CalWORKs Child Care Consolidation
The Master Plan for Early Learning and Care (MPELC) established an action plan for California to create a simplified and aligned system of care for infants, toddlers, and other young children. The plan includes consolidating the California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) Child Care stages, and clarifying local and regional administration responsibilities. A consolidated, coherent system will promote continuity of care and bring children and their early learning and care professionals the support they need to thrive.
This spring, the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will collect feedback on how to improve CalWORKs child care from focus groups of parents and child care providers. In the fall, the CDSS will convene a workgroup of county and child care and development agency administrators to further develop recommendations towards a consolidated CalWORKs Child Care system. The CDSS will consolidate the feedback from the parent and provider focus groups and the recommendations developed in the administrator workgroup into a final proposal for the consolidation of CalWORKs child care.
How Can I get Involved?
Are you interested in providing feedback to strengthen the CalWORKs child care program? If you have received CalWORKs child care services or provided child care to a child enrolled in a CalWORKs child care program, the CDSS invites you to apply to join a parent or provider focus group by April 15, 2025.
These focus groups will be conducted in May 2025. Parent focus group members will receive a stipend for their participation. Child Care providers may be eligible to receive a stipend as well if they are not being paid by their employer during the focus group.
CDSS will offer live, simultaneous interpretation during the focus groups. The state will collect your feedback to help shape a new, consolidated CalWORKs Child Care program.
CDSS will post the application for the administrator workgroup in July 2025.
Parent Focus Group Flyer
Child Care Provider Focus Group Flyer
Contact Information
If you have feedback or questions about this work, please contact CWconsolidation@dss.ca.gov.
CalWORKs Consolidation Workgroup Meetings and Materials