Department of Child Care

The Office of Child Care (OCC) allows tribes the flexibility to utilize the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) grant to meet the purposes as outlined below:

• Develop child care programs and policies that best suit the needs of children and parents within the service delivery area
• Promote parental choice to empower working parents to make their own decisions regarding the child care services that best suits their family’s needs
• Provide consumer education information to help parents make informed choices about child care services and to promote involvement by parents and family members in the development of their children in child care settings
• Deliver high-quality, coordinated early childhood care and education services to maximize parents’ options and support parents trying to achieve independence from public assistance
• Improve the overall quality of child care services and programs by implementing health, safety, licensing, training, and oversight standards
• Improve child care and development of participating children
• Increase the number and percentage of low-income children in high quality child care settings

DCC provides childcare services to the Navajo Nation through five regions:

• Chinle Region
• Ft. Defiance Region
• Northern Region
• Western Region
• Eastern Region

Within each region, DCC has a casework unit that provides eligibility determination for families and individuals interested in being independent providers. In addition, each region has child care centers that provide quality child care services to children from 6 months to 13 years of age.

DCC has three types of child care categories:

• Tribally Operated Child Care Centers (details below)
• Independent Providers
• Relative Provider

The Service Delivery Area (SDA) for DCC includes the Navajo Nation and the border town communities as listed below:

• Arizona: Grand Canyon, Joseph City, Marble Canyon, Flagstaff, Snowflake, Holbrook, Page, Wupatki, and Winslow.
• New Mexico: Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield, Magdalena, Cuba, Kirtland, Grants, Milan, Socorro, and Gallup.

Please contact your local DCC Office to request additional information.

DCC has eligibility requirements for the following:

Child Care Assistance:

• At minimum the child must be between the ages of Six (6) months and up to 13 years of age.
• The child must be an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation if residing within the identified border towns OR another federally recognized tribe if residing within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation.
• Note: Income may be a factor in determining eligibility; please contact your local DCC Office for more information.

Qualifying Provider:

• Independent licensed and Relative/Family members may apply to become a DCCD provider. A complete federal background check is required of all non-relative providers. The provider must meet qualification standards, such as possession of a first aid certificate and CPR card for infants and children. Additional qualifying factors may be required.
• Note: Please contact your local DCC Office for more information regarding relative care and independent provider information.

• Tribal Child Care Centers offer services to children from ages 4 months to 13 years of age; the ages vary by tribal child care centers.
• The centers are open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday. Short-term services are available, based on availability of space.
• The centers promote learning and development in the following areas: social, emotional, physical, languages and cognitive, in a healthy and safe environment. The children are also provided nutritious meals and snacks.
• Contact your local DCC office for details on tribal child care centers near you.