North Dakota · Child Care Assistance Program
Child care help in North Dakota: the income line, the co-pay, and the wait
North Dakota's program is Child Care Assistance Program, run by North Dakota Health and Human 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 North Dakota
The lines, for a family of 4
75% of state median income.
85% of state median income.
Who skips the income test
These lanes waive or shortcut parts of the income test in North Dakota — 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
Copays are WAIVED for families under 30% of state median income (and for CCAP Workforce Benefit families). No dollar fee chart is published here for this state. The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Roadmap 2025 reports copayments of up to 6% 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: Jan 2026 (ND HHS updates; PN3 cap 2025).
The gap: allowed in North Dakota
ND HHS states some families may have to pay a remaining balance when the cost of care is more than the state max rate — the overage is a real, chargeable cost here.
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.
Rates are set as percentiles of the market rate (infant/toddler at the 75th percentile from Jan 1, 2026); no single dollar maximum was opened.
The funding reality
From December 1, 2025, new applicants may be added to a waitlist. Priority goes to families at or below 30% SMI and households experiencing homelessness; current enrollees are not waitlisted.
How to apply
Apply through North Dakota Health and Human Services or a Human Service Zone office. State program page.
Limits checked October 2026 · Fee scale checked Jan 2026 (ND HHS updates; PN3 cap 2025) · 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