Effective 6/21/2025 the DHS-4025 Provider Verification form has been updated! - 6/30/25
What’s different?
The previous version of the DHS-4025 will be accepted through July 31, 2025, and must be completed per the instructions on the form. If the previous DHS-4025 is received by MDHHS after this date, the provider will not be assigned, and the Eligibility Specialist will send the parent a new MDHHS-4025 for completion.
Maintaining Expanded Eligibility to Child Care Scholarship and Provider Rates - 9/9/24
Effective September 22, 2024, the income eligibility chart is updated using the most current FPL and State Median Income (SMI) data and the provider scholarship rates will increase by 15%. Please read memo, which was mailed to active CDC parents and providers, for more information.
Elimination of child support requirement
Effective February 25, 2024, Michigan is eliminating the requirement that parents help the state collect child support from their child’s other parent to qualify for the child care subsidy program (soon to be renamed the child care scholarship).
Health and safety checklists and corrective action plans available for public viewing.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act requires that states provide information to the public that will promote informed child care choices, including provider-specific monitoring and inspection reports. Monitoring and inspection reports are already available for licensed providers through the public child care search tool. Beginning in October 2023, the health and safety checklists and corrective action plans for unrelated licensed exempt providers will be posted to the License Exempt Providers page on the Great Start to Quality website. Users will need to input a provider ID to access the reports. The family name and location of the visit will be omitted from reports prior to posting. Postings are available for a minimum of three years. More information on Health and Safety Visits can be located Health and Safety Coaching Visits Process for License Exempt - Unrelated Providers (michigan.gov)
Don’t Forget These Important Documents!
When completing an on-line application or submitting a paper application, these additional forms are often overlooked:
You can apply online at MI BRIDGES or complete a Child Care Assistance Paper Application at your local MDHHS office.
You may qualify for Michigan's Child Development and Care scholarship program if you need child care while you are engaged in the following:
Once you have been approved for child care subsidy and after the DHS-4025 has been submitted and your provider has been assigned an authorization letter (DHS-198) will be sent to show begin date and the approved hours.
Call your local DHHS County Office or upload your request into your MI Bridges account
Common causes of this issue is the provider has not been added to the case yet. Has the DHS 4025 been submitted to the local office. This could be a technical issue. Additional reasons could apply that you would need to contact your local specialist for support.
Once you have been approved for child care subsidy and after the DHS-4025 has been submitted and your provider has been assigned an authorization letter (DHS-198) will be sent to show begin date and the approved hours.
If your provider has submitted their hours by the reporting deadline date a payment should be issued. The current payment schedule can be found at CDC 2025 Payment Schedule.
A child care background check is a both a fingerprint-based and name-based check that will cover the following:
If a person lived outside of Michigan within the past 5 years, the following checks will also be conducted for each state or country the person has lived in during the past 5 years:
If a person lived in another country and is unable to obtain the equivalent background check components, the person must sign a self-certifying statement that he or she is not ineligible to receive a license, to be an adult member of the household, or to be a child care staff member.
Child care background checks are completed on the following individuals:
An adult member of the household shall not move into the home of a licensed child care provider until they have completed a child care background check and been found eligible by the department.
There are multiple instances where a person may be found ineligible to be a licensed child care provider. These instances are listed in MCL 116 722.115r.
A child care background check costs $65.00 if the person has not lived outside of Michigan in the past 5 years. All fingerprinting must be scheduled and processed through the Child Care Background Check System using the State approved fingerprinting vendor, Idemia. The department does not charge for the processing of child care fingerprints.
If a person has lived outside of Michigan within the past 5 years, additional out of state background checks are required. The department will mail instructions to the applicant related to any additional forms and fees that must be submitted. The instructions must be followed, and all forms and fees requested must be submitted as instructed. The department does not pay for the processing of these additional background checks. The additional forms and fees needed to obtain information from other states must be submitted by the applicant in order to be found eligible.
The applicant or the licensee pays for the background check.
Occasionally, the department may receive funds to assist with the cost of fingerprinting. When the department obtains funding, the department provides licensees with coupons to cover the cost of fingerprinting.
The licensee is responsible for entering all information into the Child Care Background Check (CCBC) System to begin the background check process. Each person who is put into the CCBC System must complete the Consent and Disclosure form, and provide all necessary information, forms, and fees necessary to complete the comprehensive background check. The steps of the process are outlined in the Child Care Background Check Process document.
Sometimes a person may be physically unable to leave the home. If you have someone such as an adult household member who is unable to leave the home, please contact your licensing consultant to request someone to come into the home to fingerprint them.
Contact these agencies to start a background check.
