Child Care Assistance for Single Mothers in Delaware

What has changed since June 2026?

Delaware has raised POC income limits for the 2026–27 program year. The old 2025–26 dollar table, the 200% entry limit, and the 300% annual review limit in this article expired on September 30, 2026. The state’s current chart now uses 225% for new applications and 325% at redetermination.

In August 2026, Delaware also changed summer child care rules. Some camps can seek earlier POC authorization for summer enrollment, and the state has a new path for certain exempt youth camps. This does not mean every camp accepts POC or that every space is funded.

Where to start

Start with what will solve your problem first. If you need care to begin work next week, applying for POC and calling providers can happen on the same day. If you need preschool for next term, apply to early learning programs too. If your child needs extra support, tell both DSS and the provider.

Write down your child’s age, ZIP code, and the hours you need care. Also note if you work, study, train, have a job offer, or seek work. This makes it easier for the worker and provider to find a suitable option.

Who may qualify for Purchase of Care?

The Delaware child care rules explain the main tests. DSS looks at your household, income, child care need, the child’s age, and the type of care. A single mother does not have to apply for a special single-parent grant. Two-parent families, guardians, and some other caregivers can also qualify.

• Child’s age: Care is generally for children younger than 13. Some children ages 13–18 who cannot care for themselves because of a verified condition may qualify. Ask about medical certification Form 611.
• Reason for care: Work, a new job, approved education or training, certain job-search activity, a verified special need, or child-protection circumstances may count. DSS decides which category fits.
• Income: Regular application and review limits differ. The tables below use gross monthly income, meaning income before taxes and other deductions.
• Provider: Care must be approved before POC can pay. Delaware rules allow approved licensed, license-exempt, or self-arranged care under different conditions.

Special rules may apply to teen parents, relative caregivers, foster families, and families without stable housing. They may also apply when a child has a disability. Some families have special rules or copay waivers. Ask DSS what proof or referral it needs. A provider being outside the state’s licensed-provider search does not by itself prove a license violation: some care may legally be exempt. DSS must still approve it for subsidy payment.

Our national child care guide explains other child care help paths, but Delaware DSS makes the POC decision.

Will I pay a child care copay?

Some families have a copay, or a required share of the cost. Delaware’s rules say POC copays are waived at or below 150% FPL. Waivers may also apply to families receiving TANF, certain child welfare referrals, some teen parents, or families with an excessive financial burden. An excessive burden review may count verified rent, utilities, and some medical bills.

DSS calculates a monthly copay, with a cap of 7% of gross family income. Its public POC page describes copays paid to providers on a weekly basis. Ask for your written assigned amount and how your provider collects it. Seven percent is a ceiling, not an automatic charge for every family.

During an approved care period, a pay rise alone should not raise your assigned copay. If your pay drops, tell DSS and ask for a lower copay. Ask for a fresh written calculation if your situation changes.

Before you sign up, ask the provider about any registration, late-pickup, transport, activity, or other charges and whether POC permits them. An extra charge is not the same as a DSS copay. If you think a fee is wrong, ask the provider for its written policy and DSS whether the charge is allowed.

How to apply for child care help

1. Apply for Child Care Services. Start in ASSIST, or ask DSS how to apply through a local office, by phone with a worker, or with paper documents. Save the date and proof of filing.
2. Complete the interview. Tell DSS about your work, job offer, school, training, job search, or other reason for care. Say if the need is urgent.
3. Send what DSS asks for. Upload or deliver proof by the date in your notice. Ask for help if a document is hard to get.
4. Choose an approved provider. Ask which centers, homes, or other providers can accept POC and meet your child’s schedule.
5. Read the decision and authorization. Check approved dates, hours, provider, copay, and any next review. Do not assume DSS will cover care from before the authorized start date.

Documents to gather

ASSIST also offers screening or applications for benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, WIC, and energy help. You can seek those programs while POC is being reviewed. A child care decision does not mean the other applications were approved.

How presumptive child care works

Presumptive care is temporary child care approval while some required proof is pending. State rules allow some families to state their income and need for care when they apply. The normal presumptive period is one or two months, based on the case and application date.

Important exception: Families who meet the state’s homelessness rule may get 90 days of presumptive care. They do not need every document at the start. Ask about this rule if you stay in a shelter, move between homes, or have no steady place to sleep.

For those who need presumptive care, the rules call for DSS to process the form and hold an intake interview within two business days. This is a case-processing requirement, not a promise that a provider will have a place open in two days.

Presumptive care is not available for every applicant. The rules exclude some people who had POC in the prior month or had certain prior presumptive decisions. DSS must still approve the provider and the dates of care. Ask the worker: “Is my family eligible for presumptive care, and what exact proof must I turn in before it ends?”

