Minnesota child care assistance and pre-K: CCAP, Parent Aware and VPK (2026)

Which CCAP subprogram you land in, and why it matters

• MFIP child care covers families on the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), the state’s cash assistance program. Care is authorized for the activities in the parent’s MFIP Employment Plan ⁠¹.
• Transition Year (TY) covers the 12 months after an MFIP cash case closes, if the family received MFIP in at least one of the last six months ⁠¹.
• Transition Year Extension (TYE) continues care after TY ends, with no time limit, until Basic Sliding Fee money opens up ⁠¹.
• Basic Sliding Fee (BSF) covers every other working, job-seeking or student family. Each agency gets a capped yearly allocation ⁠¹.

MFIP, TY and TYE are fully funded, so every eligible family is served. Only BSF has waiting lists ⁠¹. Under-21 parents working toward a high school diploma or GED can get MFIP Child Care for Student Parents while they wait for BSF ⁠¹.

To qualify, your child must be 12 or younger, or 13 or 14 with a disability that requires special instruction and services. Your family’s assets must be $1 million or less, which you declare on the form. You must also cooperate with child support for any child who has a parent living outside the home, unless you have good cause ⁠¹. CCAP pays the provider, not you. If the provider charges more than CCAP’s maximum rate, you pay the difference on top of your copayment ⁠¹.

The 47% entry test and the 67% and 85% exit tests for FFY 2027

Minnesota uses three income lines, all based on annual gross income after allowed deductions. New applicants must be at or below 47% of SMI. MFIP families qualify up to 67%. After approval, you stay eligible during the 12-month eligibility period while income is at or below 85%. At each redetermination, income must be at or below 67% ⁠¹⁠². The schedule below took effect October 12, 2026, and uses SMI for federal fiscal year 2027 ⁠².

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

The schedule starts at a family of two (one parent and one child). Limits for families of 9 to 13 are on DHS-6413O ⁠². Prior-year figures are from DHS-6413N ⁠³.

Biweekly copayments, and why Minnesota is above 7% until 2028

You pay a copayment to your provider every two weeks. It covers the whole family, is set by income and family size, and cannot go up during your 12-month eligibility period ⁠¹⁠⁴. By law, families under 75% of the federal poverty guidelines pay nothing, and families from 75% to 99% of poverty pay $2 ⁠⁴.

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Source: DHS-6413O ⁠². A family of three paying $448 every two weeks pays $11,648 a year, about 14% of $83,260.

Minnesota’s state plan reports a maximum copayment of 14% of income at 67% of SMI. That is above the 7% cap in the 2024 federal rule, and the state planned to request a waiver ⁠⁸. The May 2026 federal rule removed the 7% cap. The current 45 CFR 98.45(l) requires only “affordable” copayments that are not a barrier ⁠⁹. So Minnesota does not have to lower its scale. A 2025 state law will replace the scale on October 9, 2028. The maximum will drop to 6.9% of income, and families below 100% of poverty will pay $0 ⁠⁴. The 2026 session did not change that date ⁠⁶.

The 20-hour work rule, job search hours and approved school plans

At application and redetermination, a working parent must average at least 20 hours a week at the applicable minimum wage, averaged over a period of up to six months. A full-time student needs 10 hours a week of work ⁠¹. Once you are approved, a cut in hours below that level does not end eligibility before redetermination ⁠¹.

Job search counts only at application or redetermination. There is no minimum hours requirement, but care is capped at 240 hours per calendar year and 40 hours per two-week period, with at least 12 weeks of eligibility ⁠¹. Education counts for TY, TYE and BSF families if the county or tribe approves the plan. The plan must reasonably lead to full-time work, and you must keep satisfactory progress ⁠¹. In a two-parent home, both parents must be in an authorized activity, unless a licensed professional verifies that one parent cannot provide care ⁠¹.

Basic Sliding Fee waiting lists in 2026

When an agency runs out of BSF money, it makes a preliminary eligibility check and adds you to its list. That check uses only family size, income and activity, so you do not need documents yet ⁠¹⁠⁵. Agencies must update their lists at least every six months ⁠⁵. DCYF’s August 2026 report counted 3,250 families in 14 agencies ⁠⁷:

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All 656 Hennepin families were fifth priority (completed Transition Year), so they were still getting care through TYE. Ramsey, St. Louis, Olmsted and Stearns reported no list ⁠⁷.

