Mississippi Child Care Assistance Program: Who Qualifies, Copays, and How to Apply

How the Mississippi child care assistance program works

CCPP is Mississippi’s child care subsidy. It is paid for with federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) money, federal TANF funds, and state funds, according to the MDHS policy manual effective December 2025. The goal is to help parents keep working or finish school while their children are in safe, approved care.

The program does not hand you cash. Instead, if you are approved, MDHS issues a child care certificate for each child. The certificate lists your child, the approved provider, whether care is full-time or part-time, the subsidy rate, and your monthly copay. MDHS pays the provider directly. You pay your copay to the provider each month, plus any difference between the subsidy and the provider’s published price.

MDHS also pays a $50 registration or activity fee once a year for each enrolled child, when a new certificate is issued. If the provider charges more than $50, you cover the difference.

Who qualifies for help

According to the MDHS eligibility page and the CCPP policy manual, a family generally needs to meet all of these:

• Child’s age: under 13, or under 19 if the child has a documented special need.
• Mississippi residence with proof of address.
• Work or school: each parent in the home works at least 25 hours a week, is enrolled full-time in an accredited education program, is in an approved job training program, or has a combination of these.
• Income: gross family income at or below 85% of the state median income (SMI) for your family size.
• Assets: family assets of no more than $1,000,000, which is the federal limit.

There are special rules for some families. A parent who has a disability and receives SSI is exempt from the work requirement, though a spouse in the home must meet it. Teen parents apply in their own name as a separate family, must be in high school or a full-time education program, and their own parent’s income is not counted. For children of deployed military parents, the income of a non-deployed guardian who is not the parent is not counted.

Priority groups and who is served first

When funding is tight, MDHS serves families in priority order. The groups below come from the MDHS eligibility page.

Most families in Group 1 do not fill out a CCPP application. Their caseworker sends a referral, and the certificate is based on the referral date. Families experiencing homelessness must meet the federal McKinney-Vento definition, and children in foster care or homeless children get a short grace period to provide immunization records.

Income limits by family size

Mississippi sets its limits as a share of the state median income. The table below shows the dollar amounts posted on the MDHS eligibility page when we checked on October 29, 2026. That page also lists 2021 poverty figures, so these SMI amounts may not be the newest. MDHS uses its current figures when it reviews your application, so treat this table as a guide and call 800-877-7882 if you are close to a limit.

MDHS counts gross income, before taxes, for the applicant, a spouse, and any other parent of the child living in the home, using proof from the last 30 days. Once you are approved, a temporary rise in income does not end your help. MDHS acts on an increase during your 12 months only if your income goes above 85% of SMI on a lasting basis.

Monthly copayments

Most families pay a monthly copay to their provider. The rules, from the MDHS child care co-payments page and policy manual, are:

• No copay: TANF families, homeless families with no countable income, and any family with income at or below the federal poverty line.
• $10 or less a month: Transitional Child Care families, teen parents, children served by Child Protection Services, Healthy Families Mississippi families, parents with a disability receiving SSI, and children with special needs.
• Everyone else: a copay from the MDHS sliding fee scale, based on yearly gross income and family size, and also on full-time or part-time care and the child’s age.

If you have more than one child in care, the family copay is split evenly across the children, and each certificate shows that child’s share. Providers must charge the copay MDHS assigns and may not waive it or raise it. Pay on time and ask for a receipt. Unpaid copays must be cleared before MDHS approves a change of provider.

The fee scale linked on the MDHS page appears to date from November 2021. Your exact copay is printed on your certificate, so ask MDHS if anything looks wrong. If MDHS assessed the wrong amount, it can reimburse the difference.

The 2025 application pause and waitlist

Funding limits changed how the program takes new families. According to the MDHS CCPP updates page:

• April 1, 2025: new applications were paused except for six groups: TANF and transitional families, foster children served by Child Protection Services, teen parents, families of children with special needs, deployed military families, and homeless families. Others could join a waitlist. Families also could no longer add children to existing certificates unless they fit an exception.
• August 1, 2025: MDHS began inviting waitlisted families to apply, in waitlist order. An invited family has 10 calendar days to submit an application. If you miss the window, the invitation expires and you rejoin the waitlist.
• November 24, 2025: families with a current certificate could recertify at the end of their 12 months without going on the waitlist. A child being added to an existing certificate goes on the waitlist.

The updates page did not show any 2026 changes when we checked on October 29, 2026. Check it before you apply. If you join the waitlist, watch your email and phone closely so you do not miss the 10-day invitation. Families denied for not fitting an exception can ask for a desk review.

Documents MDHS asks for

MDHS asks you to submit the application first and the documents afterward. Gather these before you start, based on the MDHS apply page:

Applying online, step by step

1. Check the updates page to see whether applications are open for your group or whether you need to join the waitlist.
2. Choose a provider. Use the MDHS provider search and tick “Accepts MDHS Subsidy Children” so you only see participating centers and homes. The MDHS find child care page links to the search.
3. Apply online through the MDHS CCPP online application. List every child who will attend the provider you chose. Paper forms are available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
4. Send your documents after you apply, using the MDHS parent document upload form, by fax to (601) 359-4422, or by mail. The apply page has the current mailing address.
5. Watch for a decision. If approved, you and the provider receive a certificate showing the start date, schedule, and copay.
6. Call 800-877-7882 if you have questions or have not heard back.

After you are approved

Your certificate is good for 12 months. During that time, a few rules matter:

• Report changes within 10 days, including income, work hours below 25 a week, a new address, marriage, household size, leaving a job or school, or wanting to switch providers. Forms are on the MDHS parent forms page.
• Job loss: if you report it on time, MDHS gives a 90-day job search period so you can find new work or training without losing care. If you do not report it, you may lose that period.
• Attendance: a child who misses 60 days in a row without contact with the provider counts as having excessive absences, which can end the certificate.
• Renewal: redetermination starts about 60 days before your 12 months end. MDHS sends a notice with instructions to renew online.
• Use the right location: care is paid only at the provider and address on the certificate.

Failing to report changes can lead to repayment or penalties under the program’s compliance rules, so keep copies of everything you send.

Federal rules behind the program

CCPP follows the federal CCDF rules in 45 CFR Part 98. Federal law caps eligibility at 85% of state median income, requires an eligibility period of at least 12 months, and lets states set their own copay scales and priority groups within those limits.

A 2024 federal rule asked states to keep copays at or below 7% of family income. In May 2026, HHS published a final rule removing that cap and some provider payment requirements, effective July 13, 2026. States may still keep lower copays if they choose. As of October 29, 2026, the MDHS pages we checked had not announced copay changes tied to the new rule.

Other help with child care costs

If you are on the waitlist or do not qualify, these may help:

• Head Start and Early Head Start offer free early education for eligible children from birth to age 5, with separate income rules.
• Child Care Resource and Referral centers help parents find care and understand quality ratings. See the MDHS resource and referral page.
• Tax credits: working parents may get the Child and Dependent Care Credit and the child tax credit when they file. Our guide to child tax credits explains current amounts.
• SNAP and TANF can free up money for care. TANF families are also in CCPP’s top priority group. Try our SNAP calculator for a rough estimate.
• Other state programs: our Mississippi assistance programs guide lists help with food, rent, and utilities.

Dial 211 for local options such as church-run child care or employer programs. Single parents can also look at our guide to housing for single moms.

Related guides

• Mississippi assistance programs
• Child tax credits
• Homeless assistance for single mothers
• Mississippi utility relief programs

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information. Eligibility, income limits, copays, and waitlist rules are set by MDHS and can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with the Mississippi Department of Human Services or any government agency.