How to find safe, approved child care

Start with Delaware’s licensed child care search. It shows state licensing information and some compliance, complaint, and enforcement records from the past five years. For a fuller record, ask the Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) for a file review. A license does not prove that a provider has room or accepts POC.

The state search guide explains that only currently licensed providers appear in that tool. Some legally license-exempt care exists, so check with DSS before deciding an unlisted setting is safe or can receive POC payments.

Ask every provider about its age range, waitlist, hours, backup care, transport, meals, late pickup, fees, and how it handles illness and emergencies. Visit when possible. Ask who will be supervising your child and how to see licensing records.

If you suspect a licensing violation, use the state complaint process. OCCL lists 302-892-5800 for New Castle County and 302-739-5487 or 800-822-2236 for Kent and Sussex counties. OCCL handles possible licensing violations, not billing or personal disputes. For suspected child abuse or neglect at a facility, use the 800-292-9582 child abuse line.

Free preschool and early learning options

Delaware ECAP and state-funded partners

Delaware’s Early Childhood Assistance Program (ECAP) and other state-funded early education partners may provide no-cost care or learning for eligible children. The state-funded partner list includes local programs serving some infants, toddlers, and 3- and 4-year-olds. Families may apply if their income meets the poverty rule. Foster care, homelessness, or a documented delay or disability may also allow them to apply.

Contact a partner near you about its exact age rules, class hours, meals, transport, and application process. State-funded early learning is not always full-day child care. Use the state’s early care options page to compare local programs.

Head Start and Early Head Start

Head Start often serves preschool children, while Early Head Start serves infants, toddlers, and some pregnant women. Both serve eligible families with low income and children facing certain barriers. Search with the federal Head Start locator and apply to the local provider. Ask about a waitlist, transport, meals, and whether a full-day slot is offered.

Some families may use more than one program to cover different hours. Do not assume that Head Start and POC can both pay for the same hours. Ask DSS and the preschool whether extended or wraparound child care is possible. See our Head Start guide for the questions to ask.

Help with summer camps and school breaks

School-age children may need care during summer, before school, after school, and on breaks. Some approved programs can provide these hours through POC. Under the August 17, 2026 law, some camps can get POC approval earlier. This can start after January 1 for the coming summer. New rules also cover some camp exemptions.

Ask if your child needs a separate summer approval. Ask if the camp meets POC rules. Check whether full-day or half-day care changes your copay. Ask the camp when it opens registration and whether it accepts the required subsidy authorization. An early enrollment step does not guarantee later eligibility or a place.

Other Delaware help to check

Child care costs may be only one part of the problem. You can seek food, health care, rent, or school support at the same time. Do not wait for the child care case to end.

• For a child who needs health or dental care, see Delaware dental care help and ask your health plan about covered visits.
• If you are going to school or job training, see Delaware education grants and ask your school’s aid office about support for parents.
• For child support applications or order questions, see Delaware child support. Child support and POC have different rules.
• If you need diapers, clothes, or a safe baby sleep space, see Delaware baby supplies.
• If care problems put your rent or home at risk, review Delaware housing help.
• If you need food, shelter, or help with a crisis today, start with Delaware emergency assistance.

For food, ask ASSIST about SNAP. WIC helps some pregnant and postpartum people and young children with food and nutrition support; ask a WIC clinic about enrollment. For health care, ask about Medicaid or child coverage. State and local agencies may also have utility help or transport referrals.

Tax and military help

If you paid for care so you could work or seek work, check the federal child care tax credit. Keep receipts and the provider’s information. This credit has tax rules, so check the IRS instructions or ask a qualified tax preparer. It does not pay a provider before you file your taxes.

Military families may have installation child care or branch-based fee assistance. Ask your installation family support office or branch child care program what is offered where you live. Funding, provider rules, and application paths vary.

If your application is denied, delayed, or closed

First, read your DSS notice. It should explain what happened and how to challenge a decision. Missing papers or an interview can hold up a case. So can a provider issue or a question about your income or care needs.

1. Ask DSS for the exact reason and which documents could resolve it. Save the worker’s name, date, and case number.
2. If a denial, reduction, copay, or closure seems wrong, ask how to request a fair hearing. Check the deadline on your own written notice and do not wait for a callback.
3. Delaware’s fair-hearing page says a hearing request must be in writing; it lists the request email as DHSS_DSS_FHRequest@delaware.gov. Ask if benefits can continue while a timely appeal is pending, and what that could mean for repayment.
4. Ask for free copies of the records DSS will use at the hearing. If needed, ask about an interpreter or someone who can help you with your case.
5. While you wait, ask providers about lower-cost care, scholarship seats, ECAP, Head Start, or safe short-term options. Call 211 if missing care threatens housing or food.

The state posts program rules and decisions on its Division of Social Services site. If legal or family-safety issues affect your case, contact qualified local legal aid or an advocate for personal advice. This guide cannot tell you whether to appeal or predict the outcome.

Phone scripts to use