State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Florida

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Florida could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $27,465 (150 percent of poverty, 49 percent of state median income).¹

•    Waiting list: Florida had 66,947 children on the waiting list for child care assistance as of March 31, 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 $106 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 $173 per month, or 8 percent of its income in copayments.²

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Florida’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.³ 
o    The monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Miami-Dade County was $139, or 26 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    The monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old in Miami-Dade County was $143, or 24 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, some counties in Florida paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.⁴
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Miami-Dade County at the highest quality tier was 20 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Miami-Dade County at the highest quality tier was still below the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Florida allowed parents to continue receiving child care for up to 30 days while searching for a job.⁵  However, Florida did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.⁶  

¹In 2010, families already receiving assistance could continue doing so until their income reached $36,620.
²Local coalitions have flexibility in setting copayments; these copayments reflect the maximum copayment levels allowed under state policy and used by a local coalition.
³Reimbursement rates vary by local coalition.
⁴Counties may pay rates that are up to 20 percent higher than the basic rate for Gold Seal providers, a quality care designation authorized by the legislature tied to accreditation.
⁵Local early learning coalitions, which administer the child care assistance program, may seek a waiver to the 30-day time limit and allow parents to continue to receive child care assistance while searching for a job for up to 60 or 90 days. Parents who qualify for unemployment compensation may continue to receive child care assistance for up to 6 months.
⁶Only Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients can qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job; they are limited to 24 months of services.

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.