Parents of limited income that work or attend school or vocational training may be eligible for help with the cost of child care. You will need to work closely with your Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency to help supply all of the information that is needed to determine if you qualify for the program. The CCR&R will either “approve” or “deny” your application based on the information you give them. Information is verified using various state databases. If conflicting information is found, or there is information missing, the CCR&R will send you a Request for Additional Information Form. You must submit the needed information within 10 business days of the request or your application will be denied.

Not all child care providers are the same. What’s right for you and your child may not be the same as what works for friends or family members. Your provider:

Can be licensed or license-exempt (not legally required to be licensed);
Can be a child care center or a home;
Can be a relative, friend or neighbor;
Must be at least 18 years old;
May not be the parent or step parent of the children;
May not be on the same TANF cash assistance grant as you andyour children if you are receiving these benefits.
Authorize and submit to all required background checks.

Please remember—whether a provider is licensed or license-exempt, it is the quality of care that counts!

If, for any reason, you need to find a new child care provider, we can help. We can give you a list of child care providers in your area, plus tips on your options, which range from center care to home care. We also have information on how to look for safe, quality care. Call the phone number on the back of this guide for more information. It is important that you notify us as soon as you know that you are changing providers. Without advance notice, we cannot guarantee your new provider will get paid for the time that he or she cared for your child(ren).

As a condition of eligibility to receive a state subsidy for providing child care services to eligible families, all license exempt child care providers must agree, in writing, to a Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) check. All persons subject to CANTS checks shall also be screened through the Illinois and National Sex Offender Registries. In addition to these background checks, all license exempt child care providers, except a provider who is a relative of the child, shall complete and sign authorizations for a State and Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint-based criminal history record check and submit to fingerprinting, if required, to determine if the child care provider has prior criminal convictions or pending criminal charges that may exclude them from the program.

Once you have been approved for child care assistance, both you and your provider will receive an approval letter. This letter contains important information including:

The length of time you are eligible for the program;
The amount of your monthly co-payment (your share of the cost of child care);  
The children who are eligible for the program;
The number of days per week that IDHS will pay for child care;
The daily rate at which your provider will be paid.

Each time you receive an approval letter, you should read it carefully and keep it in a safe place because it contains important personal information and your monthly co-payment amount. In addition, the beginning and ending dates of your eligibility period are listed on the form.

It is important that you submit your child care application as soon as possible. Your application can be backdated a maximum of seven days from the date it is received at the Child Care Resource and Referral agency.

As the parent or guardian, you are responsible for paying for any child care provided before the start date listed on your approval letter. Your approval letter will list the first and last date that you are eligible for assistance. Usually, you will be approved for 3 or 6 months at a time.

Before your approval period ends, you will have to renew your child care case in order to continue receiving assistance. You will do this by filling out a “Redetermination” form. This form will be mailed to you in the month before your eligibility period ends. For example, if you are approved through April, you should receive your Redetermination form in March. If you do not return your Redetermination form and all required documents -OR- if you no longer meet the eligibility guidelines of the program, your case will be canceled.

Unless you are otherwise notified, your provider’s final payment will be for the last month of the eligibility period. If you are in your last month of eligibility and have not received your Redetermination form, please contact us at the number listed on the back of this guide to prevent your case from being canceled.

The state will pay your provider for the care of all children listed on your approval letter. If a child is not listed on your approval letter, they have not been approved for care. If you think a mistake has been made, call us at the number found on the back of this guide. Once a child turns 13, he or she is no longer eligible for the program. The state will pay through the last day of the month of his or her 13th birthday. However, if your child is 13 or older and has a mental or physical condition that requires child care or if your child is under court supervision they may be eligible for continued services. Please contact the CCR&R if this situation applies to you.

Your monthly “co-payment” is the portion of your child care costs you must pay your provider each month. Make sure that you read each approval letter carefully—the co-payment amount can change. By paying a monthly co-payment, you are contributing toward your child’s quality child care.

The amount of your monthly co-payment is determined by IDHS and may vary from parent to parent. Monthly co-payments are based on income, family size, and the schedule of your children in care.

Your monthly co-payment amount will be listed on your approval letter. Carefully read each approval letter that you receive, because your monthly co-payment can change. Monthly co-payment changes can occur each time your case is renewed (“redetermined”) or if there is a change in your income, family size, the number of children in care, or in the schedule of your children’s care. You will receive a new approval letter each time your monthly co-payment changes so you know how much to pay. Neither you, nor the provider, should adjust the monthly copayment. If you think that an adjustment is necessary, you or the provider should contact your CCR&R for help with the next steps.

REMEMBER: It is very important that you notify the CCR&R immediately if your income, family size or child care schedule changes. These changes may affect the amount of your monthly co-payment.

Pay your monthly co-payment amount directly to your provider. The monthly co-payment amount is deducted from your provider’s payment from IDHS. If you do not pay your monthly co-payment, your provider will not receive his or her full payment. Each provider may have a different policy for collecting monthly co-payments. You and your provider should agree on how, and when, you will pay your monthly co-payment so there are no misunderstandings later. If you have more than one child care provider, you will only need to pay a monthly co-payment to one provider. Your approval letter will tell you which provider should receive your co-payment. If you are asked to pay a monthly copayment to more than one provider, please contact your CCR&R.

Yes. If your provider charges private paying parents a higher rate than the IDHS program pays, your provider can ask you to pay the difference by requiring a fee in addition to your co-payment. Be sure that you and your provider discuss what you are expected to pay before care for your child starts. If your provider’s costs are too high for you, your CCR&R may be able to help you find a child care provider who has more affordable rates. Call them for help with finding a new child care provider.

