Concerned with Child Care Costs? Help is Available!

If your circumstances do not allow you to cover the costs of child care in Lake or Mendocino County on your own, you may be eligible for funding. The Alternative Payment Program subsidizes child care payments for eligible families who are working, in school, or participating in a welfare-to-work activity. Financial assistance may cover all or part of your child care costs.

Eligibility is based on income level and family size, and immigration status is not part of the application. Funding is limited; applying does not automatically guarantee services.

Please complete and return the subsidy application of the town closest to your home.

Child Care Referrals

Looking for child care services in your area?

Contact NCO's Rural Communities Child Care (RCCC) Resource and Referral team at (707) 263-4688 ext. 414, or at your local RCCC office, to begin a child care referral process or email childcare@ncoinc.org and provide your name, phone number where you can be reached, the days and hours of child care needed, and the date of births for the child(ren) needing care, or, complete an application and return it to RCCC by fax, mail, or email. For referrals in Spanish please call (707) 263-4688 ext. 416.

Click here to contact your local RCCC office!

You may also complete an online referral search using My Child Care Plan.

My Child Care Plan gathers information from R&R agencies and Child Care Providers across the state to create a one-stop shop database full of child care resources.

My Child Care Plan

Parent Resources

Parent Handbook - Subsidized Child Care Programs

RCCC is a program of North Coast Opportunities (NCO), Inc. and administers a variety of Subsidized Child Care Programs that help eligible families pay for child care in Lake and Mendocino Counties. The purpose of this handbook is to explain the program rules that parents need to follow and the paperwork that must be completed for authorized child care services through NCO/RCCC Subsidized Child Care Programs.

Parent Handbook

Subsidy Eligibility Breakdown

View the threshold eligibility limits for family size and family income.

Subsidy Informational Flyer

A Program of

NCO Logo