Michigan child care assistance and free pre-K: CDC Scholarship and GSRP (2026)

MiLEAP writes the rules, your MDHHS office decides the case

The state pays the provider, not the parent, except for license-exempt relative or in-home caregivers, whose payments are issued to you ⁠³. A child qualifies if under 13. Children aged 13 to 17 also qualify if they need constant care because of a physical, mental or psychological condition or are under court-ordered supervision ⁠². Every family must have assets of $1 million or less, and each child must be a U.S. citizen or have qualifying immigration status ⁠². An approved child stays eligible for 12 months even if the parent’s job or school ends ⁠².

Funding follows the caseload. The FY 2026-27 conference budget sets CDC Public Assistance at $631.4 million, adding $88.1 million to cover the May 2026 consensus caseload estimate ⁠⁸. Parents no longer have to work with the Office of Child Support to get child care help; that requirement ended February 25, 2024 ⁠¹³.

Two income lines: $4,554 to get in, $6,964 to stay

At application, gross monthly income must be at or below the “entry” column of RFT 270. Once enrolled, you are tested against the higher “exit” column, unless a raise counts as temporary excess income ⁠¹⁠². Grandparents and guardians acting as parents must report their income, but it is excluded from the test ⁠².

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Dollar limits from RFT 270 ⁠¹; the October 1, 2026 edition still carries this January 13, 2026 scale. The entry column matches 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guidelines ($27,320 a year for three) ⁠¹⁴.

Michigan does not state its entry limit as a percentage of state median income (SMI) in RFT 270. The House Fiscal Agency describes the exit line as 85% of SMI ⁠¹⁰. The SMI shares in the table are our calculation on that basis, not state figures.

Five groups skip the income test

BEM 703 lists six eligibility groups. Five are income-waived ⁠²:

• Children with an open Children’s Protective Services case (care for a family preservation need)
• Children with an active MDHHS foster care case
• FIP-related: the child or parent receives FIP cash assistance or SSI, or the family has a pending FIP application and needs care for a required activity
• Children of migrant farmworkers (the parent’s statement is enough)
• Children experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento definition, including families doubled up after losing housing

These children pay no family contribution ⁠¹. Homeless and foster care applications get expedited service. MDHHS must decide by the seventh calendar day, approves on your statement for anything not yet verified (except identity), and gives a 45-day presumptive eligibility period ⁠⁶. Every other application must be approved or denied within 30 calendar days ⁠⁵. Neither manual provides for a waiting list or enrollment freeze; eligible families are certified and the budget follows the caseload ⁠⁵⁠⁸.

Need hours instead of a work minimum

Michigan does not set a minimum number of work hours. Each parent in the home must have one of four “need reasons” ⁠²:

1. Family preservation

   A court-ordered activity, treatment for a condition, or an activity in a protective services or foster care case plan, documented on form DHS-4575.

2. High school completion

   Includes GED, adult basic education and ESL classes.

3. Approved activity

   Job training or post-secondary education approved by MDHHS, Michigan Works, Michigan Rehabilitation Services or another listed agency. Graduate, medical and law school do not qualify.

4. Employment

   Wages or self-employment, including paid internships, on-call time and up to eight hours of sleep time for night-shift workers. Working only as a license-exempt child care provider does not count.

Caseworkers add up hours every two weeks, including meal breaks, up to one hour of study time per class hour, and 10 hours of travel time per need reason. Bridges then rounds the total up to 20, 40, 60, 80 or 90 authorized hours ⁠⁴⁠². A parent working 25.5 hours a week has 51 hours plus 10 for travel, 61 in all, so the child is authorized for 80 ⁠⁴. In two-parent homes both parents need a reason. Since November 3, 2024, Bridges authorizes hours based on the parent with the higher need ⁠⁴.

The biweekly family contribution and the 7% question

The family contribution (FC) is a fixed dollar amount per child for each two-week pay period, capped per family. It is set when the child is found income eligible and is subtracted from the provider’s payment ⁠¹⁠³.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Amounts are per two-week pay period. Source: RFT 270 ⁠¹. Bands above the entry limit apply only to families already enrolled.

New families enter at or below the entry line, so they start at $0 or $15 per child. The FC is waived for income-eligible children in a center, group home or family home rated 3 Star/Enhancing Quality or higher. Moving the child to a 2 Star or lower provider brings the FC back during the 12-month period ⁠¹⁠³. Families using a relative or in-home caregiver pay the FC.

