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Frequently Asked Questions
- How does OKDHS help me pay for Child Care?
- Do I have to be on welfare to qualify?
- What ages do my children have to be?
- What are the income limits for child care benefits?
- Do I have to pursue child support?
- How do I find my local Human Services Center?
- How do I apply for Child Care benefits?
- What do I need to take with me when I apply?
- How do I choose a provider?
- What is the earliest date I can be approved for Child Care benefits?
- How will I know if or when I am approved?
- How is an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card used for Child Care benefits?
- How does OKDHS help me pay for child care?
If eligible, OKDHS will pay all or part of your child care costs directly to a licensed and contracted child care provider while you work, attend school or training. You may be required to pay a portion of child care costs based on your household income.
- Do I have to be on welfare to qualify?
No. Child Care benefits help families stay off welfare.
- What ages do my children have to be?
Infant to the day before the child's 13th birthday. However children with disabilities may qualify up to the day before the child's 19th birthday.
- What are the income limits for Child Care benefits?
Appendix C-4, Child Care Eligibility/Rates Schedule (Spanish Version) gives income eligibility limits vary based on family size, the number of children in care and amount of income. Families earning approximately $1,950/month or less with one child in care, $2,425/month with two children in care, $2,925/month with three children in care, and $3,425 with four or more children in care may qualify. Please contact your local county Human Services Center to determine your specific eligibility.
- Do I have to pursue child support?
When one or both of the child's parents are absent from the home, you must agree to pursue child support through OKDHS Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) for all children that must be included in the same household. Your worker will help you fill out required forms and send them to CSED for you.
- How do I find my local Human Services Center?
There’s at least one center in each county. View map of the State of Oklahoma to determine the location of the Human Services Center that is most convenient for you.
- How do I apply for Child Care benefits?
You can print the Request for Benefits and Services form (Spanish version) and answer the questions in writing. Make sure that you sign the form and take or mail it to the Human Services Center located nearest you. Be prepared to be interviewed and to complete the application process the day you bring the form to your local Human Services Center. If you mail in the request form, you will receive a letter scheduling an appointment for an interview to complete the application process.
- What do I need to take with me when I apply?
Take these things with you:
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Identity verification for the person making the application and names of all household members.
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Work and/or school schedule for yourself and all other adults in your home showing the days and hours you/they work or go to school. If your/their schedule varies each week, the schedule must reflect this.
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Proof of all money earned by all adults in your home (before taxes and including tips, bonuses, vacation pay, sick pay and uniform allowance). You must provide at least the last 30 days of earnings if you/they have been working that long. If your earnings vary, it is best if you provide more pay information so the best average can be calculated.
Proof of earnings includes:
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Check stubs with name, date, social security number and total pay;
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Dated statement of total pay amounts and dates paid each month or weeks with employers signature, address and phone number, or
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If self-employed: last year’s tax return or current books showing income and expenses for the last twelve months.
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Proof of any other income (such as unemployment, social security, SSI, veteran’s benefits, child support or
alimony). Proof includes:
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Name of the child care provider you wish to use. If you choose a child care center, that center must be at one plus, two or three star status unless certain exception criteria is met. Find a provider by using the Child Care Locator.
- How do I choose a provider?
Providers must be licensed and contracted child care homes or centers. Our "Reaching for the Stars" program provides a way we can let parents know when providers are meeting additional quality criteria above and beyond what is needed to be licensed in Oklahoma. Find a provider by using the Child Care Locator or by contacting the Child Care Referral and Resource Agency (Link opens in window). A quality checklist may also help you in choosing a provider.
- What is the earliest date I can be approved for Child Care benefits?
The earliest date that you can be approved is the date that you complete the interview and provide needed verification, including the name of a contracted child care provider you wish to use.
- How will I know if or when I am approved?
You will receive a Notice of Action letter. This notice will tell you the action taken on your application. If you are approved, it will also tell you what your Family Share Co-payment will be and how much care is approved.
- How is an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card used for Child Care benefits?
The EBT system is an attendance tracking and payment system for Child Care Subsidy Benefits. You will be issued an EBT card when you apply for Child Care benefits and you will be required to view an EBT training video that tells you how to use the card. Every contracted facility is equipped with a Point of Service (POS) machine. Each time you take or pick up your child from the child care facility, you must swipe your EBT card through the POS machine to record attendance for your child. If you don't swipe attendance, OKDHS will not help you pay for care even if you are approved for Child Care benefits.
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