More families are eligible to receive help paying for child care than you might think. To help families know if they are likely to qualify, Gov. Whitmer partnered with the Michigan Department of Education and Early Childhood Investment Corporation to create an online eligibility calculator. Now families can know in less than two minutes if they could get help lower child care costs by visiting greatstarttoquality.org/calculator.    

To qualify for the Child Development and Care Program (commonly called the child care subsidy), families must:   

  • Have a child under age 13.     
  • Need child care because they’re working or going to school.    

Have a qualifying income, up to:     

  • $36,620 for a family of two.    
  • $46,060 for a family of three.    
  • $55,500 for a family of four.   

Families can visit Michigan.gov/childcare for a complete list of reasons they may qualify for low or no cost child care and for more information on qualifications for larger families.