Any individual may apply for child care services by completing an application with the Division of Family Assistance at any District Office or the Child Care Resource and Referral Agency you are using.  Gross family income is used to determine eligibility.  Gross family income must not exceed 190% of the federal poverty guidelines.  Family resources such as property and possessions are not counted when determining eligibility.  Eligibility is determined for a standard period of time and the recipient is required to furnish documentation at least every 6 months.

Eligibility

Requires that each child for whom child care assistance is requested must:

• be a resident of NH;
• reside in the same household as the parent who is requesting child care services; and
• be a US citizen or a non-citizen who meets Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) criteria for non-citizen eligibility.

All adult members of a family must be participating in at least one of the following: employment, education, training or job search.  When one parent, in a two parent family, is disabled and unable to care for a child, only the non-disabled parent must be participating in one of the above activities.

 Employment-Related Child Care

• Adult members of a family must be earning income.
• Adult members of a family are considered to be employed during a leave of absence for up to 6 weeks with proper verification.

Education and Training Related Child Care

• Adult family members who are in an education or training program must be working toward a certificate or degree.
• Adult family members receiving TANF are allowed to take individual courses as specified in their Employability Plan.
• The course of study for non-TANF adult recipients cannot exceed 2 years.
• TANF recipients are allowed to receive child care support for participation in  education and training activities for up to 3 years when attending part-time.

There is an additional exception to the 2 and 3 year limit for adult recipients who are completing any of the following preparatory programs:

• High School Diploma
• General Education Development (GED)
• Adult Basic Education (ABE)
• English as a second language (ESL)
• Work Opportunity Council out of school youth programs
• Alternative educational high school
• Special programs for learning disabled adults

Adult family members are eligible during breaks in training up to 30 days in any 12-month period and are considered to remain in training during a leave of absence for up to 6 weeks with proper verification.

Job Search Related Child Care

• TANF recipients are allowed unlimited days according to the requirements of their Employability Plan.
• Non-TANF recipients are allowed 40 days of child care support for job search related activities in any 6 month period.

Adult family members are eligible for child care assistance during the following times:

• While working,
• When in training or attending class,
• While studying; not to exceed the number of classroom hours,
• When required to participate in an activity specified in their Employability Plan, and
• Resting the day after working the 3rd shift.  Third shift work must be documented and is only allowed when an individual works any four hours of the day from 10 PM to 6 AM