Lists follow a set priority order ⁠⁵. First: parents without a high school diploma or GED, or in basic skills classes, with minor parents ahead. Second: veterans’ families. Third: everyone else. Fourth: families who had BSF in another county (Portability Pool). Fifth: families who completed their Transition Year. From January 1, 2027, a new third priority covers foster parents, relative custodians with permanent custody, and people with whom an Indian child has been placed. That moves general applicants to fourth ⁠⁶.

Parent Aware stars, higher CCAP rates and Early Learning Scholarships

Parent Aware is Minnesota’s quality rating and improvement system. Every licensed program in good standing gets One Star unless it opts out. Two to Four Stars are voluntary and require added practices ⁠¹⁰. CCAP can pay Three-Star programs up to 15% and Four-Star programs up to 20% above the standard maximum rate.⁠¹. A child aged 0 to 5 who qualifies for at least 30 hours a week at a Three- or Four-Star program can be authorized by the week, not hour by hour ⁠¹.

Early Learning Scholarships are a separate state program that pays for children under 5 at a Parent Aware program. Families qualify with income at or below the CCAP entry rate, or at or below 85% of SMI since July 1, 2025. They can also qualify through SNAP, MFIP, CCAP, Head Start, free or reduced-price school meals, foster care or child protection ⁠¹⁴. Families at or below the CCAP entry rate get first priority ⁠¹⁴. Maximum yearly awards depend on county, age, setting and star level. In Hennepin and Ramsey counties, a Four-Star center can receive up to $31,973.76 for an infant and $24,860.16 for a preschooler. In Aitkin County, the Four-Star center preschool maximum is $15,000 ⁠¹⁵. A scholarship lasts 12 months. It is canceled if the child does not enroll within three months ⁠¹⁴.

Voluntary Prekindergarten for 4-year-olds

VPK is Minnesota’s state-funded pre-K. School districts and charter schools run it, sometimes with Head Start or licensed child care partners ⁠¹². Your child must be 4 on or before September 1 and meet at least one of these criteria ⁠¹²:

• Qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, or has income under the CCAP entry limit
• English learner, or American Indian
• Homeless in the last 24 months
• Risk factor found at early childhood screening
• In foster care, kinship care or child protection
• Parent who is a migrant or seasonal farmworker, or who is incarcerated
• Defined as at risk by the district

Eligible children attend free. Programs must provide at least 350 hours of instruction a year, with 10 children per adult and groups of up to 20 ⁠¹². The statewide cap is 12,360 seats, held by districts and charters approved for the FY2026-FY2029 cycle ⁠¹²⁠¹³. Districts may enroll other children for a fee on an income-based sliding scale, and must waive it for families who cannot pay ⁠¹². Your child must complete early childhood screening within 90 days of enrolling ⁠¹².

Applying through MNbenefits and your county or tribal CCAP agency

1. Check the entry limit

   Compare your annual gross income to the 47% column above, or to the 67% column if you receive MFIP ⁠².

2. Apply

   Use MNbenefits online, the DHS-3550 paper form for CCAP only, or the Combined Application addendum if you are also applying for cash or SNAP ⁠¹. The date you first contact the agency or apply sets your place on any waiting list ⁠¹.

3. Send proof

   Include pay stubs or other income proof, your work or school schedule, and child support information. You get at least 15 days to provide each item ⁠¹.

4. Expect a decision within 30 days

   The agency can extend that to 45 days if it tells you. If you are homeless and appear eligible, the agency must decide within five business days. You then get three months of care before full verification is due ⁠¹.

5. If there is a list, stay reachable

   Ask which priority group you are in and how many families are ahead of you. The agency must tell you ⁠¹.

6. Choose a provider and pay the copayment

   Use the Parent Aware search, and pay your copayment to the provider every two weeks. If you do not pay and have no payment agreement, you can lose eligibility ⁠¹⁠¹⁰.

7. Appeal in writing within 30 days

   Use form DHS-0033 or write a letter to your agency or the DHS Appeals Division. You have 90 days if you have good cause. If you appeal, you can keep care at the old level while you wait ⁠¹.

8. Enroll in VPK separately

   Contact your school district or charter school; DCYF does not take VPK applications from families ⁠¹²⁠¹³.

Compare child care assistance in other states or see other help in Minnesota.