Mississippi child care assistance and pre-K: CCPP income limits, waitlist and copays (2026)

The CCPP certificate: what MDHS pays and who can use it

CCPP is a certificate (voucher) program. DECCD emails a certificate to the parent and the provider. It shows the child’s subsidy rate, full- or part-time status, the assigned co-payment and the single approved provider location ⁠¹. A child must be under 13, or under 19 with special needs. The family must live in Mississippi, have income at or below 85% of state median income (SMI) and have assets of no more than $1,000,000 ⁠¹. Parents can choose a licensed center, a licensed family child care home or, for children with special needs, licensed in-home care. The provider must be CCPP-approved ⁠¹.

DECCD also pays a $50 registration fee per child once a year. If your provider charges more, you pay the difference ⁠¹. Providers may charge you the gap between their published tuition and the state rate. MDHS’s market rate survey found that 29% of providers do, with an average of $22.18 a week ⁠⁸⁠¹. Certificates last 12 months. MDHS emails a redetermination notice 60 days before the end date ⁠¹.

Mississippi’s two income tiers: 50% and 85% of SMI

MDHS sorts working families into two income tiers. Families at or below 50% of SMI (“very low income”) are served before families between 50% and 85% (“low income”) ⁠¹. This is the income table MDHS posts for parents:

Source: MDHS CCPP Eligibility Guidelines ⁠². MDHS does not post a one-person figure or an effective date. The same page lists 2021 poverty lines, so the chart may rest on older SMI estimates.

The FFY 2025-2027 CCDF State Plan reports different numbers. Using newer SMI data effective October 1, 2024, it puts 100% of SMI at $5,763 a month for a family of three and lists an initial limit of 75% of SMI, or $4,322 a month ($51,864 a year) ⁠⁸. The December 2025 policy manual, however, still sets 85% of SMI as the cutoff ⁠¹. If your income falls between the two figures, apply anyway and ask DECCD which table CCPS used.

Income is counted gross. Irregular pay, tips and commissions are averaged over 12 months. Child support, Pell Grants, student loans, the EITC and energy assistance do not count ⁠¹. A temporary increase does not end eligibility partway through the year, even if it pushes you above 85% SMI ⁠¹.

The April 2025 hold and how the waitlist works now

When federal COVID-19 relief money ran out, DECCD put a hold on new applications from April 1, 2025. Only six exception categories could still apply: TANF families and families leaving TANF (TCC), MDCPS foster children, teen parents, families with children who have special needs, deployed military families and homeless families ⁠⁵. As of October 2026, those six groups can still apply at any time ⁠⁴.

All other families add their email address to the waitlist. Starting August 1, 2025, DECCD began sending invitations in the order families joined (from April 1, 2025 onward). Each invitation has a personal link and code, and you get 10 calendar days to submit the application. If you miss that window, the invitation goes to the next family ⁠⁶. On November 24, 2025, MDHS reinstated redeterminations for all current certificate holders, not only the six groups. However, a request to add another child still puts that child on the waitlist ⁠⁵⁠⁴. In May 2026, MDHS added $5 million in TANF funds for FFY 2026 vouchers. This is on top of the roughly $25.7 million it transfers from TANF to CCDF each year. Families do not need a separate application for the new money ⁠⁷. MDHS does not publish the number of families on the waitlist or how long they wait.

When money is short, the policy manual sets this service order ⁠¹:

1. TANF and TCC recipients

   Referred by their MDHS case manager. They do not fill out a CCPP application.

2. Homeless children

   As defined by the McKinney-Vento Act.

3. Children in protective services

   Referred by MDCPS. The guardian’s income is not counted.

4. Teen parents

   Must be enrolled full-time in high school or another education program.

5. Children with special needs or parents with a disability

   Up to 85% of SMI.

6. Children of deployed military parents

   Up to 85% of SMI.

Very-low-income working families come next, followed by families between 50% and 85% of SMI ⁠¹.

The 25-hour rule for each parent

Each parent in the household must work at least 25 hours a week, be enrolled full-time in an accredited education or training program (including GED classes), or combine the two ⁠¹. When you combine, DECCD counts classroom time plus one hour of study per class ⁠¹. Parents must document the last 30 days of work: one pay stub if paid monthly, two if paid twice a month, four if paid weekly. A notarized employer letter or MDHS’s Wage Verification Form works for cash or new jobs ⁠¹⁠⁹.

New applicants cannot qualify through job search alone. If you lose a job during your 12 months, report it within 10 days to get a 90-day job search period. If you don’t report it, you lose that grace period ⁠¹. You must also report within 10 days if your income changes, your work hours fall below 25 or your household changes ⁠¹.

