Do children under 6 qualify for CalFresh benefits if not in school or daycare?

Hi there! I think you might be mixing up a couple of different programs. Children ages 0-6 definitely qualify for CalFresh benefits regardless of whether they're in school or daycare. The 4.0 you're referring to might be related to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or another childcare subsidy program, not CalFresh. For CalFresh, your grandchildren will be counted as part of your household size, which increases your potential benefit amount. The only school-related requirement for CalFresh applies to students ages 18-49 in higher education, not young children.

im pretty sure kids under 6 get benefits no matter what. my sister has 3 kids none in daycare and they get calfresh. maybe your thinking of calworks? that has different rules i think

Just to clarify what others have said - the "4.0" reference is likely about the CalWORKs program, not CalFresh. CalWORKs has something called the "CalWORKs 2.0" initiative (not 4.0) that focuses on family stabilization and education. For your CalFresh application: 1. List both grandchildren as part of your household 2. Include their relationship to you (grandchildren) 3. You'll need to verify that they're in your care (any documentation showing they live with you) 4. No school/daycare verification is needed for CalFresh eligibility If you've been waiting for a callback from your county worker for more than a couple days, I'd recommend trying Claimyr to get through to someone faster (claimyr.com). They have a service that helps you skip the phone wait times when calling county offices. I used it last month when I couldn't get through to my worker for weeks. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

DONT FORGET that those kids probably qualify you for way more benefits too!! Make sure your applying for everything - calfresh, calworks, maybe even general assistance depending on your county. Kids under 6 get priority for most programs. And def check with WIC too if you havent already!!!!

To directly answer your question: children 0-6 absolutely qualify for CalFresh regardless of school/daycare enrollment status. There is no "4.0" requirement in the CalFresh program for children. What you might be referring to is the fact that school-aged children may qualify for school meal programs, which is separate from CalFresh but complementary. For your 4-year-old, if they eventually enroll in preschool or Head Start, they would likely get meals there, but this doesn't affect their CalFresh eligibility at all. Your grandchildren will increase your household size and likely your benefit amount. For 2025, a household of 3 with no income could receive up to $771/month in CalFresh benefits.

when i applied last year for me n my kids they just wanted proof they lived with me thats it. no school stuff for the little ones. only my teenager needed school verification cuz he was 16. your county is probably just backed up mine takes foreeeever to call back too

Honestly the whole system is designed to confuse people and make it hard to get help. I've been on and off CalFresh for 4 years and STILL get confused about what requirements are for which program. It's not your fault for being confused because they make everything so complicated on purpose! But yes like others said - your grandkids qualify no matter what for CalFresh. There's no requirement about school or daycare for little kids. That's probably some other program's rule that got mixed up in all the paperwork they throw at us.

Hey Jacob! Just wanted to add that as someone who works with families navigating these programs, you're absolutely right to be confused - the terminology across different benefit programs can be really overwhelming. The good news is that for CalFresh specifically, your 2 and 4 year old grandchildren will definitely qualify as household members regardless of school or daycare enrollment. The application might have been asking about childcare needs for other programs like CalWORKs or childcare subsidies, but that won't affect their CalFresh eligibility. One tip: when you do speak with your county worker, ask them to walk through which programs you might be eligible for with the kids in your care. Sometimes they can do a "one-stop" screening that checks you for multiple benefits at once. With your retirement income and two young children to care for, there might be additional support available beyond just CalFresh. Also, don't stress too much about the paperwork - custody documents are excellent proof that the children live with you. That's actually stronger documentation than most people have when they apply!