Child Care Payment Program Updates

Child care assistance is currently available to families that fall under the two groups listed below:  

Group A: Exception Category Families 

Families that are part of one of six (6) exception categories are eligible to apply at any point. 

Exception Categories 
1. TANF families and families transitioning away from TANF assistance 
2. MDCPS foster care children 
3. Teen parents 
4. Families with children with special needs 
5. Deployed military families 
6. Homeless families 

Group B: Waitlist Families That Receive an Invitation 

Families who joined the waitlist after April 1, 2025, are invited to apply in the order in which they were added to the waitlist. 

MDHS will email eligible waitlisted families using the email address provided when they joined the waitlist. The email will include a link to the application and a unique code to  access the application portal. Then, the family has 10 days to submit an application. 

If you are in one of the six exception categories, you can submit an application through the regular CCPP portal available here: Child Care Payment System.

If you joined the waitlist and received an invitation to submit an application, you will receive a link and a code by email with guidance on how to submit an application.

Your child care certificate will be valid for 12 months of child care assistance.

Families that are actively receiving cash assistance through the TANF program and families that are exiting TANF cash assistance and are receiving transitional support services to help them remain off cash assistance. 

The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services (MDCPS) determines which children meet this definition. Questions regarding guardianship or eligibility based on foster care status should be routed to MDCPS.  

Any student parent under the age of 18 who is either enrolled in high school full-time or attending a full-time educational program.

A child under the age of 19 who meets the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) definition of disability by having a medically determined physical or mental impairment that results in marked and severe functional limitations, that can be expected to result in death, or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months.

Acceptable proof of special needs includes: a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) award letter or Social Security Administration (SSA) award letter.

A parent who meets the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability by being unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months.

Acceptable proof of special needs includes: a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) award letter or Social Security Administration (SSA) award letter.

Individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This includes individuals who:

• Share the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason (sometimes referred to as doubled-up); 
• Live in motels, in hotels, or on camping grounds due to lack of adequate alternative accommodations; 
• Live in emergency or transitional shelters; 
• Have a primary nighttime residence that is not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; 
• Live in caves, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, and bus or train stations; or 
• Are migratory children and youth living in any circumstances described above.

See the CCPP Policy Manual for further details.

Parents who attempted to submit a CCPP application, but do not fall within one of the six exception categories  will be given the option to enter their email address to join the waitlist and receive notification when they are able to apply. 

MDHS encourages parents on the waitlist to add cc.payment@mdhs.ms.gov as a contact in their email and check their SPAM folder if they do not see the notification in their email. 

MDHS will email eligible families using the email address provided when they joined the waitlist. The email will include a link to the application and a unique code needed to begin.

Parents need to add cc.payment@mdhs.ms.gov to their email contacts and check their SPAM folder frequently.

You will have 10 calendar days from the date of your notification email to complete and submit your application.

If your application is not submitted within 10 days, your invitation will expire and MDHS will move to the next family on the waitlist. You will need to rejoin the waitlist to be reconsidered.

The number of families served will depend on the types of certificates and geographic locations that determine reimbursement rates. New applications will be processed until all available funds have been obligated. At that point, applications will be paused until additional funds are available.

If your email address has changed since you signed up for the child care waitlist, please go use the link below to return to the waitlist to add your correct information https://www.apps.mdhs.ms.gov/ccis/NewApplication/AppStartPage.aspx.

Child Care Payment Program certificates are issued for 12 months at a time. Your child care assistance will continue for 12 months from the date that your certificate was issued.  

This means that if your child care certificate was issued in September 2024, you will receive assistance each month until your certificate expires in August 2025.  

Once your certificate expires, you will be allowed to apply for recertification. 

Unless you are part of one of the exception categories, you will not be able to add additional children to your current child care certificate after March 31, 2025 until CCPP applications reopen.

Parents who are not part of one of the six exception categories who attempt to submit a CCPP application will be given the option to enter their email address to join the waitlist and receive notification when they are able to apply. 

As of August 1, 2025, families who joined the waitlist after April 1, 2025 are being invited to apply in the order in they were added to the waitlist.

