Caring for Children with Subsidies

To help lower-income families with children age 0 – 13 pay for high-quality early care and education, BizNest at Children’s Council facilitates access to a variety of financial assistance programs. Once a family is qualified for financial support, we pay the child care program on the family’s behalf. 

For early educators, caring for children with subsidies is a way to invest in the children in your neighborhood who need you most! To learn more about how subsidy programs work and to make sure your Child Care Finder profile is up to date, send us an email

If you know of a family who needs assistance paying for care, click here

San Francisco’s Local Early Learning Scholarships 

San Francisco’s Early Learning Scholarships (ELS) are enhance-rate subsidies for families with children 0-5 years old for high-quality early care and education.  

More than 300 licensed early care and education programs are currently qualified to care for children with Early Learning Scholarships. These programs are committed to continuous quality improvement and receive coaching, professional development and higher rates to enhance their quality and cover the costs of operating a quality program.  

To learn more about becoming an ELS-Qualified Program, click here. 

Already Caring for Children with Subsidies?  

Here are some helpful links for programs: