Child care subsidies and other safety net programs are crucial for the well-being of families with low incomes, including parents’ economic stability and children’s development. But research has shown that policies and practices in the child care subsidy system can prevent families from accessing and keeping child care benefits that ensure their children receive care in stable, quality settings.

This fact sheet pulls out lessons from previous research on seven ways states can make child care more accessible and equitable for families and more efficient for agencies: (1) examine customer service flexibility, quality, and efficiency; (2) simplify application, reporting, and verification requirements; (3) change eligibility thresholds; (4) talk with parents, providers, and caseworkers to identify barriers to subsidy access and retention; (5) improve coordination across programs; (6) align and integrate policies and systems across programs; and (7) build data, information, and reporting capacity.