CalWORKs childcare payment rates for family babysitters in LA County?

Congrats on your new job! Yes, LA County does pay family members through CalWORKs childcare assistance. The payment rates for license-exempt providers (like family members) are 70% of the Regional Market Rate (RMR) for licensed providers. For a baby under 2 years in LA County, that's roughly $45-55 per day for full-time care, depending on your exact zip code. Your mom needs to get approved as a license-exempt provider and complete a TrustLine background check unless she's the child's grandparent, aunt, or uncle (those relatives are exempt from TrustLine).

they dont pay as much for family members as real daycares. my sister watches my kids and she only gets like 75% of what a daycare would get. but its still decent money. just make sure ur mom fills out the provider forms they give u and return them QUICK or the payments will be delayed.

DONT WASTE UR TIME w/ calling the regular county number for childcare questions!!!! I spent 3 weeks trying to get answers about this exact question when my cousin started babysitting for me. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a real person at the childcare office and got everything sorted in one call. There's a video of how it works here: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. Worth it to get this figured out before you start work.

If your mom lives in your home, that might complicate things. When I applied for my sister to get paid, they told me the provider can't live in the same household as the child. But maybe that rule is different now? This was back in 2023 so things might have changed.

my mom watches my kids and she gets paid by calworks but I had to switch her to my aunty cause my mom got a job lol but ya they do pay family for babysitting but u have to work or be in school or welfare to work for them to pay

This is totally wrong info everyone is giving you!!!!! They don't pay grandparents in LA County anymore!!!! My friend tried to get her mom paid and they denied it and said grandparents have to babysit for free now!!!!

One thing no one mentioned - the payments go directly to your childcare provider (your mom), not to you. Also, they don't withhold taxes, so your mom will need to report that income and possibly pay taxes on it depending on her total income. Make sure she knows this ahead of time so she can set aside some money if needed!

As a follow-up to my earlier comment, I want to clarify about the payment rates. For LA County in 2025, a license-exempt provider (like your mom) caring for an infant full-time would receive approximately $1,080-1,300 per month, depending on how many hours you work and your exact location within LA County. The payments are based on your approved work hours plus reasonable travel time. Make sure your mom tracks her hours carefully using the attendance sheet they'll provide.

Hey Lauren! Just wanted to add something that might help - make sure you get the childcare authorization form (CF 777) from your worker ASAP. I made the mistake of waiting until after I started work to request it and ended up losing 2 weeks of potential payments. The form needs to be submitted before your mom can start getting paid, even if she's already approved as a provider. Also, keep copies of everything - they sometimes "lose" paperwork and you'll need to resubmit. Good luck with the new job!

Welcome to the community! I see you're getting lots of great advice here. Just wanted to add one more thing - when you submit your mom's provider application, make sure she includes a copy of her ID and Social Security card. The processing gets delayed if they have to request missing documents later. Also, once she's approved, she'll get a provider number that she needs to write on all the attendance sheets. The county is pretty strict about having complete documentation, so double-check everything before submitting. Congrats on the new job and hope everything works out smoothly with the childcare payments!

Hey Lauren! I went through this exact same process about 6 months ago when my mom started watching my daughter. One thing I wish someone had told me - make sure your mom understands she needs to submit the monthly attendance sheets by the 5th of each month or the payment gets delayed to the following month. Also, if your work schedule changes at all (like you get overtime or your hours shift), you need to notify your childcare worker immediately so they can update the authorization. The system is pretty rigid about only paying for pre-approved hours. And definitely take advantage of that Claimyr service someone mentioned - it seriously saved me so much time and frustration trying to get through to the right people. Best of luck with everything!

Hi Lauren! Congratulations on your new job - that's such great news! I wanted to add a couple things that might help since I just went through this process with my sister last year. First, make sure your mom knows that she'll need to complete orientation training within 30 days of being approved as a provider - it's usually done online and takes about 2 hours. Second, if you're planning to work more than 32 hours per week, you might qualify for "full-time plus" rates which are slightly higher than the standard full-time rate. Also, keep in mind that if your mom ever gets sick or can't provide care, you'll need a backup plan because the payments stop if care isn't provided. Some families set up a second family member as an alternate provider just in case. The whole process seems overwhelming at first but once everything is set up, it runs pretty smoothly. Wishing you all the best with your new job and getting everything sorted out!

Hey Lauren! Welcome to the community and congrats on the new job! I just wanted to add one more tip that really helped me when I set up childcare payments for my mom last year. Make sure you ask your worker about the "emergency backup care" option - it allows you to have up to 10 days per month where a different approved family member can provide care if your mom can't. This was a lifesaver when my mom had to go to a doctor's appointment during my work hours. Also, don't be surprised if the first payment takes 4-6 weeks to come through even after all paperwork is submitted - that's unfortunately pretty normal. But like others mentioned, they do backdate to your work start date once everything is approved. The monthly amount really does help families, and it sounds like you've got great advice from everyone here about all the forms and requirements. You've got this!

