What's New

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DELAWARE COST OF QUALITY CHILD CARE ESTIMATOR TOOL

As required by HB 250 Section 183. The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) and the Department of Education (DOE), in consultation with the Delaware Early Childhood Council (DECC), has created a cost of quality child care estimator tool, which enables the state to model the actual costs of providing quality child care. Delaware engaged Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies (P5FS) to support the development of the cost of quality child care estimator tool customized for the state of Delaware. The work on the cost estimator tool was informed by Delaware's 2021 Cost of Care Study, the 2021 Market Rate Survey, the child care wage scale work completed in 2022, national and local experts, advocates, and early childhood educators. P5FS is led by national early childhood finance experts Jeanna Capito and Simon Workman, P5FS has developed cost estimation models for several states and communities. Their models have informed child care subsidy rate setting and other early childhood policies and are aligned with cost model guidance provided by the U.S. Office of Child Care for alternative rate setting under the Child Care Development Block Grant. We are excited to share the cost of care estimator tools, you will find links to Delaware's Center and Family Child Care Cost Estimation Tools below. We are also pleased to share the Cost Estimation Model Report for the project below.

Child Care Center Cost of Quality Care Estimator Tool

Family Child Care Cost of Quality Care Estimator Tool

Cost of Quality Estimator Tool Report

DELAWARE'S P-EBT PROGRAM - SCHOOL YEAR 2021-2022

Delaware's P-EBT program for school year 2021-2022 allows children who meet specific eligibility requirements to receive meal benefits for days missed from school or for remote learning days due to COVID-19. P-EBT benefits will be issued to eligible households beginning March 2022. Visit Delaware's P-EBT website for more information.

MAY EMERGENCY BENEFITS

The Division of Social Services will issue May Emergency Benefits to eligible households receiving Food Benefits, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and General Assistance. Benefits will be available on EBT cards on Thursday, May 26, 2022. Click here for more information.

SNAP ONLINE PURCHASING PROGRAM

Households can use their Delaware EBT cards to shop and pay for eligible food items online at participating stores. Click here to learn more about purchasing groceries online with your SNAP food benefits or P-EBT benefits.

New Retailer Alert:Weis Markets and Sam's Club Scan and Go are now accepting EBT payments for orders in Delaware.

DELAWARE EARLY EDUCATION AND CHILD CARE STABILIZATION FUND

On April 9, 2021, the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services and the Delaware Department of Education announced that the Delaware Early Education and Child Care Stabilization Fund will provide direct grants to support eligible child care providers across Delaware. Click here for more information.

To learn more about the application process, click here.