Childcare Assistance for Kinship Caregivers in West Virginia

How Childcare Subsidies Work for Kinship Families

West Virginia funds childcare assistance through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), administered by the Bureau for Family Assistance through regional Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agencies. The largest of these is Choices CCR&R.

You can start a Child Care application through WV PATH, but you must still visit your regional CCR&R office in person to complete it and receive assistance.

Income Eligibility

Initial applicants must have household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level, the current intake cap. If your income later exceeds the current guideline but remains below 85% of State Median Income, a graduated phase-out of assistance applies.

This graduated exit prevents the benefit cliff where a small raise would immediately cut off childcare support.

Who Qualifies

You need a qualifying activity to receive the subsidy. For kinship caregivers, this means:

• Employment — working at least 20 hours per week; part-time work qualifies if it meets this minimum
• Education or job training — enrolled in a degree program, GED, vocational training
• WV WORKS activity — if you are participating in WV WORKS programming

There is a separate CPS safety-plan childcare route, but current policy excludes children who have already been placed in a kinship or relative home from that pathway. The standard subsidy application through CCR&R is the correct route for most kinship caregivers.

Copayments and Exemptions

The childcare subsidy covers the bulk of childcare costs. Families pay a set sliding-scale copayment based on income and household size.

Children in state custody who are placed in approved foster or kinship/relative homes are exempt from copayments. Other families generally pay the sliding-scale fee unless the fee is waived as part of an approved CPS safety or treatment plan.

How to Apply

Gather the following before your CCR&R appointment:

• Proof of identity for you and the child
• Proof of income (pay stubs, benefit letters, Social Security statements)
• Proof of your qualifying activity (employment verification, school enrollment)
• Documentation of your caregiver relationship to the child

Contact your regional CCR&R agency to schedule an intake appointment. Processing times vary by region and available funding.

Combining Childcare with Other Benefits

Childcare subsidies stack with the WV WORKS child-only grant, SNAP, and Medicaid or WV CHIP. The child-only grant evaluates only the child's income, while the childcare subsidy evaluates the household — so receiving one does not disqualify you from the other.

The West Virginia Kinship Financial Help Guide walks through how each program interacts and includes a document checklist for every agency you will visit.

See more West Virginia guides →