Individualized County Child Care Subsidy (Pilot) Program
The purpose of the Individualized County Child Care Subsidy (Pilot) Program is to provide counties specified in statute the flexibility to establish policies to address local needs and priorities. Authorized counties may opt-in to the Pilot program by submitting a Pilot plan to the California Department of Education (CDE).
The table below represents counties that are authorized to participate in the Pilot program and the relevant authorizing California Education Code (EC) Sections:
| Pilot County | EC Sections |
|---|---|
| Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Marin, Monterey, San Benito, San Diego, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma | EC 8273–8282.6 |
| San Francisco | EC 8283–8288.5 |
| San Mateo | EC 8289-8294.5 |
Legislation permits local Pilot plans to supersede state law in specific areas, such as:
- Eligibility criteria (e.g., age, family size, income level, and special needs considerations)
- Fees (e.g., family fees, sliding scale fees, and copayments)
- Reimbursement rates (e.g., higher rates and adjustment factors)
- Methods of maximizing efficient use of funds
- Families with children enrolled in part-day California State Preschool Program services, may be eligible for up to two 180-day periods within a 24-month period without the family being certified as a new enrollment each year.
Common policies that Pilot counties can request to opt-in to are listed in the Pilot Template. However, statute allows counties the ability to develop unique policies that fit their needs based on the provisions of statute. Counties using these flexibilities must be able to demonstrate their need and that they will increase access to care to reach a greater number of families eligible to be served by Early Education Division (EED) funds.
Report to the Legislature
Education Code (EC) Section 8282.6, codified through the passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 1294 (Chapter 497, Statutes of 2021), requires the CDE and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to review the existing individualized county child care subsidy (pilot) plans and submit a report to the California State Legislature. The report contains recommendations from the Individualized County Child Care Subsidy Pilot Program on which flexibilities should be adopted statewide and which flexibilities are no longer justified, and can be accessed here: Pilot Legislative Report.