Appendix to the 2020 CCDF Policies Database Book of Tables: Child Care Subsidy Policies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic From January 2020 to March 2021

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 report serves as an appendix to the project’s 2020 annual report, providing supplementary information about State and Territory child care subsidy policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 report serves as an appendix to the project’s 2020 annual report, providing supplementary information about State and Territory child care subsidy policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 Key Findings and Highlights:

Key findings for State and Territory CCDF policy changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic include:

• In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 23 States/Territories made changes to their job search eligibility policies. Of these, many expanded the amount of time they allowed for job search, others began allowing job search for initial eligibility rather than only allowing job search for families already receiving subsidies, and some provided a temporary subsidy for families who experienced job loss while still not allowing job search for general eligibility.
• Twenty-three States/Territories established different eligibility thresholds for families with essential workers at some point during the pandemic. Eighteen of these States waived eligibility thresholds for essential workers entirely. Four States/Territories established higher eligibility thresholds for essential workers than for other families. One state, Florida, initially waived eligibility thresholds for essential workers, before setting the threshold at 85 percent of state median income.
• Thirty-eight States/Territories waived copayments for at least some time during the period between January 31, 2020 and March 1, 2021. Of these, 35 States/Territories waived copayments for all families, West Virginia waived copayments for families with essential workers, Nevada waived copayments for families that experienced a job loss, and New Jersey waived copayments for families that experienced job loss or lost wages due to COVID-19 upon request.

The information in the database is based primarily on the documents that caseworkers use as they work with families and providers (often termed “caseworker manuals”). The initial set of manuals coded for the database reflected policies in effect on or before October 1, 2009. Ongoing policy updates have been collected since that point to capture policy changes when they occur in each State and Territory.

Each year, the project produces a set of tables containing selected policies from the database. The tables are then reviewed by State/Territory administrators and verified for accuracy. The policies presented in this report were reviewed as part of the annual review process.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, project staff also reviewed the summary of policy waiver requests States and Territories submitted to the Office of Child Care and confirmed the policy changes through published State/Territory policy updates and communication with State/Territory administrators.

Kwon, Danielle, Kelly Dwyer, and Sarah Minton (2022). Appendix to the 2020 CCDF Policies Database Book of Tables: Child Care Subsidy Policies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic From January 2020 to March 2021. OPRE Report 2022-152, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.