Stanford expands Child Care Subsidy Grant program for 2022

During the last year, the Affordability Task Force (ATF) identified and implemented a suite of programs to support Stanford community members experiencing affordability challenges, including the staff housing assistance program, emergency assistance grants, increases to child care support and flexible work options.

The WorkLife Office, in alignment with ATF recommendations, has expanded the Child Care Subsidy Grant (CCSG) program, available to benefits-eligible university employees to help address the cost of child care. CCSG awards can be used to reimburse for dependent care expenses, which may include child care tuition, nannies, babysitters, before or after school programs and summer day camp registration. By broadening the scope of eligibility and increasing the grant award amounts, more members of the Stanford community will have access to meaningful financial support.

“For nearly two decades, CCSG has supported thousands of Stanford families with managing the rising cost of child care,” said Phyllis Stewart Pires, AVP for Employee Support Programs and Services. “It quickly became evident through the ATF work in 2019 and 2020 that the cost of child care continues to be a top concern for families. This latest round of changes to the CCSG grants addresses an important need.”

Changes to income requirements, age eligibility and award amounts

The 2022 CCSG 12-month application period is now open through Sept. 1, 2021.

The approved changes include:

• Maximum household income eligibility is increasing from $174,999 to $200,000
• Children under 13 years are now eligible dependents; the age maximum was previously 10 years
• The maximum award amount available is increasing from $5,000 to $10,000
  • Eligible applicants can still receive up to $5,000 in non-taxable grants, and a new, optional taxable award of up to $5,000 is available, for a possible total grant of up to $10,000.

Confronting affordability challenges 

Earlier this year, when the IRS allowed Stanford to temporarily amend the flexible spending account (FSA) carryover rules for 2021 and 2022, the WorkLife Office was able to temporarily amend the CCSG rules in a similar way because CCSG awards are administered through the dependent day care FSA. Normally, unused grant money cannot rollover into the next year; under the interim IRS guidance, employees have been able to use the balance of their 2020 grant award in 2021, and their remaining unused balance will also be available for use in 2022 but will not carry over to 2023, as the temporary carryover rules will have expired.

The ATF recommendations also increased the number of days of Back-up Care for staff, used for elder care or child care, to 10 days per calendar year. The WorkLife Office implemented this in January 2020.

“The work of the Affordability Task Force is not over. We’ll continue to carefully consider the evolving affordability challenges that confront our community,” said Elizabeth Zacharias, vice president for human resources and chair of the ATF. “As new recommendations are brought forth, we will evaluate and identify opportunities that provide a meaningful impact on affordability.”

Learn more about the CCSG on Cardinal at Work and apply by Sept. 1