Example

Tom and Shayna's Story

Tom and his wife Shayna had been getting help from the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) for two years. While they were looking for work, they got child care through the MFIP / DWP Child Care Assistance program.

Luckily, both Tom and Shayna were eventually able to find jobs. The jobs paid enough money so that the family no longer needed MFIP. They were excited to be employed and supporting themselves, but they worried about the cost of child care. They contacted their local county or tribal human services office to apply for Basic Sliding Fee (BSF) Child Care. This program allows families to pay a small amount of money each month to get child care services. The amount of money each family pays depends on their income. Tom’s family of four had $30,000 worth of income, which meant they would pay about $4 a month for child care for the two kids.

When they applied, their county had a waiting list for BSF Child Care, so they signed up for Transitional Year Child Care Assistance Program. This program is for families like Tom’s who are just coming off of MFIP, but can’t get BSF because of a waiting list. Through these programs, Tom and Shayna were able to work without worrying about how their kids would be taken care of during the day.