State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Rhode Island

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Rhode Island could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $32,958 (180 percent of poverty, 47 percent of state median income).

•    Waiting list: Rhode Island 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. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $113 per month, or 5 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Rhode Island’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    Rhode Island’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old was $182, or 21 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Rhode Island’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old was $175, or 18 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

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

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Rhode Island allowed parents to continue receiving child care for up to 21 days while searching for a job. However, Rhode Island did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.¹   

¹Parents receiving child care assistance may continue to receive it for up to 21 consecutive days from the beginning of a period of temporary unemployment resulting from a job loss or transition between jobs. Rhode Island Works Program participants can receive child care assistance while engaged in activities required to comply with their approved employment plan.

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.