CCPP co-payments under the 2021 fee scale

You owe no co-payment if you receive TANF, are homeless with no countable income, or have income at or below the federal poverty line. TCC families, teen parents, MDCPS children, parents on SSI and children with special needs pay no more than $10 a month ⁠¹⁠³. Everyone else pays from the CCDF Child Care Monthly Co-Payment Fee Scale. The scale is set by annual income band and family size. MDHS splits the fee evenly across all children in care and you pay it to the provider each month ⁠³.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: MDHS co-payment page and FFY 2025-2027 CCDF Plan ⁠³⁠⁸. The scale’s $0 rows end at $21,999 for a family of three, which matches the 2021 poverty line, not the 2026 one ($27,320).

According to the state plan, the scale caps co-payments at 5.5% of gross income for families up to 50% of SMI and 6.5% up to 85% of SMI ⁠⁸. In May 2026, the federal government repealed its rule that capped copays at 7% of family income ⁠¹⁵. Mississippi’s scale was already below that cap, and MDHS has not posted a new scale since ⁠³. You must pay any unpaid co-payments before DECCD will approve a switch to a new provider ⁠¹.

ELEVATE instead of a star rating

Mississippi has no star-based quality rating and improvement system. The state plan says so directly ⁠⁸. Instead, DECCD is rolling out ELEVATE: A Quality Support System. It uses badges, not stars. Providers start with the Educational Interaction badge, completing training through the MS LIFT lift-ED portal. CCPP providers go first, and full rollout is expected by the end of 2028 ⁠¹⁰. The state plan says subsidy providers that earn an infant/toddler badge can get a higher payment rate or classroom materials instead ⁠⁸. Until badges are widespread, use the MDHS provider search to check licensing and whether a provider accepts CCPP ⁠⁹.

Free pre-K through Early Learning Collaboratives and SIP

Mississippi’s state pre-K is voluntary. Under Miss. Code Ann. § 37-21-51, it serves children who will be 4 on or before September 1 of the school year ⁠¹². An Early Learning Collaborative (ELC) is a local partnership of a school district or Head Start with child care centers and private schools. MDE funds each one per child. MDE’s comparison sheet lists $3,500 per full-time child per year, class sizes of no more than 20 four-year-olds, and at least 1,080 instructional hours a year for full-day programs (540 for half-day) ⁠¹³⁠¹². MDE lists 40 collaboratives for 2026-27, from Biloxi and Jackson to the Delta (Cleveland, Coahoma, Leland, Hollandale) ⁠¹⁴. Since 2022, a second track, State Invested Pre-K (SIP), funds district classrooms at a minimum of $100,000 per classroom per year ⁠¹³⁠¹¹.

The law sets no income test for ELC pre-K. Neither the law nor MDE’s pages set a parent tuition, and seats are limited to the number each collaborative or district was funded for, so confirm cost and openings with the local lead ⁠¹²⁠¹¹⁠¹³. For a child who is not yet 4, or for after-school hours, CCPP can pay a licensed provider when the family qualifies ⁠¹.

Getting a Mississippi certificate, step by step

1. Check whether you can apply now

   Read the CCPP Updates page. If you fit one of the six exception categories, apply directly. If not, enter your email to join the waitlist and add [email protected] to your contacts ⁠⁴⁠⁶.

2. Choose a CCPP provider first

   Search MDHS’s provider tool with “Accepts MDHS Subsidy Children” checked. Confirm the provider has a space, because no payment is made until a provider is approved ⁠⁹⁠¹.

3. Gather documents

   You need your child’s long-form birth certificate, 30 days of pay stubs or a wage verification form, a school schedule or enrollment letter if you study, proof of Mississippi residency and ID. If it applies, add an SSI award letter, IEP or IFSP for a child with special needs ⁠¹⁠⁹.

4. Submit through CCPS

   Apply online (an R&R center can help you). Spanish and Vietnamese paper forms can be mailed or dropped off. Put your application number on every document you upload, mail or fax ⁠¹.

5. Answer document requests within 60 days

   DECCD sends a 30-day reminder. On day 60, an incomplete application is denied and you have to start over ⁠¹.

6. Pay your co-payment monthly and get a receipt

   The receipt must show your name, the amount, the date and the provider ⁠¹.

7. Appeal or reapply

   You have 30 days from the date on a denial or termination notice to request an MDHS administrative appeal hearing ⁠¹.

8. Enroll in pre-K separately

   Contact the ELC lead or SIP district listed on MDE’s site ⁠¹⁴⁠¹¹.

See also child care help in other states and other Mississippi programs.