Hi Lauren! Congrats on your new job - what an exciting milestone! I just wanted to share one more thing that really helped me when I set up childcare payments for my grandmother last year. Make sure you ask your worker about getting a copy of the "Childcare Provider Handbook" - it has all the rules and requirements in one place that your mom will need to follow. Also, I'd recommend taking photos of all the forms before you submit them, not just copies. I learned this the hard way when my paperwork got "lost" and having the photos on my phone made it super easy to quickly resubmit everything. The whole process can feel overwhelming at first, but once you get through the initial setup, it really does help families like ours. Wishing you the best with your new job and hoping everything goes smoothly with getting your mom approved as a provider!

Hey Lauren! Congratulations on getting approved for CalWORKs and landing a new job - that's awesome! I'm pretty new to this community myself but have been reading through all the great advice everyone's given you. Just wanted to add my support and say it's so smart that you're getting all this figured out before you start work on Monday. From what I've read here, it sounds like having your mom watch your baby is a great option and the payment rates seem pretty decent. Make sure to get that CF 777 form from your worker ASAP like Amina mentioned, and definitely keep copies (and photos!) of everything you submit. This community seems amazing for getting real advice from people who've actually been through the process. Best of luck with your new job and getting the childcare payments set up - you're taking all the right steps to make this work for your family!

Hey Lauren! Congratulations on your new job and getting approved for CalWORKs - that's such a big accomplishment! I'm also pretty new to this community but wanted to chime in with some encouragement. Reading through all the amazing advice everyone has given you here, it's clear you're going to be well-prepared for getting your mom set up as a childcare provider. The monthly payment amounts that Ellie mentioned ($1,080-1,300) sound really helpful for families like ours. I love how supportive this community is - everyone sharing their real experiences and practical tips makes navigating these programs so much less overwhelming. Make sure to save this whole thread as a reference since there's so much useful information here! Wishing you the best of luck with your job starting Monday. You've got this, and it sounds like your baby will be in great hands with grandma!

Hi Lauren! Welcome to the community and huge congratulations on your new job - what an exciting fresh start! I'm also relatively new here but have been learning so much from everyone's shared experiences. Reading through all the detailed advice you've received, it's clear you're going to be well-prepared for getting your mom set up as a childcare provider. The step-by-step guidance about forms, timelines, and payment rates is exactly the kind of real-world information that makes all the difference. I especially appreciate how everyone emphasized keeping copies and photos of all paperwork - that seems like such a crucial tip that could save a lot of headaches later. It's amazing how this community comes together to support families navigating these systems. Wishing you the best of luck with your job starting Monday and getting everything sorted with the childcare payments. You've got this!

Hey Lauren! Welcome to the community and congratulations on both getting approved for CalWORKs and landing a new job - that's such an exciting milestone! I'm also pretty new to navigating these programs, but I wanted to add my support and say how impressed I am with all the detailed advice everyone has shared here. The information about payment rates, required forms like the CF 777, and tips about keeping photos of paperwork in addition to copies is incredibly valuable. It's clear this community really looks out for each other! One small thing I learned from my own experience is to ask your worker for their direct phone number or email if possible - it can save time if you need to follow up on anything rather than going through the main county line. Best of luck with your job starting Monday and getting your mom set up as a provider. You're being so proactive about getting this figured out ahead of time, which will definitely pay off. This thread is going to be such a great reference for other families in similar situations!

Hey Lauren! Welcome to the community and congratulations on your new job - that's such a huge accomplishment! I'm also fairly new to CalWORKs myself and this thread has been incredibly educational for me too. Everyone here has given you such thorough advice about the childcare payment process. Just wanted to add one small thing I learned recently - when you call to follow up on anything, try calling right when they open at 8am or right after lunch around 1pm. Those seem to be the times when wait times are shortest. Also, if your mom has any questions once she starts getting the payments, this community is such a great resource for troubleshooting issues that come up. The support here is amazing! Best of luck with your job starting Monday - you're so well-prepared now thanks to everyone's help. Your baby is lucky to have such a caring mom and grandma looking out for them!

Hey Lauren! Welcome to the community and congratulations on your new job - that's such an amazing accomplishment! I'm also relatively new to navigating CalWORKs benefits, and this thread has been incredibly helpful for me to read through as well. Everyone here has provided such detailed, practical advice about the childcare payment process. I just wanted to add one thing I learned recently that might help - make sure you ask your worker about getting text or email notifications for when payments are processed. Some counties offer this and it can really help with peace of mind knowing when your mom's payment has gone through each month. Also, don't hesitate to reach out to this community if any questions come up once you get started - everyone here is so knowledgeable and willing to help troubleshoot issues. Best of luck with your job starting Monday! You're so well-prepared thanks to all the amazing advice here, and it sounds like your baby will be in wonderful hands with grandma. This community really shows how much easier these programs become when we support each other!