Child Care

​​While the State of California does not provide child care benefits for employees, the following resources are provided to assist state employees in finding and paying for child care:

Find a Child Care Center

• State-Sponsored Child Care Centers:  List of state-sponsored child care facilities in or near state-owned or state-leased buildings throughout California.  These facilities offer care to children of state employees and the public. 

• Employee Assistance Program:  The Employee Assistance Program can assist with providing resources and referrals for child care including: 

• In-home and out-of-home child care
• Child care options for non-standard schedules
• Before and after-school care and summer care
• Child care facility accreditation and state licensing requirements
• Evaluation of providers
• Backup and sick child care

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• Resource and Referral County Listing:  Your local resource and referral agency can help you find child care options near your home or work.

Tuition Assistance

• Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts:  This program allows state employees to set aside money in a reimbursement account to pay for certain kinds of expenses.  You can increase your take home pay and decrease your taxable income.  You specify the amount you want deducted from your paycheck, and the deductions occur before tax withholding, reducing tax liability.

• Department of Social Services:  California offers several options to assist income-eligible families pay for child care.

• Tax Credits:  If you have child care expenses and pay federal and/or state income taxes, you may be eligible to receive assistance through the federal and state Child and Dependent Care Tax Credits, the Child Tax Credit for families with children, and the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income families.  You may wish to consult a tax advisor.