Provider FAQs

Is my child care facility eligible to participate?

In order to participate, your facility must meet the following requirements:

  1. Your facility must be licensed by the PA Department of Human Services.
  2. Your facility must be accredited. If you are not accredited, you must be a participant of the Keystone STARS program with a star rating of at least 2 and have a plan to obtain NAEYC accreditation in 3 years.
  3. Your facility must have a current Child Care Provider Agreement on file for the current year.

If my facility is not accredited, how will my progress to achieve accreditation and/or obtain a STAR level 4 be tracked?

Each year you will be required to compete a Child Care Accreditation Progress form to track what progress has been made. This will help us report back to our funders where you are in the process.

NAEYC Initial Accreditation fee(s) reimbursement funds are available through the child care subsidy program- please contact [email protected] for forms and details.

Do I need to complete the Provider Agreement for each student parent that is receiving subsidy?

No. You are only required to complete the Child Care Provider Agreement once a year to verify your facility’s licensing, accreditation and/or Keystone STARS status.

We must have a current Child Care Provider Agreement on file for in order for a student parent to receive subsidy with the child care provider.

How will I know how much subsidy a family has received?

You will be emailed a copy of the student parent’s Award Certificate once their application has been approved.

Please note: student parents may not receive the Penn State child care subsidy and any other form of childcare subsidy/assistance (i.e. CCIS, NACRA, Child Care Aware, PreK Counts, etc)

How are subsidy awards calculated?

Subsidy awards will be calculated based on:

  • Currently available funding.
  • Weekly rates in effect at the time you submit your application, as verified by your specified child care provider. Rate changes will only be honored if your child changes classrooms due to their age.
  • Distribution over the amount of weeks remaining in the semester you are applying (in accordance with your start date at the child care provider).

For example:

1. Regular Tuition Rate Given by Child Care Provider:
$801/Monthly Rate quote is divided by 4.33 (average weeks in a month) = $185/week

Or

2. $185/week (weekly rate quoted by child care provider

3. That weekly rate is multiplied by 75% Subsidy Award ($185 x 0.75) = $139/week covered by PSU)

4. Multiply by # of weeks (remaining) in the current semester x $139 = $2,224 Total Award 5. $2,224 is divided into payment equally over the months and/or remaining weeks in the current semester:

  • August - $444.80
  • September - $444.80
  • October - $444.80
  • November - $444.80
  • December - $444.80

Payments are made directly from the Child Care Subsidy Program to the child care provider. Student parent is responsible to pay the remaining balance(s) directly to their child care provider.

What is the invoicing process?

An invoice template will be emailed to you after your Provider Agreement is approved. Invoices are due to PSU on a monthly basis, no later than the 6th of each month for services provided in the preceding calendar month. Due to university policy, we are unable to provide reimbursement for services that have not been rendered. Scanned invoices with written or electronic signature can be emailed to [email protected]. All invoices have 30 days for payment.

If a student parent does not pay their co-payments as agreed upon will the program cover the unpaid dues?

No. The program cannot be held responsible for any unpaid dues or any other fees not covered by a student parent’s subsidy award. As stated in our program policies, student parents are required to comply with your facility policies and procedures and failure to do so may result in loss of their financial assistance through the subsidy program.

How Often Do I submit the Student Parent Volunteer Verification Form(s)?

Once per semester for each student parent (due December 31 and May 31 each year)

Volunteer work involving interactions with children may require background clearances. Please contact your child care provider regarding Department of Human Services volunteer clearance requirements.

For additional information about the Student Parent Child Care Subsidy program, please contact the Program Coordinator at [email protected] or (814) 863-4622. We are located at:


The Pennsylvania State University
Student-Parent Child Care Subsidy Program
Human Resources
The 331 Building, Suite 200
University Park, PA 16802