MDHS is alerting parents to these changes in several ways: 

• All parents who receive a CCPP certificate have been notified by email through the CCPP system. To see the letter shared with parents, click here.
• Parents will receive information about the change when they receive their redetermination notice 60 days before their redetermination is due.
• Parents who apply after March 31, 2025 and who are not part of one of the six exception categories will not be allowed to submit an application until the pause is lifted.
  • At the start of the online application process, parents will be asked to identify whether they are members of one of the excluded categories. Those who are not eligible to submit an application will be given the opportunity to enter their email address to receive notification when they are able to apply after the pause has been lifted.Parents who joined the waitlist after April 1, 2025, are being contacted when they are able to submit an application. MDHS began accepting applications from waitlisted families on August 1, 2025.  April 1, 2025 are being contacted when they are able to submit an application. MDHS began accepting applications from waitlisted families on August 1, 2025.

Parents who joined the waitlist after April 1, 2025, are being contacted when they are able to submit an application. MDHS began accepting applications from waitlisted families on August 1, 2025.

Yes.

CCPS has been updated so that child care providers may view all certificate information, including the expiration of each certificate.  To access this feature, a provider should log into their CCPP eLedgeraccount, click on “Reports,” and select “Parent Redeterminations.” 

Providers should keep in mind that not all parents will be due for redetermination at the same time.

Due to the recent rate increase for child care certificates, there may be a discrepancy between the expiration date on the child care certificate and the expiration date on eLedger.  Providers should refer to the date on the eLedger not the certificate.  

CCPS has been updated so that child care providers may view all certificate information, including the expiration of each certificate.  To access this feature, a provider should log into their CCPP eLedger account, click on “Reports,” and select “Parent Redeterminations.” 

Providers should keep in mind that not all parents will be due for redetermination at the same time.

Child care providers that accept CCPP subsidies must be available to serve the needs of parents. A child care center shall remain open in accordance with the months, days, and hours of operation that were provided upon application for subsidy or are currently on file with the MS Department of Health, Division of Child Care Licensure, whichever is more recent. See Rule 8.8 on pg. 52 of the CCPP Policy Manual for all requirements around child care closures.

Any family whose certificate was not renewed during the pause will be required to reapply for services once the pause is lifted.  Applications will be processed on a first come, first serve basis.

YES. Parents who are not part of one of the six exception can submit an application. If a certificate is available, they will be notified. If a certificate is not available, they will be added to the waitlist. At the start of the online application process, parents will be asked to identify whether they are members of one of the excluded categories. Those who are not eligible to submit an application will be given the opportunity to enter their email address to receive notification when they are able to apply after the pause has been lifted. 

If an application is denied because the family is not in one of the exception categories the parent may request a desk review by a DECCD Eligibility Team Member by emailing ccpayment@mdhs.ms.gov or calling our customer service number at 1-800-877-7882. 

No.

You can contact the Child Care Payment Program call center at 800-877-7882.

The Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) provides qualifying, working parents and guardians with child care tuition assistance. Families must meet eligibility requirements including income limits and work requirements to receive tuition assistance through CCPP. Typically, the CCPP serves many different types of families, including those who: 

• Have low or very low incomes 

• Have a child or are a single-parent with special needs 

• Are caring for foster children 

• Have a parent deployed in military service 

• Are referred to the agency from another public program 

For more information on the CCPP visit our CCPP for Parents page.

We encourage you to contact your nearest Mississippi Lift Resource and Referral  Network center to get help locating affordable child care options in your community. 

You can also search for child care providers in your community here: Child Care Provider Search.

MDHS does not have enough CCDF funding available to offer child care assistance to all of the eligible families that apply.    

Federal mandate requires that agencies prioritize service for families with very low incomes, children with special needs, and children experiencing homelessness.  Per CCPP policy, Mississippi includes adults with special needs, deployed military families, and teen parents to receive priority of service as well. 

MDHS is committed to helping families access child care. Unfortunately, MDHS does not have enough CCDF funding available to offer child care certificates to all of the eligible families that apply.  The state already transfers the maximum amount of its yearly TANF allocation to CCDF. Additional funds through federal or state sources would be needed in order to increase the number of child care certificates available through the Child Care Payment Program.