Subsidized Child Care

State and federal subsidies are available to help families pay for the high costs of child care. The major types of subsidies in Maine include:

• Child Care Vouchers - Child care vouchers are designed to help income-eligible families pay for child care costs while working or in an educational/training program. Please call for a referral to the voucher agency in your area or fill out the application on-line by going to the Maine Department of Human Services - Application for Child Care Services link. Eligibility is based on family size and gross household income. A parent fee is then determined based on these two factors.
• Child Care Contracted Slots -Subsidized assistance that is contracted to the provider (either center-based or family child care). Families pay for a portion of their "slot" based on their family size and gross income.
• Head Start -is a national program that provides comprehensive developmental and social services to low income preschool children and their families.
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) -Temporary help for children and their parents while the family works towards becoming self-supporting.
• ASPIRE-TANF Program -The ASPIRE-TANF program (ASPIRE for short) is the education, training and work program that most parents receiving TANF are required to participate in. It is run by the Department of Human Services (DHS). People in ASPIRE are eligible for help with transportation, child care and other services necessary to help them particpate.
• TANF Transitional Program -TANF transitional child care is available to recipients who received TANF in one of the three months immediately preceding the month of ineligibity. Increased work hours or increased earnings must have caused or contributed to the closure, and the family's gross income must be equal to or less than 85% of the state's median income for their family size. Transitional child care services are also available to families in which one or both adults are working; and although they remain financially eligible for TANF, request that their benefits be terminated.