CCAP Family Eligibility & How to Apply

Parenting is full of challenges. Affordable child care shouldn’t be one of them. Learn how the RI Child Care Assistance Program can help eligible families pay for child care.

Additional Information

Child Care Assistance (CCAP) is available to:

• Income eligible families who meet guidelines and are working a minimum of 20 hours per week at or above Rhode Island's minimum wage.
• Families participating in training, apprenticeship, internship, on-the-job training, work experience, work immersion sponsored by the Governor’s Workforce Board, who need child care in order to take part in these job readiness/training opportunities.
• Families enrolled in a degree program at a Rhode Island public institution of higher education: Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), Rhode Island College (RIC), or the University of Rhode Island (URI) who need child care in order to maintain enrollment in the degree program.
• Families participating in the Rhode Island Works program.
• Pregnant/Parenting Teens participating in DHS’s Teen and Family Development (TFD) program.

Can I get CCAP?

Families with incomes at or below 261% of the federal poverty level (FPL) who meet the requirements for CCAP are eligible to receive full or partial payment for child care expenses when delivered by a CCAP-approved child care provider. There are two avenues for qualifying for payment of child care expenses through the CCAP:

• RI Works Eligibility: The Rhode Island TANF Program extends eligibility for the CCAP to Rhode Island Works Program (RIW) cash assistance recipients, including Teen and Family Development participants who meet the criteria for RI Works.
• Income Eligibility: Working Rhode Island families, families where a parent(s) is participating in an approved education and training program, an approved college degree program, Teen and Family Development participants, and YS participants, who are not RI Works cash recipients, may be income eligible for the CCAP if they meet the criteria for income eligibility.

How do I know if I am eligible?

The best way to find out if your family is eligible for CCAP benefits is to apply. Applications are reviewed by eligibility specialists who can determine if your family meets the requirements. The general eligibility requirements include:

Household Income

At application, a family’s household income must be at or below 261% of the federal poverty limit. The chart below shows the federal poverty limit by household size. It also shows how much a family in each income bracket would be responsible to contribute (family share or co-pay) to the cost of care based on their household size. Household size and income is something the department will confirm during application review.

Age of Applicant Child/ren

To receive CCAP services, the applicant child must be at least one (1) week old and below the age of 13. If a child has a documented physical or mental disability that makes the child incapable of self-care, they may be eligible for CCAP benefits through the age of 18.

If a child turns 13 (or 18 in the case of a documented disability) during the certification period, the child remains eligible until redetermination.

Relationship

The applicant child(ren) must live in the home of the parent requesting CCAP services. The relationship between the adult applying for CCAP services and each applicant child must meet the broad definition of parent.

Residency

The applicant parent(s) and any applicant children in the financial unit shall be residents of the State of Rhode Island.

Citizenship

• The applicant child shall be either a citizen of the United States or a qualified immigrant. There is no five year waiting period for qualified immigrant children to be eligible for CCAP.
• The adult applying for CCAP for an eligible child shall not be required to provide proof of citizenship or immigration status.
•  The Department utilizes the State Verification and Exchange System (SVES) to validate Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and verify an applicant/recipient’s citizenship.

Need for Services

Income-eligible families must be employed or participating in an approved education and/or training program, or an approved college degree program for a minimum of 20 hours per week.

RI Works participants or Teen and Family Development participants must have an approved education or training activity plan or work plan.

Cooperation with the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS)

All families with an absent parent(s) are referred to the Office of Child Support Services. As a condition of eligibility, the parent/caretaker relative is required to cooperate in establishing paternity, and in establishing and/or enforcing child support and medical support orders for all children in the family, unless the parent/caretaker relative is found to have good cause for refusing to comply with these requirements.

Transitional Child Care:

When a family already participating in the CCAP program has an increase in income beyond 261% of the federal poverty limit, Transitional Child Care allows the CCAP benefit to continue to be provided as long as the family’s income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level.

How do I apply? 

You can apply using the online Customer Portal, by phone (number below) or by filling out a paper application. All can be found on our Apply Now page.  

The following is a helpful Verification Checklist for documents you may need to submit for CCAP approval. 

I am approved. Now what?

Learn how to choose a child care provider for your child(ren) here. 

For more information...

Call 1-855-MY-RIDHS (1-855-697-4347) or TTY 1-800-745-5555 (for hearing impaired).