Department of Social Services

Day Care Services – Subsidized child care is available for certain eligible parents or caretakers to enable him/her them to work.

County Office Building - 5th Floor
600 S. State St
Syracuse, New York 13202
Hours 8:00 – 4:30 (Monday – Friday)
Phone: (315) 435-LOVE (5683)

Day Care Funding is available for certain eligible populations, including:
Persons leaving Family Assistance as a result of employment (Transitional Day Care).
Employed individuals not receiving Family Assistance, but qualifying for aid on the basis of income (Low-Income Day Care).

Parents who have a temporary incapacity and who are expected to return to work within a short period of time (usually 30 days or less).
Parents required to be absent from the home due to an emergency situation.

Eligibility Criteria

State income guidelines for eligibility are set at 200% of poverty. If gross income for appropriate family size equals or exceeds 200% of poverty level, case is ineligible for daycare. See chart below:

200% of 2008 POVERTY LEVEL	LEVEL OF ELIGIBILITY FOR FAMILY SIZE OF:								EACH ADD’LPERSON
200% of 2008 POVERTY LEVEL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	EACH ADD’LPERSON
ANNUAL *	$20,800	$28,000	$35,200	$42,400	$49,600	$56,800	$64,000	$71,200	$ 7,200
MONTHLY *	$1,733	$2,333	$2,933	$3,533	$4,133	$4,733	$5,333	$5,933	$ 600

* If gross income for appropriate family size equals or exceeds 200% of poverty level, case is ineligible for day care.

All individuals pay a portion of the child care expense to the child care provider. This payment is called the Parent Fee or Family Share, and will vary according to the family's income.

Resource Limit
There are no resource limits for day care.

How to Apply
You may apply by calling (315) 435-LOVE (5683) and request an application. The application process can be done entirely by mail. You may also stop by the Day Care Services office and pick up an application.

What to Expect
After you receive your application packet you will need to complete the forms included with it. The application for Day Care is a shortened application and should be fairly easy to complete. You may also need to provide ID; birth certificates; Social Security cards; divorce, separation, or custody papers; and verification of all income.

Once we get your returned application packet we will review it for completeness. If we need more information we will send you a letter telling you what we still need. After all the necessary paperwork is received we will make an eligibility decision within 30 days from your application date.