The Tennessee Department of Human Services  (TDHS) is announcing  new child care assistance  to support  families  that are serving  the state in essential  workforce  positions. Through  payment  assistance  and a network of temporary care locations,  parents  who  work  as essential  employees  can access child  care at no  cost during  the COVID-19 pandemic  state of emergency until June 15, 2020.

The COVID-19 Essential Employee Child Care Payment Assistance program  is designed to help support essential workers so they can stay on the job during the COVID-19 emergency.  Applications for payment  assistance will be accepted online throughout the state of emergency  here. After an essential employee is approved for the program, TDHS will make arrangements to pay for child care at the TDHS licensed program  where the child is currently  served.

For those parents whose children are not already receiving care at a licensed program, you can find  a list of licensed child care agencies that are open and able to accept children  of essential workers online on the TDHS website  here. Once the child is enrolled  at a TDHS licensed program and the essential employee is approved for payment  assistance, TDHS will make arrangements to pay for that child care as well.

TDHS is also partnering with the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Clubs in Tennessee to establish free child care for school aged children of essential workers.  Through this partnership, the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs will establish a network of temporary/emergency child care locations across the state. Essential employees with school aged children  who need care will be able to register at these locations  and access care at no charge during  the COVID-19 state of emergency.  Parents seeking care at these temporary locations, do not need to apply with TDHS first.

As they are established, a listing of YMCA and Boys & Girls Club temporary/emergency care locations will be available for the YMCA here and the Boys & Girls Clubs here.

To be eligible for either program,  parents must be employees of a healthcare entity, law enforcement, first responders (EMS, Fire Departments, etc.), corrections officers, military, activated national guard, human and social services workers, postal workers, transportation employees, restaurant workers  or  grocery  workers.  TDHS hopes  to lessen the financial  burden  for  these essential employees, whether they are using licensed child care or accessing a temporary child care location.