Child Care Works Help Paying for Child Care
Child Care Works is Pennsylvania's subsidized child care program that helps low-income families pay their child care fees. It is funded by the state and federal governments and managed by the Early Learning Resource Center, called the ELRC, located in your county. Early Learning Resource Center Region 13, part of Community Services for Children, runs a Child Care Works office at 1138 Rockland St. in Reading. Region 13 describes the program as designed to enable low-income families to maintain employment while ensuring children receive high quality child care. It is a non-entitlement benefit made available through Federal and State funds, so approval depends on available funding.
To qualify you must live in Pennsylvania, have a child or children who need child care while you work or attend an education program, and meet the income guidelines for your family size. Each adult family member must work at least 20 hours a week, or work at least 10 hours a week and take part in an approved training program at least 10 hours a week. You can also apply if you have a promise of a job that will start within 30 days of your application. Teen parents must attend an education program. The child who needs care must be a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residency, and you must have proof of identification for each parent or caretaker in the home.
The annual income for a family to be eligible to receive a subsidy is 200 percent or less of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. The maximum yearly family income listed for May 2026 is $43,280 for a family of 2, $54,640 for 3, $66,000 for 4, $77,360 for 5, $88,720 for 6, $100,080 for 7 and $111,440 for 8. These are general guidelines only and other conditions may apply, so contact your county ELRC to apply.
Children are eligible for care from birth until the day prior to the date of the child's 13th birthday. Children with disabilities may be eligible through age 18. The hours a child may receive subsidized child care must coincide with your hours of work, education or training.
The ELRC pays all or a part of your child care cost, called the subsidy payment. You may pay a part of the cost yourself, called the family co-pay, and the amount varies according to your income and the number of people in your family. Both the subsidy payment and the co-pay go directly to the child care program. If your subsidy does not pay the full amount your child care program charges, the provider may ask you to pay the difference between the subsidy payment and their private charges.
You may choose the provider of your choice: a child care center, a small family day care home, a group day care home or even a relative, as long as the provider is eligible for the program. Relatives who care for three or fewer children, not including their own children, are not required to have a state license but can receive subsidized child care funding. A relative provider must complete an Agreement with the ELRC, comply with the participation requirements in the Agreement, and complete CareCheck, the Department of Human Services program that requires State Police criminal history and child abuse background clearances. Relatives must also obtain Federal criminal history clearances and pay that cost themselves, which is $24.95. Relatives are defined as grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings, and all relative providers must be 18 years of age or older and live in a residence separate from the residence of the child for whom they will provide care.
How to apply:
- Submit an application to the ELRC so it can see whether you meet the guidelines for the subsidized child care program.
- You can apply for subsidized child care funding and renew benefits online through COMPASS at compass.dhs.pa.gov, the online resource for cash assistance, SNAP, child care, health care coverage, LIHEAP home heating assistance, school meals, SelectPlan for Women and long-term living services.
- Region 13 posts Child Care Works applications and verification forms at elrc-csc.org, including employment, self-employment, education schedule, training and homelessness verification and an Authorization for Release of Information. At times additional verification forms will be required to complete your application or redetermination; download them if the ELRC requests them.
The Region 13 office is at 1138 Rockland St., Reading, PA 19604, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For questions, call 833-229-6927 or 484-651-8000, or email ELRC13@cscinc.org. For more information about the program you can also call the Child Care Works helpline at (877) 472-5437, or look up the ELRC for your county at pa.gov.
Your ELRC can also provide resource and referral services and help you find a facility that meets your needs, and you can search regulated child care providers through the Online Child Care Provider Search at compass.dhs.pa.gov.
One thing to know before you start: if funding is not available at the time that a low-income, working parent applies for subsidized child care, the child may be placed on a waiting list.
Source: pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/early-learning-child-care/c…, read September 18, 2026.
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m The child who needs care must be a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residency Have proof of identification for each parent or caretaker in the home.
In Early Learning Resource Center Region 13’s words
Child Care Works is Pennsylvania's subsidized child care program that helps low-income families pay their child care fees. The state and federal governments fund this program, which is managed by the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) located in your county. How does the program work? The ELRC will pay all or a part of your child care cost. This is called a subsidy payment. You may pay a part of the cost. This is called the family co-pay. The subsidy payment and the family co-pay go directly…
Organization
Early Learning Resource Center Region 13
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This listing summarizes publicly available information from pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/early-learning-child-care/c…. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.