If a child’s parents both work full-time and together earn $25,000 per year, can the family receive a subsidy to help pay for child care? What if one of the parents is a full-time student and not working? If the family does qualify for a subsidy, how much will they still have to pay out of pocket? The answers to these questions depend on a family’s exact circumstances.

Child care subsidies are provided through a federal block grant program called the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). Within the federal guidelines, States/Territories establish many of the detailed policies used to operate their CCDF programs.  This brief provides a graphic overview of some of the CCDF policy differences across States/Territories.