Johnson County Social Services is accepting applications from child care providers for its new Child Care Assistance Incentive Program. Applications will be accepted through August 1, 2023 for the first round of approvals. After that date, applications will be accepted and approved on a first-received, first-funded basis. Funds are limited, so programs are encouraged to apply early.

The Child Care Assistance Incentive Program was developed to create additional opportunities for Johnson County families eligible for Child Care Assistance (CCA) to access quality child care in their community.  Currently, only 9% of child care center slots in Johnson County centers are accessible to families participating in Iowa's Child Care Assistance Program, a federally funded initiative that provides tuition support for working families with incomes at or below 160% of the federal poverty level. Despite a recent increase in state reimbursement for these slots, the reimbursement rate is still less than the average market rate for infant care in Johnson County. The goal of this program is to incentivize child care providers to expand the number of available slots in their programs for children aged 0-2 who are eligible for Child Care Assistance.

This program will bridge the gap between the state reimbursement for Child Care Assistance and the provider's actual private pay tuition rate. Child care providers may bill for up to $200 per month for each child care slot occupied by an infant (aged 0-35 months) participating in Child Care Assistance.

This program is a result of Johnson County's investment of funds received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

For more information, contact Laurie Nash at [email protected] or 319-356-6090.

Child Care Assistance Incentive Program Application

Child Care Assistance Incentive Program Process