States funded under the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) are currently able to require child care subsidy recipients to cooperate with the child support program as a condition of eligibility. However, recognizing the barriers that this policy inflicts on families that simply want to return to work, most states have chosen not to adopt it or have removed child support enforcement from the subsidy process. In addition to adding burdensome family requirements, this policy can negatively impact young children and potentially damage healthy relationships that are so essential to early brain development.
After legislators in North Carolina mandated the state Department of Health and Human Services, the Division of Child Development and Early Education, and the Division of Social Services to implement a one-year statewide demonstration project requiring child support cooperation, the departments recommended against the practice. As a result, the state does not require families to cooperate with Child Support Enforcement in order to be eligible for subsidized child care.
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