Eligibility Requirements

Child care assistance is available for families with an income at or below 165% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) with children Birth through age 12 who are:

• Living in Arizona
• Participating in an eligible activity
• Teen parents enrolled in high school, GED, ESOL, or remedial education programs
• Currently residing in a homeless or domestic violence shelters
• Individuals who are unable to care for their children due to a physical, mental or emotional condition
• Individuals who are unavailable to care for their children due to participation in court-ordered community service or participation in a drug treatment program
• Individuals who are currently receiving full-time DES child care assistance who enroll in a full-time education or employment training program, and submit a work requirement waiver to DES, including proof of enrollment.
• DES also provides child care assistance to individuals receiving Cash Assistance (CA) who are employed or enrolled in the Grant Diversion program, as well as grandparents and guardians when the parent of the child is not living in the same home and when the grandparent or guardian is engaged in an eligible activity.

You don’t need to meet the income requirements if your child is referred from the TANF Jobs Program, Department of Child Safety (DCS), or a Tribal child welfare program.

Review the table below for Arizona’s typical income limit by household size; eligibility may also vary based on qualifying activities, so we encourage you to contact DES CCA with questions about this requirement.

Household Size	2	3	4	5	6
Arizona annual income limit	$35,724	$45,096	$54,456	$63,840	$73,212

 

How do I apply for DES child care assistance? 

To start your child care assistance application, you can: 

• Apply online: Create an account or log in to your existing account on the A-to-Z Arizona portal 

• Apply via paper application: English or Spanish