The FC is not the whole bill. If the CDC payment does not cover a licensed provider’s tuition, the parent owes the rest, although providers cannot charge a CDC family more than the public pays ⁠³. CDC pays a 3 Star center $567 for a preschooler billed 61 or more hours in two weeks, and $756 for an infant ⁠¹.

The federal rule that capped copays at 7% of family income was removed from 45 CFR 98.45 by the final rule published May 12, 2026 ⁠¹⁵. Michigan did not change its scale: the FC table in force since January 13, 2026 is unchanged in the October 1, 2026 edition ⁠¹. The top family limit, $186 every two weeks, is about $403 a month, or roughly 6% of the $6,964 exit income for three (our calculation).

How Great Start to Quality levels change the payment

Great Start to Quality is Michigan’s quality rating system. Each former star rating now has a quality-level name ⁠³:

• Maintaining Health & Safety (blank or 1 Star)
• Reflecting on Quality (2 Star)
• Enhancing Quality (3 Star)
• Enhancing Quality-Validated (4 Star)
• Demonstrating Quality (5 Star)

CDC pays more at each level. For an infant at a center, the hourly rate is $7.15 at the base level and $9.60 at Demonstrating Quality. License-exempt caregivers get $2.95 an hour, or up to $4.95 at Level 2 after 10 extra training hours a year ⁠¹⁠³. Licensed providers bill on enrollment in 30-, 60- or 90-hour blocks, so short absences do not cut their pay ⁠³. License-exempt caregivers bill actual attendance and must finish the $10 pre-service training before they can be paid ⁠³. For help finding care, call Great Start to Quality at 877-614-7328 ⁠¹³.

Some employers also offer the Tri-Share Child Care Program, which divides the cost of care equally among the employee, the employer and the state. It receives $3.4 million in FY 2026-27 and runs through regional facilitator hubs, so it exists only where an employer has signed up ⁠⁸⁠⁹.

PreK for All: free GSRP for children who are 4 by December 1, 2026

PreK for All includes GSRP, Head Start, developmental kindergarten and early childhood special education. For 2026-27, any Michigan child who will be 4 by December 1, 2026 can enroll at no cost, regardless of family income ⁠¹¹. GSRP gives enrollment priority to families at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, which Great Start to Quality puts at about $128,000 for a family of four; under the 2026 guidelines it is $132,000 (our calculation) ⁠¹²⁠¹⁴. Part-time and full-time options exist, with transportation in some communities ⁠¹¹.

More than 55,000 children are enrolled in GSRP, and more than 36,000 applications for 2026-27 had arrived by May 21, 2026, up 65% from spring 2025 ⁠¹¹. CDC cannot pay for hours a child spends in GSRP or Head Start, but it can pay a provider for care outside those hours ⁠³.

Applying through MI Bridges, step by step

1. Check the income line

   Compare gross monthly household income with the entry limit for your family size ($4,554 for three). Skip this if your child is in foster care, homeless, FIP- or SSI-related, or in a migrant family ⁠¹⁠².

2. Gather proof of need hours

   Bring pay stubs or a work schedule showing hours, form MDHHS-38 completed by your employer, or a DHS-431 if self-employed. Students need a DHS-4578 or a class schedule from the school ⁠².

3. Apply on MI Bridges

   Apply online, or file an MDHHS-1171 Assistance Application with the CDC supplement at your local MDHHS office. Report homelessness or a foster placement so the case is expedited ⁠⁵⁠⁶.

4. Complete the interview

   MDHHS interviews CDC applicants by phone unless you ask for an in-person interview. If you miss it, the office must wait until the 10th day after the scheduled interview before denying, so call to reschedule ⁠⁵.

5. Choose a provider

   Check the program’s quality level on Great Start to Quality; a 3 Star program removes the FC. The provider completes the DHS-4025 Provider Verification, and payment cannot start before your application date ⁠¹³⁠⁵.

6. Watch for the notices

   MDHHS must act within 30 days, or 7 days for expedited cases. You get a DHS-198-C notice and the provider gets a DHS-198 confirming it can bill ⁠⁵⁠⁶.

7. Appeal in writing if denied or cut

   Send a signed hearing request to your local MDHHS office within 90 calendar days of the notice. A request received within 10 days of a reduction or closure keeps benefits at the old level until the hearing ⁠⁷.

8. Apply separately for PreK

   Go to MiPreKforAll.org, enter your ZIP code and finish your ISD’s application. Most programs enroll through January or February ⁠¹².

See child care help in other states or more Michigan programs.