If a family comes to you with a childcare voucher — or if you're thinking about applying to become a subsidized provider — this page is your starting point. Accepting EEC childcare subsidies means agreeing to a set of rules and taking on responsibilities that don't apply to private-pay families. None of it is unmanageable, but you should know what you're signing up for.

Two Ways Subsidies Work for Providers

EEC funds childcare through two types of arrangements. Which one applies to you depends on how your program is set up.

	Voucher Agreement	Contract
What it is	Your local CCR&R holds an agreement that lets you accept vouchers from families	Your program holds a direct contract with EEC for a set number of funded slots
How families arrive	Families choose you and bring their voucher	Families are referred or enrolled into your contract slots
Who manages billing	Your CCR&R's CCFA Administrator	EEC's Financial Assistance Unit
Most common for	Licensed centers, family child care providers, informal caregivers	Larger programs, priority-population programs

Most providers accepting subsidies for the first time will be doing so through a voucher agreement with their local CCR&R.

What You Need Before You Can Be Reimbursed

You must have a signed agreement in place before you can receive any reimbursement for subsidized care. Depending on your provider type, there may be additional requirements before that agreement is issued:

• Licensed programs (family child care, licensed centers): Your license is your primary credential. You'll sign an agreement with EEC or your CCR&R. Background checks and training requirements are already built into your EEC license.

• License-exempt programs: You must complete a background record check (BRC), pre-service and orientation trainings, annual trainings, and health and safety requirements — and agree to annual monitoring visits — before the agreement is signed and vouchers can be issued.

• Informal caregivers (relatives and non-relatives): Specific requirements depend on your relationship to the child and where care is provided. See Provider Types and Requirements (2.2) for details.

EEC will not issue vouchers or reimbursement until all applicable requirements are met. There is no grace period.

What Changes When You Start Accepting Subsidized Children

Once you have an active agreement, you take on obligations that are different from what you have with private-pay families. The key ones:

Verify before they start. Every subsidized child must have an active voucher or authorization before they begin care at your program. "The voucher is coming" is not the same as an active voucher. Contact your CCR&R to confirm. See Voucher Verification (2.8).

Reimbursement is based on enrollment, not attendance. EEC pays based on whether a child has an active authorization and placement at your program — not on whether they showed up that day. This works in your favor most of the time, but it also means you must track and report children who stop attending. If a child has a non-approved break in care, reimbursement stops. See How Reimbursement Works (2.4) and Attendance Tracking (2.7).

You collect parent fees — not EEC. Subsidized families pay a sliding-scale copay directly to you. EEC pays you the rest. You are responsible for collecting those fees, and you cannot collect an initial deposit upfront. If a parent doesn't pay, you must follow a specific escalation process. See Collecting Parent Fees (2.6).

EEC can deny or claw back reimbursement. EEC may deny reimbursement if care doesn't meet health and safety standards, if you fail to follow EEC regulations, or if a child's care is terminated for a non-approved break. In more serious cases, EEC can recoup payments already made. See Reimbursement (2.4) and Improper Payments (2.9).

Your Point of Contact

For most day-to-day matters — new vouchers, changes to a child's placement, billing questions, attendance issues — your first call is your local CCR&R's CCFA Administrator. EEC sets the rules; the CCR&R administers them for you. Keep their contact information handy.

For licensing questions, contact EEC's licensing division directly.

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Next Steps

• What kind of provider are you? See Provider Types and Requirements (2.2)
• Background checks and training: See Background Checks and Training (2.3)
• How you get paid: See How Reimbursement Works (2.4)
• Understand vouchers vs. contracts from the family's perspective: See Vouchers vs. Contracts (0.3)
• Contact your local CCR&R to start the agreement process