Arizona Department of Economic Security
Your Partner for a Stronger Arizona
English Arabic French Persian Spanish Swahili Ukrainian Vietnamese

Main menu

DES Contracted Child Care Centers and Group Homes

Quality child care helps kids grow socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically. A child-centered environment boosts creativity and learning. It gives kids many chances to build essential skills they will need for school and life.

Arizona's child care providers are key to improving access to quality care. They contract with DES to get paid for eligible children. All DES child care providers must fill out a registration agreement. They should also keep their information up-to-date with DES.

DES Child Care Provider Registration Agreement (PRA)

To become a DES contracted child care center or group home, providers must:

  • Review the DES Provider Registration Agreement (PRA).
  • Sign the PRA.
  • Return the PRA.

Announcement

The new PRA for the contract term October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2031, is now available for review using the following link.

Read Provider Registration Agreement

Starting in August 2026 Providers will be able to access the platform from this webpage to submit the required information and documents for the new PRA. The new platform will provide step by step instructions for completing the PRA.

If you are a licensed center or group home that is interested in becoming contracted with DES, please reach out to the Provider Network and Support team at [email protected] while the new platform is under development.

Provider Resources

Access to DES Provider Forms Included in the PRA

Provider Registration Agreement Documents

Centralized Background Check Information

Applicants and employees working in direct service positions with (or providing care for) children or vulnerable adults in Arizona must use the Arizona Centralized Background Checks (CBC) web portal to request background checks from the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) Central Registry and the Adult Protective Services (APS) Registry, and receive status updates on Fingerprint Clearance Cards through the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS).

  • Applicants and employees in Arizona who work in direct service positions with children or vulnerable adults must use the Arizona Centralized Background Checks (CBC) web portal.
  • The portal is used to request background checks from the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) Central Registry.
  • It is also used to request background checks from the Adult Protective Services (APS) Registry.
  • Through the portal, users can receive status updates on Fingerprint Clearance Cards.
  • These updates come from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Additional information, including User Guides and Video Tutorials, can be found on the DES Centralized Background Checks webpage.

In addition, click on the following links for answers to your frequently asked questions:

Contact the Provider Network and Support Team

If you have questions about your Provider Registration Agreement with DES, please reach out to the Provider Network and Support team. The team is available Monday through Friday at [email protected].

Child Care Rates FAQs

Where can DES Maximum Reimbursement Rates be found?

The updated Maximum Reimbursement Rates for Child Care form (CCA-1227A) is located within the DES Document Center.

Do Providers receive a full daily rate even if a child is present under six hours? If so, does the parent owe a copay or additional charges?

A Unit of Care is represented by a daily rate (“D” or "P") of care (15 minutes or more) on the AZCCATS Billing Document, Certificate of Authorization Form, and the Verbal Notice of Eligibility Form. Any child care provided for 14 minutes or less is not a payable unit of care. A copay and any additional charges as listed in the Provider/Parent/Guardian Agreement for Charges form should be collected if the care provided is a payable unit of care.

What are the parent copays?

A family’s copay is determined at the point of the family’s child care eligibility determination and is based on income level.

How exactly does the child care reimbursement work with programs participating in Quality First? What about national accreditation? Do providers get an enhanced rate regardless if they are 3, 4, or 5 stars and/or nationally accredited?

The enhanced rate is a set percentage increase (40% effective November 1, 2025) to the base reimbursement rate for providers with Quality First star ratings of a 3, 4, or 5, and/or DES accepted national accreditation. DES receives a weekly report from First Things First with information on the provider's Quality First Star rating. Any changes to the star rating at the time of review will be used to determine the DES enhanced rate status. The new star rating will be effective on the first day of the following month. The enhanced rate for providers with a declined star rating to a 1-star or 2-star will end effective the last day of the month.

Back to Top