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How
to find good quality child care |
Child Care Aware can help you locate quality child
care and child care resources in your community. Visit their
web site at http://www.childcareaware.org
or call 1-800-424-2246 to locate an organization that can
assist you to find child care in your community.
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Resources
to help you choose quality child care |
Child Care Aware publications contain useful information
that can help you choose a quality child care program. These
publications are available through the internet at http://childcareaware.org/en/tools/pubs/.
Topics include:
- Choosing quality child care
- Child care for infants and toddlers
- School-age child care
- Choosing quality child care for children with special
needs
- Relatives caring for children while you work or go to
school
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Finding
help to pay for child care |
Child
care assistance is available to eligible families through
State agencies that administer Federal grants. Each state
determines eligibility requirements for families within their
state. A list of state agencies can be found on the National
Child Care Information Center web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/statedata/dirs/devfund.html.
Contact the coordinating agency in your state directly for
your eligibility information and how to apply for assistance.
In some states, families can apply by telephone or mail. In
many communities there also are child care resource and referral
agencies that can provide information about how to apply for
child care assistance. A list of child care resource and referral
agencies is available from Child Care Aware. Visit their web
site at http://www.childcareaware.org
or call 1-800-424-2246 to locate an agency near you.
Families are able to select from a variety of authorized
providers, including those sponsored by faith-based organizations
that may engage in religious activities as part of the daily
services they provide.
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Qualifying for child care tax-credits |
Information on tax credits from the federal government and
free tax help is provided below:
Eligibility for Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): Employed
low-income persons1 -- those earning less than $29,201/yr
with one child or $33,178/yr with more than one child --
are eligible for a credit of up to $2,506/yr. and $4,140/yr.
respectively. You can get this credit in a lump sum at the
end of year by filing form 1040 or 1040A along with "Schedule
EIC." You can apply for this credit for up to 3 years
back. Another way is to receive this credit throughout the
year by increasing your take-home pay -- you file form W-5
(EITC Advance Payment Certificate). Ask your employer or
call the IRS 800 number for the W-5. Note:
You can get an EITC payment even if you owe NO taxes.
Child Tax Credit: You can get a reduction of taxes owed
(or a refund if you owe nothing) of up to $600 (depending
upon your income) per each dependent child under 17 if you
earn more than $10,350 by filing Form 8812 150 Additional
Child Tax Credit.
Child and Dependent Care Credit (CDCC) allows credit for
20%-30% (depending on income) of a family's child care expenses
up to a certain limit. You would file the Form called Child
and Dependent Care Expenses.
Call IRS's toll free number: 800-829-3676 for information
on these three Tax Credit programs and the forms needed to
apply for them. You can also visit IRS's website for information:
http://www.irs.gov. Free
help in preparing tax returns is available through the Volunteer
Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Site at 1-800-829-1040.
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Information
about tribal child care resources |
Many Tribes have child care programs. To learn more about
how to locate the Tribal child care program nearest you or
to apply for assistance to help you pay for child care, contact
the Tribal Child Care Grantee directly. To locate a list of
Tribal Child Care Grantees, visit the following web site http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/tribal/grantees.html.
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Finding
your local Head Start program and checking to see if you qualify
for services |
Contact the Head Start or Early Head Start agency serving
your community. Your local Head Start agency will provide
the required forms and answer questions about the program.
The local agency will also help you find the Head Start Center
closest to your home. To find a local Head Start or Early
Head Start program to contact in your area, use the on-line
national Head Start Program Search Tool at:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/hsweb/index.jsp.
Use the Search Tool to browse through the list of Head Start
programs in your state. Then contact the listed programs closest
to your community, even if they are some distance away. These
are the main program offices which can tell you if there is
a Head Start center closer to your area. Many of the organizations
found in the Search Tool operate additional Head Start centers
that are not listed, so there may be a program closer to your
home than it appears.
If you need more help to find a Head Start or Early Head
Start program in your area, call the Head Start Information
and Publication Center toll-free at: 1-866-763-6481.
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Health
and safety regulations for child care programs in your State
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The National Resource Center for Health and Safety
promotes health and safety in out-of-home child care settings
throughout the nation. Visit their web site at http://nrc.uchsc.edu
to learn more about your State's health and safety requirements
for child care.
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Reporting
child abuse and neglect |
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