Services for Children and Families

The DHS provides a wide array of very important services to Rhode Island children and their families which are intended to make families strong, productive and economically independent, and children healthy, ready to learn and off to their best possible start in life. Included among those services is a variety of programs available to help with a parent’s transition into employment, comprehensive health insurance for children up to age 19, certain families and pregnant women, food stamp benefits to help families provide nutritional meals, and child care subsidies to thousands of working families (whether or not they are a DHS program client), struggling with the cost of child care, as well as access and availability issues.

Family Independence Program:
Launched in 1997 following national and local welfare reform, this program serves to assist thousands of families receiving cash assistance who are now preparing to enter work, as well as those who have entered jobs but still face the challenges of maintaining employment. The program offers work supports including child care subsidies and health care benefits to help ease the transition to employment.

Child Care:
The state provides subsidies child care subsidies to working families, based on income. There are no waiting lists and no time limits for receiving these subsidies. Families, based on income, may be required to pay a co-payment of this expense.

Medical Assistance Program:
This program pays for medical and health care services for children and families through RIte Care, the managed health care program, and for children with special health care needs through the Medical Assistance or "Medicaid" Program. Income guidelines apply, however, eligibility for RIte Care is different than eligibility for Medical Assistance.

RIte Care/ RIte Share:
Families with children under the age of 19, as well as pregnant women, may qualify for RIte Care health insurance. Income guidelines apply, and enrollees are given the opportunity to choose their own doctor. Covered benefits include doctor’s visits, prescriptions, immunizations, lab tests, hospital care, and more.

Food Stamps:
The DHS Food Stamp Program helps families, who may be working but are still struggling financially, to buy food and provide nutritional meals for themselves. The program, the largest food and nutrition support program in the state, is a partnership between the federal government and the state. Families qualify to receive food stamp benefits based on their income, the resources they have and the size of their household. Families can be unemployed, working or preparing for work/training to qualify.

Children with Special Needs:
The DHS provides a number of services for children with special needs including rehabilitation services, medical services, including durable medical equipment and additional services for children who require follow-up treatment and care for certain physical, behavioral, or developmental disabilities or conditions.