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- Toll-Free: 855-EARLY-ED (855-327-5933)
- Local: 919-403-6950
- Email: familyscholarship@earlyyearsnc.org
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Program
Child Care Scholarship Program
We help families in Durham County and Orange County access affordable, high-quality child care through locally funded scholarships.
Affordable Child Care for Durham County and Orange County
The Early Years Child Care Scholarship Program can help to provide low-cost access to high-quality child care for qualifying families living in Durham or Orange counties. A variety of scholarships are available, funded by Durham’s Partnership for Children – a Smart Start Initiative, Durham County, United Way of the Greater Triangle, the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and other private donors. The primary goal of these scholarships is to provide children with access to high-quality child care.
- Smart Start Scholarships: support for children birth to 5 living in Durham County.
- General Scholarships: support for children birth to 5 living in Durham or Orange counties.
- Partner Program Scholarships: provides support to the Pre-K and Early Head Start programs in Durham.
Family and Child Care Provider Eligibility
Families who meet basic eligibility screening for available scholarship funds will be invited to apply. To qualify for a new award, families must meet both activity and income eligibility.
Activity Eligibility
At the time of initial eligibility, each parent in the household must demonstrate full-time need for child care, usually in the form of 30 or more weekly hours of work, a full-time student schedule, or a combination of the two.
Income Limits
Household income from all sources must not exceed the maximum income limits by family size for the county or program for which they are being considered. This might consist of wages from work, child support, SSI and financial aid. Students who pay tuition may have their tuition deducted from the household total.
| Family Size | Durham County General and Smart Start Scholarships | Orange County General Scholarships | Build Babies Durham* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $72,712 | $97,371 | $86,560 |
| 3 | $89,810 | $120,268 | $109,280 |
| 4 | $106,922 | $143,183 | $132,000 |
| 5 | $124,034 | $166,098 | $154,720 |
| 6 | $141,133 | $188,995 | $177,440 |
Need help figuring it out? Just give us a call!
Child Care Provider Eligibility
In order to provide care for a child with an Early Years Scholarship, a child care facility must be licensed by the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education at the 4- or 5- star level and be approved through an application process by the Scholarship program. A provider not yet participating with the scholarship program may apply by invitation only from the program once a family with a scholarship makes a request to use their scholarship with that provider. If a provider goes six months without serving a child on scholarship, the provider will become inactive and must reapply in order to resume service to children using scholarships.
Parents Fees
Most scholarships include a parent fee based on a modest percentage of gross monthly family income. Parent fees are paid by parents directly to the child’s care provider on the schedule designated by the child care provider.
Reimbursement
The scholarship program pays providers directly and operates on a reimbursement model. That means payment is made at the end of the month following service provided, usually based on a child’s attendance pattern. The rate paid to the facility uses the state subsidy rate as its base, though some amounts will be higher if certain criteria are met. The parent fees make up a portion of the rate, with the Scholarship program’s payment making up the rest.
Waiting lists for various kinds of child care subsidy assistance differ. Early Years’ scholarship program’s general waiting list is organized by total household annual income divided by family size, with priority consideration for circumstances such as homelessness or teen parents completing high school. Families with the fewest resources per family member are placed higher on the waiting list. Using this order, instead of a first-come, first-serve order, means the list changes as we add new families.
