Child care is expensive and can easily become the biggest expense in a family’s budget. For a single mother of a toddler and a school-aged child, costs can consume up to one-third of her family’s budget – more than the cost of housing or food.
The Child Care Assistance Program (“CCAP”) provides assistance to working families who cannot afford the full cost of quality, regulated care for their children. To be eligible, the parent must be working at least 20 hours per week and have income less than 180 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($35,622 for a family of three). This is the lowest eligibility limit for child care assistance in New England. Families enrolled in CCAP contribute a monthly co-payment based on their income. Approximately 8,900 children currently benefit from the program.