Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility guidelines for subsidized childcare are established by the State of California Department of Education. Parents who are either current SMCCD students or plan to attend one of the three campuses (Skyline, CSM, or Canada) are eligible to receive subsidized services. Your rank number is primarily based on your family size and gross monthly income. Your rank number is the order in which we are required to enroll families for services starting with the lowest ranked families first. If two or more families have the same rank number, then we will use the date inquiry to determine who has precedence.

At any given time the eligibility list could have between 200 and 300 families. We serve approximately 50 families and currently enrolled families have priority. We enroll only about 10-15 new spaces each year, therefore only a small percentage of families will receive a call for an available space. We are always working to maximize our services and know that you need childcare to manage your responsibilities.

Subsidized childcare is not on a first-come, first-served basis. Placement on our list does not guarantee enrollment.

Your location in line for a space is relative to other families on the list and changes made to their rank. Families ranked lower than you will be placed in open spaces per our subsidized contracts and you will remain ranked accordingly.

It might depending on the change. Contact the program to get information on how you can update your Eligibility Card.

We recommend that all families contact the Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County (4C’s) or Children’s Council of San Francisco. These are both resource and referral agencies and can provide you with a comprehensive list of programs that might meet your childcare needs. They also have a limited number of subsidized childcare spaces they provide to income-eligible families in both San Mateo County and San Francisco County.