The Trump administration is working on a draft regulation that would modify the main federal subsidy program for childcare, aiming to allow certain marriages where one parent stays home with the children to receive financial assistance from the government.
The program in question is the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), a federal fund of approximately $12 billion annually that currently finances child care for low- and moderate-income families while parents work, study, or receive job training.
The proposed modification would open a new category: care provided directly by one of the parents within the home, something that the program has never considered in its original design.
It involves compensating for part of the income that the couple stops receiving when one of its members decides to stay at home.
The CCDF provides an average of about $9,000 per child per year. However, this does not mean that every eligible family will automatically receive that amount. The figure may vary, for instance, depending on the state where the couple resides.
Who might qualify?
According to the draft of the proposal reviewed by The New York Times, the requirements outlined are strict: parents must be married, one spouse must work at least 35 hours per week, the other must stay at home to care for the children, and the family must meet the income criteria of the program.
Unmarried couples and single parents who do not work would be excluded, raising a concern: approximately 80% of current beneficiaries of the CCDF are single mothers.
The main driver of the proposal is Vice President JD Vance, who has advocated for years for policies that financially acknowledge parents who choose to raise their children at home.
The proposal also aligns with recommendations from Project 2025 by the Heritage Foundation, which suggests redirecting funds from daycare centers towards home family care.
Legal doubts and risks of fraud
The proposal is facing scrutiny from within the government itself.
Attorneys from the Department of Health and Human Services are examining whether it would be legal to restrict this new category exclusively to married couples, without a definitive answer yet.
Internal officials have also warned about the risk of fraud if payments are made directly to parents instead of to care providers, as is currently the case.
Other critics point out that expanding the number of beneficiaries without increasing funding could, in practice, reduce the resources available for working families who currently rely on the program to pay for childcare.
The impact in Florida
The issue is particularly relevant for Florida, where the cost of childcare constitutes a significant economic burden.
An analysis by the Atlanta Federal Reserve published in July 2026 revealed that 85.4% of families with young children in the state spend more than 7% of their income on childcare, the threshold considered affordable.
In Miami-Dade, during the fiscal year 2025-2026, a total of 27,661 children received assistance through the School Readiness program, primarily funded by CCDF funds, according to the Early Learning Coalition of Miami-Dade/Monroe.
If the proposal moves forward, the state would need to determine how to incorporate the new category into its assistance system and redistribute the available resources among a larger number of potential beneficiaries.
When could it be implemented?
For now, the proposal remains in draft form and there are no benefits that families can apply for.
It would not involve the creation of a new fund nor would it require Congress's approval, according to sources cited by The New York Times.
Before taking effect, the rule must pass White House review and a federal rulemaking process that includes a public comment period.
If approved, its implementation could begin in 2027, although that timeline is subject to change.
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