State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Nebraska

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Nebraska could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $21,972 (120 percent of poverty, 37 percent of state median income).¹

•    Waiting list: Nebraska 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 had no copayment.² 

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Nebraska’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    Nebraska’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in urban counties was $65, or 9 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Nebraska’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old in urban counties was $54, or 6 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Nebraska paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in the urban counties at the highest quality tier was 10 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in the urban counties at the highest quality tier was at the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Nebraska allowed parents to qualify for or continue receiving child care assistance for up to 2 calendar months while searching for a job, with a possible extension.  

¹For families transitioning from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the income limit was $33,876 in 2010.
²A family with an income at 150 percent of poverty would be eligible if the family were transitioning from TANF. In 2010, this family’s copayment would have been $160 per month.

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.