CDA is a community based, non-profit agency that has been supporting children, families and child care providers since 1974. We are based in San Diego County and provide affordable child care for over 17,000 children served by over 3,900 child care providers in the Child Care Payment Program, also known as the Alternative Payment Program.

CDA is also the largest sponsor in the Child and Adult Care Food Program in California providing nutrition education and reimbursements to over 1,000 child care providers throughout Southern California. CDA provides a wide variety of other services and support programs to children, families, and child care providers. You can learn more at cdasd.org.

CDA has been contracted with California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to issue the monthly Cost of Care Plus Rate Payment to child care providers in counties where the Stage One and/or Bridge Programs are administered in-house by the county and no business relationship exist with an Alternative Payment Program (APP).

Monthly, California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will provide CDA with information on providers who received Stage One or Bridge Program payments in the previous month. CDA will use this information to pay the providers a Cost of Care Plus Rate Payment for each child that was paid by Stage One or Bridge Program in the previous month.

With many scammers and criminals seeking personal information, we understand your concern and would like to provide assurance that the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has contracted with CDA to distribute these payments to eligible Stage One and Bridge Program child care providers across California. This agreement was ratified as SB 140 (Chapter 193, Status of 2023) and signed by Governor Newsom on September 13, 2023.

Access the Authorized Payor statement by clicking here.

You can also learn about this program and CDA’s role in CDSS website, click here.

We understand that you may want to verify this information independently from CDA. For more information, visit CDSS website to access the Child Care Bulletin CCB-23-37 (November 15, 2023) by clicking here.

FY 2025-26 Update:
The Cost of Care Plus Rate Payment was extended to June, 2026. To learn more, click here.

CDA has been contracted with California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to make payments to eligible providers from February 2024 through June 2026.

We understand that submitting a valid W-9 Form to CDA can be an administrative burden since you may have already submitted this form to other agencies you do business with. However, CDA is required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to collect a W-9 Form for accurate taxpayer identification when sending money to people or companies. CDA also needs this information to prepare 1099 Forms required by the IRS at the end of the year. The IRS outlines several penalties for failure to furnish or comply with the reporting requirements and correct information and we want to make sure that providers and CDA are not fined by the IRS. For additional information, click here. 

The good news is that you can easily complete and submit your valid W-9 Form to CDA electronically. It will take no more than 3 minutes to complete this short form that only requires name, tax classification (typically individual or corporation), address, and taxpayer identification number. Please contact our team to receive the link to complete and submit your valid W-9 Form by clicking here.

You only need to complete ONE valid W-9 Form with CDA unless you change your Taxpayer Identification Number. It is very important to submit a valid W-9 Form as soon as possible to avoid a delay in your payment.

Cost of Care Plus Rate Payments are issued by check or direct deposit. To receive your payment directly to your bank account, make sure to enroll in direct deposit. It is easy and takes no more than 2 minutes to enroll. To sign up, contact us!

• Phone Number: (619) 205-6250
  • For English, dial extension 1902
  • Para Español, marque extensión 1903
• Toll-free Number: (888) 917-0775
• Email Address: [email protected]

Yes! Eligible providers can receive their Cost of Care Plus Rate payment through direct deposit. To learn more, please contact our team at:

• Phone Number: (619) 205-6250
  • For English, dial extension 1902
  • Para Español, marque extensión 1903
• Toll-free Number: (888) 917-0775
• Email Address: [email protected]

Please note: Providers will be asked to complete a digital “Direct Deposit Agreement” form and submit valid bank account documentation to participate in future electronic funds transfers (EFT).

CDA is unable to issue payments without a valid W-9 Form and until we receive the payment data report from CDSS which includes information such as: certified payment month, name of eligible providers, and child count. For additional information about the Cost of Care Plus Rate Payment status refer to the table above.

If you believe you may be eligible for the Cost of Care Plus Rate Payment or have questions about your payment, please contact our team by clicking here.

The CDA team is always available to help and answer any questions. Note that additional documentation may needed to determine eligibility or review your payment status. We appreciate your understanding of this requirement to substantiate payment.

The Cost of Care Plus Rate Payments are made based on Stage One or Bridge Program payments that a provider received the previous month. If you did not receive payment from your Stage One or Bridge Program in a given month, you will not receive a Cost of Care Plus Rate Payment from CDA.  

The payment report that CDA receives from CDSS does not include children’s information, only a child count. Information security and client confidentiality is a high priority to CDSS and CDA. Therefore, we only receive information from CDSS that is needed to process your payment.

If you would like your payment to be reviewed or have any questions, please can contact our team by clicking here. The CDA team is always available to help and answer any questions.

CDA pays providers based on the data supplied by counties to CDSS. CDSS then gives CDA a payment data report which includes number of children paid by the county, the child care provider type, county, and union dues information. CDA is required to pay based on this data. We understand your frustration if the state data is different then what you expect.

If you have questions about your payment, please contact our team directly by clicking here. The CDA team is always available to help and research any questions you may have.