State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Delaware

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Delaware could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $36,624 (200 percent of poverty, 55 percent of state median income).

•    Waiting list: Delaware had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $113 per month, or 7 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $208 per month, or 9 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Delaware’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were below the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.
o    Delaware’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in New Castle County was $304, or 39 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Delaware’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old in New Castle County was $478, or 47 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Delaware did not pay higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Delaware allowed parents to continue receiving child care for up to 3 months while searching for a job.  However, Delaware did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.