ARPA Final Stipend
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has contracted with Child Development Associates (CDA) to disburse unspent American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) stabilization funds through a final stipend to eligible child care providers on behalf of counties in which CalWORKs Stage One and the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children (Bridge Program) are administered by the County.
To download the Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 24-15 and 24-15E, click here. To access the CDSS website, click here.
Who is eligible for a stipend issued by CDA?
In counties where the Stage One and/or Bridge Programs are managed in-house by the county and no business relationship exists between the Stage One/Bridge Program provider and an Alternative Payment Program (APP), CDA will issue stipend payments directly to the child care providers.
Child care providers under the CalWORKs Stage One and Foster Bridge Programs who have been identified as eligible by CDSS and served children receiving subsidies in the month of April 2022 and completed the updated ARPA survey which closed on August 15, 2023.
Eligible providers will receive a final stipend of $152 per child within 45 calendar days of receiving funding.
When will stipends be issued?
As directed by CDSS, CDA invoiced Alternative Payment Program (APP) contractors across California to recover unspent ARPA and General Fund (GF) stipend funds. The collection process has been completed, and the redistribution of funds to APPs is now underway.
To access CDSS email guidance, click here.
To access CDSS website, click here.
Payment Update
Last update on 12/10/24
Additional Information
The ARPA stabilization funding is intended to stabilize the child care and development workforce, and federal requirements prohibit distributing ARPA funds to providers that are permanently closed. Child care center and family child care homes that are temporarily closed are eligible for this stipend.
For child care centers that have undergone a change in ownership since April 2022, payments are to be issued to the new center owner. License-exempt family, friend, and neighbor providers who cared for a subsidized child any time during the month of April 2022 are eligible for this final stipend, if they are currently providing subsidized care. To receive this final stipend round, providers must have completed the ARPA survey, which closed on August 15, 2023.
To download the Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 24-15 and 24-15E, click here.
This page will be updated as CDA receives additional information.
For questions, please contact our team by clicking here.