Families

Based on federal rules, ACS must first serve families with income under 300% of the state income standard ($99,000 a year for a family of 4), unhoused families and families that have children with special needs. For families that meet one of those criteria, they will be invited to apply for a voucher in the order they were placed on the waitlist. If a family receives an invitation letter to come off the waitlist and apply, they must send in their recertification application within 60 days of receiving the letter.

If you received a letter, please apply as soon as you can.

Who should be included on the application in the “children in need of care” section?

Include every child in your household who needs child care. This includes children who:

• Already get a child care voucher
• Are already enrolled in child care
• Are in your household but are not currently on the waitlist
• Are on the waitlist

• You can recertify online through the mycity.nyc.gov portal.
• Choose “Recertify for Child Care.”
• If you cannot use MyCity, you can send in your application by mail.

ACS will review your household’s current eligibility for child care assistance. This include meeting income criteria, parent(s)/Caretaker(s) being engaged in a qualified activity, and children in need of care meeting citizenship or immigration qualifications.

When funding is limited, federal rules require ACS to give priority to:

• Household income is below 300% of the State Income Standard
• The family is experiencing homelessness
• A child has approved special needs

If you meet all other eligibility criteria but are not in one of these priority categories, your child will be placed back on the waitlist, as we are required to serve children in these priority areas first. 

It can take up to two weeks for ACS to review your application. Please check your email and phone messages in case an ACS eligibility specialist needs to contact you for more information or documents.
If you applied through MyCity, you can check your application status there. If the status says “Pending,” ACS is still reviewing your application.

You can download your child care voucher through MyCity⁠. You will need:

• Your MyCity login, or an email address to create an account
• Your ACCIS ID number
• Your child’s date of birth
• The first and last name of the person who first applied for child care assistance

We cannot provide your exact position. Families in priority categories are invited in the order they joined the waitlist.

If you send in a new application outside the recertification process, it will be treated as a new application. If eligible, your child (ren) will be added to the waitlist in the order ACS receives it.

We expect to invite families on a rolling basis over the next several months. The exact number of families we invite will depend on available funding.

If ACS does not receive your recertification application within 60 days of your letter, your children will be removed from the waitlist and you would need to send a new application for them to be placed back on the waitlist.

If your letter says your child is in a New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) contracted child care program and you want your child to stay there, you do not need to do anything right now. Your child can continue attending the NYCPS program, and you not lose your ability to use the voucher.

If you want to use a child care voucher at any time during your eligibility period, you can download one through MyCity⁠. You will need:

• Your MyCity login, or an email address to create an account
• Your ACCIS ID number
• Your child’s date of birth
• The first and last name of the person who first applied for child care assistance

MyCity will show the children in your household who can receive a voucher. You can download the voucher right away, complete it with your chosen child care provider, and submit it with any other required enrollment papers.

You may also choose to complete a full recertification now through MyCity or by using the ACS child care forms page⁠.

No, you do not need to use the voucher to get NYCPS Extended Day and year child care. Whether or not you chose to use the voucher, you will remain eligible for the voucher for the full year eligibility period.

Yes. If you received a letter inviting your family to recertify from the waitlist, you must submit a new recertification application within 60 days of receiving that letter, even if you recertified recently.

No. If you did not recertify by the deadline in your letter, you lost your place on the waitlist. You cannot return to your former position.

To join the waitlist again, you must submit a new application. ACS will review your application and determine your eligibility.

We do not know how long the wait would be, but given the number of children on the waitlist, we encourage you to consider other child care options:

Alternative Child Care Options for Families

You may have options for continuing to receive support with child care, through New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) or the Department of Youth and Child Development (DYCD). Please be aware that these programs have their own eligibility criteria and application processes.

Infant/Toddler, 3-K, and Pre-K

New York City Public Schools (NYCPS, formerly Department of Education - DOE) offers free or low-cost programs for children birth through age five, available across all five boroughs and designed to support learning, development, and family. Eligibility varies by program.

Learn more and explore options on the NYCPS enrollment page. Families can also explore available NYCPS options at MySchools.

Need Support Enrolling In a Program? 

Reach out to a NYCPS Family Welcome Center – find the one closest to you at this site - https://www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enrollment-help/family-welcome-centers.

After School Options for School-Age Children

Comprehensive After School System of New York City (COMPASS)

The Comprehensive After School System of NYC (COMPASS NYC) comprises more than 900 programs serving young people enrolled in grades K-12. Through its network of providers, COMPASS NYC offers high quality programs with a strong balance of academics, recreation, enrichment and cultural activities to support and strengthen the overall development of young people. More Information on These

Programs

If your family is eligible, your child(ren) will be added to the voucher waitlist based on the date your application was found eligible. Families are invited from the waitlist in the order they joined, as funding becomes available.