Child Care Assistance Program

1. The child must have been adopted from DCS foster care in Tennessee in his/her most recent adoption, and a valid adoption assistance agreement must be in effect.
2. The child must be between 0 and 12 years old.

1. To apply for this benefit, you must complete this childcare assistance referral along with the required verification and return it to the Department via a) email, b) regular mail, or c) fax.  Email is the preferred method of submission.  Using email will enable your request to be processed more quickly and allow the Department to confirm receipt of your referral. 
   1. Email: EI-DCS.AdoptionChildcare@tn.gov
   2. Mailing Address: DCS, Adoption Childcare Assistance, 315 Deaderick Street, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243
   3. Fax: 615-532-5723 Attn: Adoption Childcare Assistance
2. When a family is applying for childcare assistance for multiple children, a single referral can be submitted for all children so long as the same Childcare Provider is being requested for all children.  However, a separate referral must be submitted if a different Childcare Provider is needed for children in the same home.

Yes.  Verification is needed to determine eligibility when you submit your application for childcare assistance.  Information regarding required verification can be found on page 2 of the enclosed childcare assistance application.

Each voucher is approved for a period of 24 months, so long as the child does not turn 13 years old during the 24-month approval period.  At the end of the 24 months, a new application can be submitted to recertify for childcare assistance.

You will receive a notification before the end of your approval period, informing you that a new application is needed to continue services. Keep in mind that it may take several weeks to process your application, so it’s vitally important that you send in your new application on time to allow time for processing and prevent your assistance from being delayed or terminated.  This process can continue until the child’s thirteenth birthday.

DHS maintains resources on its webpage to help customers locate childcare.  Some of these tools will search for any childcare in the area you choose, so be sure to filter for providers that accept childcare assistance.  These resources can be found here: Department of Human Services Child Payment Assistance.

It depends on the cost of your childcare.  In many cases, the voucher does not cover the entire cost of childcare.  The payment of any cost beyond the voucher amount is the responsibility of the parent.

The easiest way to find out the amount covered by the voucher is to ask your childcare provider.  Childcare providers who participate in the Childcare Assistance Program are aware of the amount they receive from the voucher.  The voucher amount is determined by several variables, including location, saturation of childcare providers in the area, population of the area, the star rating of the childcare, hours of operation, the age of the child, and whether the provider is willing to accept children with disabilities.  DHS has a matrix on its webpage that outlines the voucher amount information, which can be found here: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/human-services/documents/Reimbursement%20Rate%20Chart%207.1.22.pdf

We are only able to process applications for childcare providers who participate in the Childcare Assistance Program through DHS.

Contact the Childcare Assistance Program using the contact information below.

• Email: EI-DCS.AdoptionChildcare@tn.gov
• Mailing Address: DCS, Adoption Childcare Assistance, 315 Deaderick Street, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243
• Fax: 615-532-5723 Attn: Adoption Childcare Assistance