Child care subsidy work requirements during the Biden administration

Work requirements


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This page features information on child care subsidy work requirements during the Biden administration.

Background of child care subsidy work requirements

This section provides information about the history, administration, and work requirements for child care subsidies.

History of child care subsidies

The Social Security Act of 1935 established the Aid to Dependent Children Program (ADC), which created subsidies to help families in which fathers were "deceased, absent, or unable to work," according to the text. ADC was changed to Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in 1962.^[1]^[2]

AFDC was replaced with two child care grants in the 1990s: the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). CCDF provides funds to assist low-income families in obtaining child care so they can work or attend education and training programs. TANF provides cash payments to help families pay for food, clothing, housing, and other essentials. States can transfer up to 30 percent of TANF funds to supplement CCDF child care initiatives. Families who receive cash assistance from TANF may receive child care funded by CCDF or TANF.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Administration of child care subsidies

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Child Care oversees the distribution of federal CCDF grants and TANF funding to the states. CCDF programs are then administered by states, territories, and tribal governments.^[6]^[7]

Work requirements for child care subsidies

See also: Areas of inquiry and disagreement related to work requirements for public assistance programs

Under TANF, the federal government determines work participation rates for states. The state work participation rates require at least half of families with one work-eligible individual and 90% of families with two work-eligible individuals to meet work requirements. Families with one work-eligible individual must complete 30 hours of work activity per week; families with two work-eligible individuals must complete 35 hours of work activity per week; and families with two work-eligible individuals who receive TANF child care subsidies must complete 55 hours of work activity per week. States are charged with administering programs that meet federal work requirements and have the flexibility to determine certain exemptions, activities that satisfy work requirements, and sanctions for individuals in non-compliance.^[8]^[9] Ballotpedia doesn't currently cover state-level variations in TANF policy.

Federal law requires that parents receiving CCDF child care subsidies work or complete work-related activities. States are responsible for defining the activities that qualify a family for assistance through CCDF, including work requirements, education participation, and community service. Employment is an approved activity for CCDF funding in every state and some states also approve subsidies for parents participating in education and training activities. Working, periods of job search, self-employment, attending job training or education-related activities, foster care, and subsidized guardianship are activities that meet eligibility standards for CCDF subsidies in different states. State agencies have flexibility in determining eligibility for CCDF subsidies, according to HHS regulations.^[10]^[11]^[12]