How It Works

The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) helps low-income families find and pay for child care while the parents work, look for work, or go to school.

When you get a letter or email saying you are approved for CCCAP, it also tells you how many child care hours are included, the rate that your child care provider can charge, and if or how much you have to pay for your child care.

Parent Fees

The parent fee is the amount you must pay to your child care provider at the start of each month, and then CCCAP pays the rest of the cost to the provider. The parent fee is on a sliding scale of 1% to 14% of your household income. Where you are on the sliding scale depends on the size of your household, your income, the number of children getting child care, and the total number of child care hours needed.

Your provider can't charge you more than the rate approved by CCCAP for the number of hours that are approved by CCCAP. If your child gets more hours of child care than the total amount approved by CCCAP, you have to pay for those extra hours yourself. And if you pick up your child after hours and your child care provider charges late fees, you have to pay those late fees.

Note: If you do not pay your monthly parent fee, your CCCAP may end, and you might not be able to get these benefits in the future. You must pay your parent fee even if you change child care providers.

Finding a Child Care Provider

Once you are approved for CCCAP, it is up to you to find the right child care for your children. A few counties may have a wait list, but most do not and you can start choosing your child care provider right away. If you are in the Colorado Works or the Colorado Child Welfare programs and get a referral from your program, you can bypass the wait list, if there is one.

The state of Colorado licenses child care programs to make sure they meet health and safety requirements, and licensed programs are monitored every year. You can choose a licensed child care center, a licensed family child care home, or a friend, neighbor, or relative caretaker. It can be hard to decide, but you can get help.

Colorado Shines is a free service that helps you find and research licensed child care and preschool programs throughout Colorado. It offers:

• A Child Care Referral line at 1-877-338-CARE (2273), where you can get help finding a child care program
• Ratings of licensed child care programs
• A way to search for licensed child care providers that accept CCCAP
• Descriptions of the many different types of child care programs, and
• A step-by-step guide for finding quality child care.

If you are interested in a child care provider, contact it to see if they have space and if they accept CCCAP.

Note: If you choose a licensed child care provider with a high quality rating from Colorado Shines (3, 4, or 5 in its 1-5 rating system), you get a 20% discount on your parent fee.

Authorization

Once you choose a child care provider, you must report their name, address, and phone number, and if they are licensed to your local county human services department, so they can approve paying that provider. Note: You must do this before your child starts going to that child care provider. CCCAP will not pay the costs of any child care you get before the provider is approved.

Redetermination

Every 12 months, you must fill out a Redetermination of Eligibility Form so your county can see if you still qualify for CCCAP. If your current income is more than the Exit Income limit, your CCCAP will end.

You must fill out and turn in the redetermination form to your local county human services department with proof of your current situation (such as 30 days of paycheck stubs and your work schedule). If you don't submit the form and needed documents, your county will end your child care benefits.

Report Any Changes

You can change your child care provider, but you must tell your county before your child starts going to the new person or facility.

And you must tell your local county human services department within four weeks if:

• Your income changes
• Your child care schedule changes, or
• There are any other changes that might affect your eligibility for CCCAP.

If you move out of Colorado, you no longer qualify for Colorado Child Care Assistance Program benefits. If you move within Colorado, you don' t have to report the move until you fill out your annual redetermination form (but if you change child care providers that still must be reported before the change is made). If you move from one Colorado county to another, you don't have to report the move until you fill out your annual redetermination form, but the form must be sent to the county where you now live.

Note: If you do move from one Colorado county to another, it is a good idea to tell your county human services department about the move when it happens (even though you don't have to do this), so they can help make sure that your redetermination form gets submitted correctly.