture CCDF policies across time, allowing users to access policy information for a specific point in time as well as to see how and when policies change over time. 

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides federal money to States, Territories, and Tribes to subsidize the cost of child care for lower-income families. Detailed policies vary widely across jurisdictions, with States/Territories/Tribes establishing different policies for:

  • Eligibility requirements for families and children
  • Application, waiting list, and redetermination requirements
  • Family copayment policies
  • Provider requirements and reimbursement rates...

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides federal money to States, Territories, and Tribes to subsidize the cost of child care for lower-income families. Detailed policies vary widely across jurisdictions, with States/Territories/Tribes establishing different policies for...

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides federal money to States, Territories, and Tribes to subsidize the cost of child care for lower-income families. Detailed policies vary widely...

This report is based on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Policies Database, a cross-state, cross-time database of CCDF policy information. The sixth report of this project, this book of tables presents key aspects of the differences in CCDF policies as of October 1, 2015.

For example, 25 states/territories require that parents work a minimum number of hours to be eligible for care based on work...

This report is based on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Policies Database, a cross-state, cross-time database of CCDF policy information. The fifth report of this project, it presents key aspects of the differences in CCDF-funded programs across all 50 States, territories, and tribes as of October 1, 2014.

For example, 27 States/Territories require that parents work a minimum number of hours to be eligible for care. In the other States/Territories, there is no minimum work...

This report is based on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Policies Database, a cross-state, cross-time database of CCDF policy information. The fourth report of this project, this book of tables presents key aspects of the differences in CCDF-funded programs across all 50 States, territories, outlying areas, and the District of Columbia, as of October 1, 2013. The book of tables highlights policy variations across four general areas of policy: eligibility requirements for families...

This report is the second book of tables to be produced from the CCDF Policies Database...

This report is the first book of tables to be produced from the CCDF Policies Database...

This book of tables presents key aspects of CCDF-funded programs across all 50 States, territories, outlying areas, and the District of Columbia as of October 1, 2012. The book of tables highlights policy variations across four general areas of policy: eligibility requirements for families and children; family application, terms of authorization, and redetermination; family payments; and policies for providers, including maximum reimbursement rates. Along with each table, this report provides...