State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Pennsylvania

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Pennsylvania could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $36,620 (200 percent of poverty, 58 percent of state median income).¹

•    Waiting list: Pennsylvania had 5,022 children on a waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010. The state had cleared its waiting list as of May 7, 2010, but the waiting list began growing again and had 10,461 children on it as of September 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 $65 per month, or 4 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.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, some of Pennsylvania’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    Pennsylvania’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Philadelphia was $22, or 3 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Pennsylvania’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old in Philadelphia was at the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Pennsylvania paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Philadelphia at the highest quality tier was 9 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Philadelphia at the highest quality tier was above the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Pennsylvania allowed parents to continue receiving child care for up to 60 days while searching for a job.²  However, Pennsylvania did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job. 

¹In 2010, families already receiving assistance could continue doing so until their income reached $43,029.
²Parents who lose a job voluntarily can continue to receive child care assistance during a 13-day notification period. Parents who lose a job involuntarily can continue to receive child care assistance for up to 60 days, in addition to the 13-day notification period.

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.