Office of Child Care

About The Office of Child Care (OCC) administers the Child Care and Development Fund program (CCDF), which is the primary federal funding source to help families with low incomes access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children. Access to affordable high-quality child care has numerous short- and long-term benefits for children, families, and society, supporting child and family well-being in a manner that fuels prosperity and strengthens communities and the economy. Child care is a necessity for most families with young children and reliable access leads to better parental earnings and employment and supports parents' educational attainment. The Office of Child Care (OCC) supports low-income working families by improving access to affordable, high-quality early care and afterschool programs. OCC administers the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)—a block grant to state, territory and tribal governments that provides support for children and their families with paying for child care that will fit their needs and that will prepare children to succeed in school. CCDF also improves the quality of care to promote children’s healthy development and learning by supporting child care licensing, quality improvement systems to help programs meet higher standards, and training and education for child care workers. We establish and oversee the implementation of child care policies and provide guidance and technical assistance to states, territories and tribes as they administer CCDF programs.