Payments or “rates” are determined by IDHS based on the type of care provided (child care center, licensed home provider or license-exempt provider) and the age of your child. The rate is also based on the number of hours your child is in care:

Full-day rate: child is in care 5-12 hours per day.
Part-day rate: child is in care less than 5 hours per day.
School-age rate: school-aged child in care less than 5 hours per day while school is in session.

Make sure you and your provider discuss these rates and that you have a good understanding of how much your provider is going to charge you before you place your child in care. If you have any questions about the number of days your child is eligible for care, or how much your provider will be paid, please contact your CCR&R.

Your approval letter will list the maximum number of days per week your provider can be paid for child care. Your provider may bill the state ONLY for child care provided while you are at work; in an approved school or training program; and traveling to and from the child care provider to work or school. The number of approved days is based on the work or school schedule and check stubs that you submit with your child care program application.

It can take 4 to 8 weeks for your provider to receive the first payment. After your provider receives the first payment, regular payments will arrive on a monthly basis. The reason the first payment takes longer is your provider’s name and social security number must be recorded with the Illinois Office of the Comptroller before any payments can be made. To do this, our office will mail your provider a W9 tax form. The sooner he or she completes and returns the W9 form, the sooner he or she can get paid.

Your provider will also need to send the CCR&R a copy of their Social Security Card and photo ID before they are approved.

After the Illinois Office of the Comptroller has your provider’s information on file, we can send him or her the first “Child Care Certificate.” This is the billing form that you and your provider complete each month to tell IDHS how much to pay your provider.

During the last week of every month, your provider will receive a monthly billing certificate in the mail. You and your provider must complete the certificate.

On the certificate, your provider will write in the number of days during that month that he or she cared for your child. There will be a space for both you and the provider to sign. Before you sign, make sure the correct numbers of days are listed for your child(ren). If your child attends a child care center, you will not have to sign this form.

After the last day of the month, your provider may choose to mail the Child Care Certificate to the local CCR&R office or your provider may choose to enter the payment by phone by using the IDHS Child Care Telephone Billing System. For more information about the IDHS Child Care Telephone Billing System contact your local CCR&R agency. Approximately three weeks after the certificate has been entered the Illinois Office of the Comptroller will mail a check directly to your provider. This could take up to 60 days. Please note that neither the CCR&R nor IDHS issues the check.

Certificates are mailed from Springfield and can take 5-7 days to arrive. If your provider does not receive a billing certificate, one reason may be that your eligibility period has ended. When you receive an approval letter, please take note of the eligibility period start and end dates. You should receive a cancellation notice before your eligibility will end.

If your provider does not receive a billing certificate by the last day of the month that care was provided during, he or she can call the Child Care Resource and Referral agency.

Although we do our best to make sure that providers are paid in a timely manner, payments can be delayed if your provider:

Does not complete the W9 tax form as soon as possible;
Does not send a copy of SSN card and photo ID;
Does not notify us of a change in address;
Mails a billing certificate that is not complete or is not signed in ink;
Asks to be paid for more days than you are eligible;
Does not have his or her name on the mailbox;
Has not provided an apartment number.

To be notified by mail if your case is approved, renewed, canceled or denied, or if we need additional information in order to start or continue your child care assistance.
To be notified by mail of any changes in your co-payment or in the number of days for which you are eligible.
To receive friendly and professional customer service.
To appeal decisions regarding your case.

To pay your child care provider the monthly co-payment amount that you have been assigned.
To make sure that all paperwork you mail or bring in to your CCR&R is complete and accurate, includes all necessary documentation, and is signed in ink.
To notify us as soon as you have made a decision to change providers

To notify us within 10 business days if:
You move.
You stop or start working.
You stop or start attending school or a training program.
You change your job or your school/training program.
You change work or school hours.
There is a change in your family size.
There is a change in your income.
You get married or divorced.
You start or stop receiving TANF, child support, SSI, SSA and other cash benefits.

You can download and print the application by clicking below:

You can also request an application via our request form here. 

Applications can also be faxed, mailed, or emailed via our email (ccrs@illinois.edu) or our main phone line at (217)333-3252 or toll-free at (800)325-5516.

Additionally, you can find applications next to the drop box located outside our building. We try to keep this box replenished several times a day. Local DHS agencies, supporting human service agencies, & participating child care providers often will have copies of the Child Care Application available at request as well. 

The two check stubs should be the last two that the parent received from their current employment. They can be no older than 30 days prior to our receipt of the paperwork unless the parent is paid on a once-a-month basis. 

If the client has not worked for 30 days, they can submit with the application a letter from their employer that includes the following: 

The letter must be on the employer’s letterhead stationery. 
State the name of the client 
State the rate of pay  
State the total number of hours worked per week
State the employee’s work schedule with days and hours to be working 
Signed by an official representative of the employer, and include their name, title, and phone number for verification 
Include the employer’s FEIN or Social Security Number 

A teen parent and his/her child(ren) are the only ones counted in the family size unless the teen parent is supporting the grandparents. 

30 days 

30 days 

If you are an over-income family, you must reapply with a new application and two new current consecutive stubs (stubs not already submitted). 

The provider receiving the largest reimbursement.

Representative Payee – Parents and other relatives eligible to receive child care services include relatives (other than parents) who receive child-only TANF benefits as a Representative Payee for children in need of care while they work. 

A federally funded child care facility.