Bill
HB 782
Establishes an Ohio At-Home Infant Care Program to provide 90% of PFCC max for full-time in-home care for eligible children under two, tax-exempt.
HB 782 (136th General Assembly) — At-Home Infant Care Program Act
Jurisdiction: Ohio
Introduced: March 24, 2026
Sponsor(s): Rep. D. Brewer; Co-sponsors: Piccolantonio, Miller, J., Russo, Brennan, Lett, Upchurch
Summary
HB 782 would create the At-Home Infant Care Program within the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) to provide financial assistance to eligible caretaker parents so they can stay home full-time to care for children under two years old. Payments under the program would be exempt from Ohio state income tax. The bill also includes appropriation language to fund start-up and outreach costs for fiscal year 2027. The program’s availability is contingent on funding and is to be implemented through rules adopted by DCY.
Key Provisions
1) Establishment and purpose
- Creates the At-Home Infant Care Program in the DCY.
- Objective: provide financial assistance to eligible caretaker parents to enable full-time home caregiving for children under two.
- Participation is subject to available funds.
2) Eligibility (initial and continued)
- Caretaker parent must be at least 18 years old (18+; exception: under 18 if they have a high school diploma or equivalent).
- The child must be under two years old and the caretaker must not have previously received a total of two years of at-home care assistance for that child.
- Family income must align with maximum limits established by DCY rules, mirroring the public publicly funded child care (PFCC) program's income thresholds.
- Other criteria may be imposed by DCY rules.
- Applications: caretakers submit to DCY per DCY-prescribed methods; DCY must review and determine eligibility promptly.
3) Program operation and benefits
- For each eligible child, at-home financial assistance is available only until the child turns two.
- If the caretaker is in an education or training program (including breaks), the caretaker may receive assistance during breaks to stay home with the child.
- Other family members may work or participate in education/training while assistance is received; participating caretaker can still receive benefits for the child.
4) Amount and treatment of assistance
- Financial assistance for each eligible child equals 90% of the PFCC maximum for full-time care in a licensed type B family child care home not in the DCY Step Up to Quality program, with adjustments for whether the child is eligible for special needs care or is an infant/toddler.
- Tax treatment: payments received under the At-Home Infant Care Program are exempt from Ohio state income tax.
5) Interaction with other programs
- Assistance under this program is excluded from consideration when applying for other state assistance programs, unless federal funding would be compromised. If excluding the program’s aid would jeopardize federal funding, the other program may factor in the At-Home Infant Care funds.
- DCY and other agencies will consult on waivers from federal law where possible to facilitate exclusions.
6) Coordination with Help Me Grow
- DCY must establish procedures to facilitate joint enrollment with the Help Me Grow program, including a possible enrollment checkbox to opt in/out of the other program.
7) Outreach and rules
- DCY must raise awareness of the program, including materials for prenatal and pediatric health care providers.
- Rules: DCY must adopt necessary rules to implement the program, including income reporting and changes in family circumstances, under the state Administrative Procedure Act.
8) Appropriation and start-up
- July 1, 2026: DCY must certify a funding amount for start-up, public awareness, and eligibility determination costs for FY 2027, which the bill appropriates.
Who would be affected
- Eligible caretaker parents and their children under two, who choose or require full-time in-home care.
- Licensed type B family child care homes (as a comparators for benefit calculation).
- Families eligible for PFCC programs (income limits aligned with PFCC).
- DCY and partner agencies (Help Me Grow, other assistance programs) due to coordination, waivers, and potential interactions with federal funding.
Timeline and procedure
- Implementation contingent on funding; rules to be adopted under the Administrative Procedure Act.
- Start-up funding appropriation requested for FY 2027, with program operations beginning after certification of start-up funds.
- Annual eligibility and benefit determinations to occur as long as the child remains under two and funds are available.
Notes
- The bill repeals the current Section 5747.01 and adds new language creating Section 5180.23 to implement the program and its tax exemption.
- The act would be named the At-Home Infant Care Program Act.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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