North Carolina child care assistance and NC Pre-K: SCCA limits, 10% parent fee (2026)

From DCDEE to your county: who actually runs SCCA

The rulebook is statewide. Income limits, the parent fee, the activities that count and the provider rules are all set in the SCCA manual ⁠⁹. According to the CCDF Plan, waiting-list policy is the only area counties control ⁠⁹. So two families with identical circumstances in Wake and Robeson counties have the same income test and the same fee. The difference is whether their county has money free when they apply.

The program pays the provider, not the parent. Once you are approved, the agency gives you a Child Care Voucher for each eligible child. The voucher tells the provider how many hours are authorized and how much you owe each month ⁠⁸. Eligibility lasts 12 months. The period starts on the date your application is approved ⁠⁷. During those 12 months you must report certain changes within 10 working days: a new address, income above 85% of state median income (SMI), the end of your job or school, or a change of provider ⁠⁸.

Two entry tests: 200% FPL under age 6, 133% for school-age

When you first apply, SCCA compares your gross income to a federal poverty level (FPL) limit that depends on the child’s age. Children 0-5, and children of any age with special needs, are measured against 200% FPL. School-age children (6-12) without special needs are measured against 133% FPL ⁠³. The 200% figures are in the table above. The other two columns on DCDEE’s October 1, 2026 chart are:

Source: SCCA FPL & SMI chart ⁠². The chart goes up to a family of 18.

The 85% SMI column matters once you are in the program. At recertification, if your income is above the 133% or 200% entry limit but at or below 85% SMI, you get a 12-month Graduated Phase Out. Care continues during that year, and your parent fee is recalculated on your new income. If income is above 85% SMI, the agency ends care with 10 business days’ notice ⁠³. Work First cash assistance, SSI, tax refunds and one-time lump sums do not count as income. Child support you receive does count ⁠³.

North Carolina’s 10% parent fee and the 2026 federal rule

North Carolina does not use a sliding scale. Any family that owes a fee pays 10% of gross monthly income. The agency multiplies your income by 0.10 and rounds down to the whole dollar ⁠⁴. You pay one fee per family, however many children are in care. It is charged to the child with the most care hours, or to the youngest child if hours are equal ⁠⁴. Part-time care costs 75% of the full-time fee, and care billed at a blended rate costs 83% ⁠⁴.

The full-time figures follow the rounding rule in Chapter 8 ⁠⁴. Part-time amounts are estimates. Your county’s notice shows the exact figure.

There is no fee when care supports a Child Protective Services plan or child welfare services, or when a foster child is in DSS custody ⁠⁴. The CCDF Plan adds that families whose only income is non-countable pay no fee ⁠⁹. A fee cannot go up during your 12 months because of a raise, and a decrease takes effect from the first day of the month you report it ⁠⁴. You pay the fee directly to the provider. If you fall behind, the provider can ask DSS to end the arrangement. Before the county will issue a voucher for a new provider, you have to repay or arrange to repay one month of the unpaid fee ⁠⁴.

North Carolina’s FFY 2025-2027 CCDF Plan reported a 10% maximum. The plan acknowledged this broke the 2024 federal rule capping copays at 7%, and said DCDEE needed legislative authority to comply ⁠⁹. The federal 7% cap was repealed by the 2026 CCDF final rule in May 2026 ⁠¹⁰. DCDEE’s parent fee chapter, last revised April 27, 2026, and its eligibility page, checked October 20, 2026, both still set the fee at 10% ⁠⁴⁠¹. So the 10% fee still applies and is now allowed under federal rules.

What counts as a need for care in the SCCA manual

Income alone does not qualify you. Chapter 5 lists the reasons SCCA will pay for care: employment, education or job training, a child’s developmental needs, Child Protective Services, and child welfare services ⁠⁵. North Carolina sets no minimum number of hours. Instead, your hours decide the level of care. Work averaging 30 or more hours a week is full-time, and fewer hours is part-time ⁠⁵. If two parents or responsible adults live in the home, both must have a need, such as both working or one working and one in school ⁠⁵.

Some limits are specific to North Carolina:

• Looking for work does not qualify a new applicant unless the applicant is in Work First and has a signed Mutual Responsibility Agreement ⁠⁵.
• Self-employed parents count as gainfully employed only if their earnings work out to at least minimum wage per hour. If they don’t, authorized hours are cut back to match ⁠⁵.
• Care for associate or bachelor’s degree study is limited to 20 months in total. Graduate study is not covered ⁠⁵.
• Volunteer work does not count ⁠⁵.

County waiting lists and the 4% set-aside

DCDEE does not keep a statewide waiting list. A county goes into waiting-list mode in NC FAST when it runs short of money, providers or staff. Its local policy, approved by DCDEE, sets the order in which families are served ⁠⁶. Groups counties often put first include CPS and child welfare cases, foster children, Work First participants, teen parents, siblings of children already enrolled, children with developmental needs, active-duty military families, and full-time workers ⁠⁶. You can ask your county for its written priority list. The policy must be given to parents or posted at the agency ⁠⁶.

