Kentucky’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) is a federally-funded program that helps low-income families pay for child care for children up to age 13, or age 19 in the case of a special need or disability.
Basic Qualifications
You are eligible for Kentucky CCAP if you meet each of the following conditions:
- Your child is a resident of Kentucky and either a U.S. citizen or qualified legal immigrant.
- Your child is under 13 years of age. There is an exception for children 13 to 19 years of age if your child has a disability.
- You fit one of the following scenarios:
- You work an average of 20 hours per week as a single parent and your income is less than child care income limits.
- You work an average of 40 hours per week as a couple and your income is less than child care income limits.
- You are a teen parent attending high school or pursuing a GED.
- You currently participate in the SNAP Employment & Training program.
- You are an adult who is a full-time student at a certified trade school or accredited college or university.
- You participate in Kentucky Works activities.
- You need child care as a support for child protective/preventative services.
- You are looking for employment.
Still not sure if you’re eligible? Use the Prescreening Tool through KYNECT to check for potential eligibility.
Ways to Apply for Kentucky CCAP
Apply Online
To apply for CCAP online, simply visit kynect and either click the purple “Sign Up” to create a new account or “Sign In” at the top right-hand corner of the screen to access an existing account.
Apply via Phone
CCAP applications can be submitted via phone by calling (855) 306-8959 and asking to speak with a caseworker.
Apply In Person
If you’d prefer to apply in person, simply visit your local DCBS office. To find your Kentucky DCBS local office, use the Find a DCBS Office tool and search by city, county, or zip code.
Note: If you need assistance because you do not speak English or have a disability, free language assistance and/or other aids and services are available on request. To receive free interpreter services, call (866) 291- 8931. For other assistance, call (855) 306-8959 or (TTY)(800) 627-4720.
FAQs
Since families may be less familiar with using CCAP to cover school-age child care costs, we’ve put together a list of questions you may have about eligibility and finding a qualifying program.
In Kentucky, applicants for child care assistance must have monthly gross income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guideline (FPG) to be eligible at application and at or below 85% of the State Median Income (SMI) at recertification. Income guidelines do not apply to cases approved by Protection and Permanency.
| Family Size | 200% FPG |
|---|---|
| 2 | $2,903.00 |
| 3 | $3,660.00 |
| 4 | $4,417.00 |
| 5 | $5,173.00 |
| 6 | $5,930.00 |
| 7 | $6,687.00 |
| 8 | $7,410.00 |
| Over 8 | Add $757.00 for each |
| Family Size | 85% SMI |
|---|---|
| 2 | $3,743.00 |
| 3 | $4,623.00 |
| 4 | $5,504.00 |
| 5 | $6,384.00 |
| 6 | $7,265.00 |
| 7 | $7,430.00 |
| 8 | $7,595.00 |
| Over 8 | Add $166.00 for each |
Yes, you may still qualify for CCAP if you meet all other eligibility requirements AND both of the following apply to your child:
- Your child is under nineteen (19) years of age.
- Your child has a special need or court order.
In order for a child to be considered special needs, written verification of the special
need must be obtained. Verification may be provided by:
- A qualified health professional, a physician, physician’s assistant, advanced registered nurse practitioner, qualified mental health professional as defined by KRS 600.020(48) or registered nurse as defined by KRS 314.011(5);
- A court order or similar documentation indicating the child is under court supervision;
- An Individual Education Program (IEP) provided by the school; or
- SSI Award Letter.
Copays are the portion of the state rate a family is responsible for paying based on income before taxes and family size.
- Copays are currently waived for families as a result of federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funding. When this funding runs out, DCC will notify families and copayments will resume.
- Families can estimate their copay by looking at this chart.
- If a family receives CCAP as a result of a Protection and Permanency Case, copays may be waived.
Overage is the amount left over if the child care provider charges more in tuition than the state maximum rate and any co-payment due. Depending on the amount of tuition, a family may not be responsible for an overage.
These fees are additional fees a child care provider may charge (separate from tuition) for operating expenses. CCAP usually will not cover these additional optional expenses a child care provider may choose to charge. However, in some circumstances, the enrollment fee can be paid. Enrollment fees can be paid for KTAP or child care protection cases approved by DCBS Family Support or DCBS Protection and Permanency. The enrollment fee must be requested by the provider in writing to the billing department and include the child’s name, case number and the amount. Enrollment fees can be paid only once in a 12-month period and are limited to a family amount of $100 per year.
Once you’ve been approved for CCAP, you then need to locate a participating provider that serves school-age children and meets your needs.
Things to know:
- In Kentucky, only providers that are licensed, certified, or registered with the Kentucky Division of Regulated Child Care (KY DCC) are eligible to receive CCAP payments.
- A friend or family member, such as a grandparent or neighbor, can also accept CCAP if they become a registered provider. Click here for more information on how friends and family members can become registered child care providers and receive CCAP payments.
- School-age child care providers that are legally exempt from Kentucky child care licensing and regulations, such as youth camps and educational or instructional programs that a child attends for no more than 10 hours a week, are currently NOT eligible to accept CCAP.
Ways to find a school-age provider that accepts CCAP:
- Use Kentucky’s Public Child Care Search Tool. To use the tool, enter your address, city, county or zip code into the search box to see a list of all regulated providers in your area.
- You will have to click on each provider to see whether or not they serve school-age children and accept CCAP.
- Once you made a list of possible providers in your area, you will need to call each provider to find out whether or not they have an opening for your child.
- Note: Not all “school-age providers” serve children up to age 13 (or 19 in the case of special needs).
- Speak to a Child Care Aware of Kentucky (CCAofKY)referral specialist by calling (855) 306-8959.
- Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) can also help families search and receive referrals for childcare at https://www.4cforkids.org/for-families/find-child-care/ or by calling (502)636-1358.
- Ask friends and family members with school-age children in child care or your child’s school for referrals. Schools often maintain a list of local afterschool and summer child care programs and may even know which ones accept CCAP.
There are a number of resources that can help you find and choose a high-quality school-age child care program.
- Visit the Child Care Aware website to find resources aimed at helping families choose a high-quality program that meets their needs. Child Care Aware also has a School-Age Child Care Program Checklist to help you know what to look for when you visit a school-age child care program.
- Download and review a copy of the Kentucky School-Age Program Standards.
Families who need school-age child care often have to piece together multiple programs throughout the year to meet their needs. CCAP can be used at multiple childcare programs, but each program must be regulated by the KY DCC and accept CCAP.
- If approved, CCAP eligibility begins on the date of application.
- Providers will receive payment covering the period from the date of application to the date of approval.
Sadly, approximately half of all counties in Kentucky are classified as “child care deserts,” meaning that there are either no regulated child care providers in a given county or the ratio of children to total child care seats exceeds 1:3 for a given county. Please email us at kyosa@savechildren.org if you run into this issue, as stories from families are critical for advocating for expanded access to school-age child care, particularly for CCAP recipients.
Recertification is the process by which CHFS determines if you are still eligible for the program based on any changes in your work status and income.
Families will have to recertify for CCAP on a yearly basis.
Families can recertify for CCAP by calling DCBS or visiting a local DCBS office to set up an interview. Recertification will look very similar to the interview process you do when you initially get CCAP.
To find out what documentation you’ll need to recertify, contact your local DCBS office.
Change reporting is the process of alerting DCBS of any changes that may impact your CCAP benefits. All changes have to be reported to CHFS within 10 days of the change happening. If a family fails to alert the Cabinet of a change within 10 days, they can be at risk of losing benefits or being charged with fraud.
You can report changes to CHFS by calling DCBS or visiting your local DCBS office.