Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) assists families in paying for child care for children age 12 and younger and children ages 13 and 14 who have special needs so that parents can work, attend school or job search.
Effective July 1, 2009, a family's gross income must be below 47% of the State Median Income (SMI) at the time of initial application to qualify for the child care assistance funds.
Household
Size |
47% of SMI |
| 2 |
$26,669 |
| 3 |
$32,944 |
| 4 |
$39,219 |
| 5 |
$45,494 |
| 6 |
$51,769 |
| 7 |
$52,945 |
| 8 |
$54,122 |
Families may need to pay a portion of the child care cost based on family size and income.
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How to Apply for Child Care Assistance
Call the Washington County financial intake line at 651-430-6459 to be screened for eligibility or, if you already receive another type of public assistance, ask your case worker about applying. There may be a waiting list for Basic Sliding Fee child care assistance.
If you are eligible to receive an application:
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An application will be mailed to you unless there is a waiting list. If there is a waiting list, your name will be added to it.
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If you received an application, you need to return the completed application along with all required verifications within 15 days.
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The worker has 30 days to process an application from the date it is received in the agency.
The provider you choose may be a licensed or unlicensed provider. You may choose more than one provider, although the amount of care authorized for a child can not exceed 120 hours in a 2 week period of time.
A licensed provider may be center based, a family home provider, a nursery/preschool or extended school day program. Resources for Child Caring Resource and Referral Service 651-641-0332, can provide referrals for potential licensed centers and licensed family home providers.
A non licensed provider must be over the age of 18 and pass a background study check. There is a $100 fee to cover the cost of the background study. The fee and background study must be completed every two years.
Payments: Minnesota law requires all childcare assistance payments to be paid directly to the childcare provider, either licensed or legal non-licensed, on behalf of the eligible family, except in cases where a provider cares for children in the children's home. In these cases, the childcare assistance payments must be paid directly to the parent.
Payment Vouchers: Vouchers must be sent in for payment within 60 days of the last day of the billing cycle. The county may pay a bill submitted after 60 days if the provider can show that the payment voucher was not received in a timely manner due to agency or computer error. The county will issue payment within 30 days of receipt of the voucher.
Absent Day Policy
Payment of Holidays
Situations in which the county will not be able to authorize payments for care (not limited to this list):
Provider vacations
Client's maternity leave
Some parent medical leaves
School breaks between quarters/semesters
Co-payments: A biweekly co-payment may be required. The amount that would be needed to pay would be based on income and household size. The co-pay would be paid by the family directly to the provider. Failure to pay the co-payment may result in termination of child care assistance.
Other charges: There are maximum rates that the county is able to pay for care. If the provider charges more than the maximum rate, the parent would be responsible to pay the difference.
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Parent and Provider Responsibilities
Parent Responsibilities:
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Report all changes in family size, income, work schedules, address, school or job search hours, child custody arrangements and health/dental insurance premiums within 10 days of the change. Failure to report changes may result in overpayments.
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Document the immigration or citizenship status of the children in your family.
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Cooperate with child support enforcement for all children in your household.
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Complete a child care re-determination packet at least every 6 months or less.
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Give your provider a 2 week notice of changing care or terminating care.
Provider Responsibilities:
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Notify county of care ending.
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Notify county of unpaid co-payments.
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Send in tuition and contract changes at least 10 days prior to the change. Increased tuition rates can be paid from the date that the county is notified in writing. Higher rates will not be paid retroactively.
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Send in payment vouchers within 60 days from the last day of the billing voucher cycle.
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Apply the same policies as for private pay families.
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Sign and submit a Provider Acknowledgement form before you are paid for services.
Notification to Parents and Providers:
Parents and Providers will be notified of any co-payment changes, authorization changes or termination from the program. Payment should not be expected after the end date of authorization or termination date.