Two groups get state-mandated protection. Every county must set aside at least 4% of its allocation for children with special needs and families experiencing homelessness. These children are served from that set-aside without going on the waiting list ⁠⁶.

Getting on a waiting list takes only a short screening: your name, address, phone, your child’s birth date, why you need care, and your household size and income. You do not have to file a full application ⁠⁶. After that, watch your mail. The county sends a survey every six months, and if you don’t return it within 30 days you are dropped from the list ⁠⁶. When your turn comes, you get a Waiting List Notice and have 30 calendar days to contact the agency and apply ⁠⁶.

Star ratings decide which programs take your voucher

North Carolina rates licensed centers and family child care homes from one to five stars. Since 2011, subsidy payments go only to three-, four- and five-star programs ⁠⁹⁠¹². Religious-sponsored programs that hold a Notice of Compliance instead of a star license can also take subsidy ⁠¹². If you choose a program that charges more than the county’s approved rate, you may have to pay the difference on top of your 10% fee ⁠⁴.

The rating system is changing. DCDEE’s Pathways to the Stars standards (Section .3200) took effect July 1, 2025. They give programs three ways to earn a 2- to 5-star license. Starting October 2025, licensing consultants began setting 12-month transition timelines with each program ⁠¹³. Before you choose a provider, use DCDEE’s facility search to check its current rating and inspection reports.

NC Pre-K: no-tuition classroom day for 4-year-olds up to 75% SMI

NC Pre-K is for children who are 4 on or before August 31 of the program year ⁠¹⁴⁠¹⁵. DCDEE oversees it. Locally, each county or region is run by a school system, Smart Start partnership or community action agency. Classes are held in 4- and 5-star public school, child care center and Head Start classrooms ⁠¹⁴. Programs must provide a 6.5-hour day, at least 32.5 instructional hours a week, and 180 days or 1,170 hours a year, with a 1:9 staff-to-child ratio ⁠¹⁵⁠¹⁴.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

One person: $44,360. Seven: $115,166. Eight: $117,725 ⁠¹⁵.

Children qualify on income or on category, and both groups are served first. The categories are homelessness, foster care, refugee services, or a family receiving WIC, public housing, Work First, Medicaid, SSI or SNAP/Food and Nutrition Services (for families of eight or fewer) ⁠¹⁵. Children of eligible active-duty military families qualify at any income. Up to 20% of enrolled children can come from families above 75% SMI if they have a documented risk factor, such as an educational need, a developmental disability, limited English proficiency or a chronic health condition ⁠¹⁵⁠¹⁴.

There is no tuition for the instructional day. Programs may charge for meals if your child doesn’t qualify for free or reduced-price meals, charge a nominal transportation fee approved by the local NC Pre-K Committee, and charge for wraparound care before or after the Pre-K day ⁠¹⁵. At-risk children may not be turned away because the family can’t pay those fees ⁠¹⁵. Being eligible does not guarantee a seat. DCDEE says counties keep waiting lists when funding falls short ⁠¹⁴. NC Pre-K funds cannot pay for wraparound care ⁠¹⁵, so ask your county DSS whether SCCA can cover those hours.

Applying at your county DSS, step by step

1. Find your county’s subsidy office

   Use DCDEE’s County Resource Lookup. You must apply in the county where you live, and you must be the child’s parent or legal guardian ⁠⁸.

2. Check the two limits

   Compare your gross monthly income with the 200% FPL (ages 0-5) or 133% FPL (ages 6-12) figure for your family size, effective October 1, 2026, and confirm you have a qualifying need such as work or school ⁠²⁠⁵.

3. Gather proof

   Bring your child’s birth certificate or a hospital record, recent pay stubs, and your work schedule or class schedule. If you get Food and Nutrition Services, the worker can take your income from that case ⁠⁷⁠³.

4. Submit the application

   You can apply in person, or send the DCDEE-0456 application by mail, fax or email. Your application date is the day the agency receives it ⁠⁷.

5. Wait up to 30 days for a decision

   The agency must decide within 30 calendar days of receiving your signed application. It cannot deny you for missing documents before day 30 ⁠⁷. If your county has a waiting list, you will be added to it instead.

6. Choose a provider and pay the fee

   Take your voucher to a 3- to 5-star program or a religious-sponsored program. Pay your 10% fee directly to the provider and keep the receipts ⁠⁴⁠¹².

7. Answer every notice

   Return waiting-list surveys within 30 days. Report changes within 10 working days. Return the recertification packet before your 12 months end ⁠⁶⁠⁸.

8. Contest a decision you disagree with

   The Rights and Responsibilities form you sign at application (NC FAST 20009) explains hearings and appeals. Ask your county child care worker how to request a hearing ⁠⁷.

9. Apply for NC Pre-K separately

   Contact your county’s NC Pre-K contractor, listed on DCDEE’s NC Pre-K page, and ask about open seats for 2026-27 or the application window for 2027-28 ⁠¹⁴.

Read more on child care assistance in other states or other help in North Carolina.