The Alternative Payment Program (APP), funded by Department of Social Services, offers financial assistance for parents needing child care. The APP helps families arrange child care services and makes payments for those services directly to the child care provider selected by the family. The APP is intended to increase parental choice and accommodate the individual needs of the family. Recipients of this program are based on income and need.
Need and Eligibility Requirements
Need verification is a requirement for participation in any of these programs which means that the family is income-eligible and has a documented, independent verifiable need of Child Care services. There needs to be verification that there is no parent in the family capable of providing care for the family’s child and that supervision of the family’s child is not otherwise being provided by school or another person during the time that Child Care services is being requested. If there is a verified need, staff will assist parents in determining their eligibility status and the appropriate placement for their children in any of the following programs. The parent(s) shall document total countable income for all the individuals counted in the family size.
Enrollment Application
If you are interested in the APP, you must submit a CDR Eligibility Waiting List (CEWL) application.
FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY
If you are on cash aid (welfare) at the present time, or have been in the last 24 months, you may be eligible for Child Care if you are also:
working, or attending school or vocational training, or seeking employment.
Based upon CalWORKs, eligible parents can obtain subsidized Child Care from the provider of their choice.
The CalWORKs Child Care Program is administered in three stages. Stage One is administered by the county cash-aid departments. Stages Two and Three are administered by Alternative Payment Program (APP) agencies under contract with the California Department of Education (CDE). The stages are intended to provide a smooth transition for families from short-term Child Care to stable long-term care needed for families to become self-sufficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apply online at CEWL Application
You need to get in touch with your eligibility worker with the county and notify your worker that you are in need of Child Care. Your worker should refer you to the CalWORKs Stage One Child Care contractor for the county, or if you have to apply for the Eligibility Waiting List, to Child Development Resources.
You will be notified by phone or mail when funding becomes available. At that time your income, family size, and other information will be verified to assure that your family falls within the income rank we are currently enrolling. You will be asked to provide written documentation of your income; employment, school enrollment, and other information needed to determine eligibility for Child Care services. If we determine that your actual rank income puts your family higher than the ranks we are presently enrolling, your application will be returned to the Child Development Resources Eligibility Waiting List. You must have documented need for Child Care because you are working, seeking work, or attending school or training for all of the programs except for Head Start and State Preschool. If you do not have a valid need for Child Care at the time you are notified of enrollment, your application will be returned to the Child Development Resources Eligibility Waiting List unless you are being contacted by Head Start.
We cannot tell you how long you’ll have to wait on the Child Development Resources Eligibility Waiting List. When a person applies his/her name gets placed on a computerized waiting list. New families are enrolled when funding becomes available. This happens when families leave the program or when the agency receives new funds to expand the program. When we have openings (funding/money) available, the funding source requires us to enroll families starting with those with the lowest income.
Each applicant is responsible for keeping his or her application current. Failure to update will cause the family to be dropped from the Child Development Resources Eligibility Waiting List. You may call to update your information or to request an application whenever there’s a change in any of the following: Name, Address, Phone Number, Income, Marital Status, Family Size, Employment/Education.
Eligible families who are certified for the Alternative Payment Program (APP) may choose Child Care of their choice with a licensed Child Care center or Family Child Care home, or with an unlicensed adult such as a relative, friend or neighbor who will care for the parent’s children only. Or, eligible families may be enrolled by a specific Child Care center.
In APP all Child Care providers must complete an approval process with the appropriate Alternative Payment Program (APP) agency and receive a provider agreement before they can receive reimbursement for children in their care. Children in the same family can have different Child Care providers. Parents can change Child Care arrangements with prior approval by the Parent Services Specialist. Depending on the parents’ needs, children can receive services full-time or part-time, as well as in the evening, overnight or on weekends. This program does NOT reimburse private school tuition for children attending kindergarten or elementary school. Only before-and-after school childcare, as well as full-time during off-track, summer or holiday periods can be reimbursed.
In a Head Start or center-based program, your child will be enrolled in a specific center; in some cases the child must be three or four years old. When your name is next on the Child Development Resources Eligibility Waiting List, the agency will explain which of these programs you are being enrolled in.
Qualifying families with children ages 0-12 years must meet specific requirements, such as the need for child care and be income or categorically eligible.
Refer to the direction on the most recent Notice of Action. Refer to page 16 of the Parent Handbook.
A doctor note is required after 5 days of consecutive absences. Refer to page 12 of the Parent Handbook.
Both parent or provider document attendance. A parent’s signature/date is required verifying Child Care services were used at the end of the service month. The provider’s signature/date is required after the parent verifying all information on the Child Care Attendance Sheet is accurate prior to submitting to CDR.
Missing parent or provider signature may delay reimbursement or may be considered a non-reimbursement.
View sample Child Care Attendance Sheet
Refer to your assigned Parent Service Specialist noted on the most recent Notice of Action.
Clients are no longer required to report changes within 5 days.
Clients are required to report the following:
- Report an increase in income that exceed the exit threshold 85% of the SMI
- Request for the Family Fee to be re-assessed when there are changes in income
- Request an increase or decrease in Child Care services hours as needed
Clients voluntarily report the following changes:
- Phone number or address
- Request a change of provider
- Change in family size
- Changes to schedules for authorization of Child Care services
Child Care services are certified for 12 months, the duration of time Child Care services is certified will be noted on the Notice of Action and Notice of Communication provided to the client and provider.
Once eligibility and need are verified CDR’s decision to approve Child Care services will be communicated through a Notice of Communication and provided to the provider.
Once eligibility and need are verified CDR’s decision to approve or deny Child Care services will be communicated through a written statement referred to as Notice of Action and provided to the client.
Contact your assigned CDR Parent Services Specialist within 5 days. See the parent services page.
Contact your assigned CalWORKs case manager. Call your assigned CalWORKs case manager at the offices listed on the Child Care assistance page.
Contact your assigned CalWORKs case manager. Call your assigned CalWORKs case manager at the offices listed on the CalWORKs Locations page.
Contact the CalWORKs offices listed on the Child Care assistance page for eligibility information.