Child Care in the District of
Columbia for Children with
Special Health Care Needs
FINDING CHILDCARE FOR CHILDREN WITH
special health care needs can be a challenge. This fact
sheet provides information that providers can share with
families about resources in DC to help. Some children
with special health care needs may qualify for early
intervention services within an early learning setting.
For information about early intervention services in DC
see our Fact Sheet at http://dccshcn.org/documents/
DCRC_EISE_FactSheet.pdf.
Where can families learn about child
care services in DC?
The Office of the State Superintendent for Education
(OSSE) maintains a database of childcare services.
There is an on-line resource called the Learn DC Child
Care Finder at http://www.learndc.org/childcarefinder.
On this website families can enter the age of their child
or children, where they live or want to find services,
preferred languages spoken by the providers and
information about their child’s special needs to search
the database. In addition, for families who do not have
internet access or prefer to talk with someone to assist
them in the search they can call the OSSE Help Desk
at 202-719-6500.
What should families of children with
special health care needs look for in a
child care opportunity?
Families of children with special health care needs
must evaluate potential child care settings based on
their children’s specific needs. Child Care Aware
(childcareaware.org) offers a helpful checklist.
The reading level is fairly high, so providers may
want to have someone review it with families with
limited literacy skills.
Choosing High-Quality Child Care for a Child with
Special Needs http://ccapub.childcareaware.org/
docs/pubs/102e.pdf.
What about families who cannot afford
child care?
The District of Columbia operates a federally-funded
child care assistance program that helps eligible families
pay for child care. The Child Care Subsidy Program offers
families a wide range of child care options. In addition
to the traditional services offered from 7:00 AM–6:00 PM
Monday through Friday, the Child Care Subsidy Program
assists eligible parents/guardians in paying for
“nontraditional services”, which are available evenings,
nights, and weekends at selected sites. The program helps
provide low-income, working families with access to
quality and affordable child care. Families are required to
share part of the cost on a sliding scale based on the size
of the family, their income and the number of children
in child care. In addition, the program helps families who
are receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) and are participating in education and training
based on their Individual Responsibility Plans; teen
parents seeking a high school diploma or equivalent and
families not receiving TANF who are getting more
education to improve the job opportunities.
Families who might be eligible should visit:
Child Care Services Division
4001 South Capitol Street, SW
Washington, DC 20031
Hours: 7:30 AM–4:45 PM Monday-Friday
Call 202-727-0284 to schedule an appointment or for
more information.
There are limited walk-in appointments on MondayWednesday from 8:15 AM to 3:30 PM.
This project was funded by the Government of the District of Columbia,
Department of Health, Community Health Administration
Grant No. CHA.CPPW.GU.062012
Government of the
Disctict of Columbia
Vincent C. Gray, Mayor
DC RESOURCE CENTER FACT SHEET: CHILD CARE IN DC FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS
How can Head Start
and Early Head Start help?
These comprehensive early childhood programs offer a
good option for children with special needs. They
consider the overall needs of the child and family. Head
Start programs are required to make 10% of their
enrollment opportunities open to children with
disabilities and those children may not have to meet the
usual income criteria for Head Start. To find out about
programs in DC you can use the Head Start Locator at
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/HeadStartOffices#map
-home or call the OSSE Help Desk at 202-719-6500.
Does the Americans with Disabilities Act
apply to child care settings?
Yes is the short answer. Children cannot be excluded
based on their disabilities and accommodations to allow
access apply. For detailed answers to this question please
see http://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/
publication/attachments/ADA.pdf.
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Where can families find respite care?
Sometime families of children with disabilities need
time-out from their caretaking responsibilities, need to
have time to attend family events or address the needs of
other children in the family. Respite care is for these
occasional needs—different from weekly child care for
parents who work or are going to school.
DC has a grant from the Administration for Community
Living, Administration on Aging of the US Department
of Health and Human Services to implement statewide
systems of coordinated, community-based respite for
family caregivers caring for individuals with special
needs of all ages. The DC program assists in locating
short-term relief for families and primary caregivers of
children and adults with disabilities and older adults by
linking families to an online database of respite care
providers. They should also be able to provide
information about how to pay for respite services.
For more information contact:
Lifespan Respite Program
Linda Irizarry
202-535-1442