Delaware · Purchase of Care
Child care help in Delaware: the income line, the co-pay, and the wait
Delaware's program is Purchase of Care, run by Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Social Services. Here is its entry line, its exit line, its co-pay machine, its rule on the second bill, and whether it is funding new families right now.
Run the free check for Delaware
The lines, for a family of 4
225% of the federal poverty line (DHSS chart, Oct 1 2026 – Sep 30 2027).
This is the current DHSS chart. Older pages still show a 185%→200% FPL phase-out from the regulations — the October 2026 chart supersedes it.
325% of the federal poverty line at redetermination (graduated phase-out).
Who skips the income test
These lanes waive or shortcut parts of the income test in Delaware — if one is you, say so on page one of the application:
- Families receiving TANF cash assistance
- Children in foster care or with an open protective-services case
- Families experiencing homelessness
The co-pay
No dollar fee chart is published here for this state. The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Roadmap 2025 reports copayments of up to 7% of family income — that is a maximum burden, not a typical fee. Confirm your exact copay on the state chart before you budget.
Fee scale: 2025 (PN3 Roadmap 2025; state chart not opened).
The gap: allowed in Delaware
Delaware's Purchase of Care Plus rules define the overage as a chargeable family fee: the family's daily fee is the provider's private daily rate minus the state's daily payment rate. For standard Purchase of Care the rule was not separately confirmed — ask DSS.
The gap estimate in the free check uses the state rate ceiling on this page and the price you enter. It is always an estimate — your child's rate category and your contract set the real figure.
No state maximum rate was opened in the October 2026 check.
How to apply
Apply through the Division of Social Services or Delaware's ASSIST portal. State program page.
Limits checked October 2026 · Fee scale checked 2025 (PN3 Roadmap 2025; state chart not opened) · Ceiling checked Not published · Waitlist checked October 2026
Sources: source · cross-checked against the state's CCDF plan. If a figure here disagrees with the agency's current chart, the agency's chart wins — tell us at help@doogex.com.
The Daycare Help Kit — $29, one-time
The check gives you the answer. The kit walks the whole road after it: the application packet in the agency's own order, the denial translator, the real-bill worksheet, the redetermination calendar, and the tour-and-judge checklists — for all 50 states and DC.
See what's inside the kit $29 · one-time payment