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House Research home > Minnesota Government in Brief > Government Functions and Services: Family Assistance

Child Care Assistance Programs

Federal, state, and county funds subsidize child care costs for eligible families with:

• incomes at or below 47 percent of state median income at program entry, up to 67 percent of state median income at program exit
• children under 13 years old (age 15 for children with disabilities)

Families with incomes above 75 percent of the federal poverty guidelines must pay a copayment.

Basic Sliding Fee (BSF) Program for Working Families

• Assistance is limited by funding
• Waiting lists exist in some counties
• Priority is given to non-MFIP parents without a GED or diploma, families completing the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) transition year, and families receiving assistance from the portability pool

MFIP Child Care

• Eligible MFIP families, including families that forego the cash portion of the MFIP grant
• Assistance provided for activities in an approved individual plan (job search support or employment plan) and for employment
• Assistance is fully funded, no waiting lists for assistance

Transition Year Child Care

• Provides 12 months of child care assistance for former MFIP families who received assistance for three of the previous six months

Child Care Assistance Funding

($85.5 million state and local; $148.8 million federal in FY 2011)

Fiscal Year	MFIP Federal Funds (millions)	MFIP State Funds (millions)	BSF Federal Funds (millions)	BSF State/ Local Funds (millions)
2007	$76.0	$31.8	$56.8	$37.6
2008	52.8	43.9	43.5	44.1
2009	44.9	62.9	66.3	37.0
2010	60.1	53.3	49.5	43.0
2011	75.3	44.9	73.4	40.5

The monthly average number of families receiving child care assistance in fiscal year 2008 was 16,766.

Assistance may be provided for care by:

• Licensed family child care providers
• Licensed child care centers
• Legal nonlicensed caregivers including school district programs and registered caregivers who are related or unrelated adults

Child Care Assistance Profile, FY 2008

Note: MFIP includes transition year child care
* Percentages do not add up to 100% due to the use of more than one type of care per child.
Source: Department of Human Services

Related link:

• Legislative Reference Library Links to the World: Children

Originally published January 2011. The fiscal year 2011 projections are from the Department of Human Services, November 2010 forecasts of family self-sufficiency and medical programs. Other data are from DHS, MDE, MHFA, and other sources.