For Parents

For Community-based Organizations

For California Department of Education Contractors

Overview

LACEL Brochure
Armenian / Chinese / English / Khmer (Cambodian) / Korean / Russian / Spanish / Vietnamese

For Parents
The items listed in this section help explain the California system of subsidized child care and development, how to register to receive child care and development assistance, eligibility requirements, and documentation needed for enrollment.

For Community-based Organizations Working with Families Needing Child Care and Development Services
This section contains materials needed to inform families about subsidized child care and development services, how to register on the LACEL, and the records needed to verify eligibility.  In addition, there are guides for working with the Child Care Resource and Referral (R&R) Agencies and ideas for how to support families during the process of applying for and enrolling in subsidized child care and development programs.

For California Department of Education (CDE) Contractors
The items in this section include registration forms and brochures that will help inform families about the LACEL and aid in registering them.  In addition, there are materials such as the Policy and Procedure Manual and other training materials to assist your staff with effectively using the LACEL.

Overview
The Los Angeles County Centralized Eligibility List (LACEL) is the gateway for low-income families to access subsidized child care and development services. The LACEL is funded by the California Department of Education/Child Development Division (CDE/CDD) and administered by the Los Angeles County Office of Child Care on behalf of the Child Care Planning Committee.

The LACEL is a Web-based data system that:

• Provides low-income families with a one-stop mechanism to access the full range of subsidized child care and development services funded by the CDE/CDD.  The LACEL calculates eligibility based on the information provided by the parent and assigns admission priority to each family based on family size and income.

• Streamlines identification of eligible children by the CDE/CDD-contracted child care and development programs and some Head Start programs; and

• Supplies unduplicated information on the number of families who qualify for subsidized child care and development services but remain un-served.

The LACEL is a Shared Enterprise

The LACEL is not “owned” by any one entity, including the LACEL Administrator.  It is a shared enterprise for the benefit of families and CDE/CDD contractors. The LACEL is of most value to families and agencies when the information it contains is accurate and up-to-date.  Maintaining this information is the responsibility of all parties:  the LACEL Administrator, agency users, and families.

The system operates from two secure servers maintained by the County of Los Angeles. All information from families is confidential.

In Los Angeles County there are approximately 150 CDE/CDD-contracted child care and development agencies providing subsidized services through four primary program types:

• Alternative Payment Programs
• Family Child Care Home Education Networks
• California State Preschool Programs
• Child Care and Development Centers

Contact Us

Telephone:    (213) 974-1664
Facsimile:     (213) 217-5106
E-mail:          LACEL@ceo.lacounty.gov

Mailing Address:

Los Angeles Centralized Eligibility List (LACEL)
Office of Child Care/SIB/CEO
County of Los Angeles
222 South Hill Street, 5th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90012

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Office of Child Care, within the Service Integration Branch
of the Chief Executive Office
222 S. Hill St., 5th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 974-4103 Phone – (213) 217-5106 Fax

Office of Child Care Home Page