Montgomery County Georgia Web Portal

1.  What if my child has special needs?

Children with special needs may be eligible to receive CAPS if the family meets CAPS eligibility requirements. CAPS supports the Inclusion Project to help families who have children with special needs to locate child care providers. The project also offers training and technical assistance, adaptive equipment, and other resources to childcare providers who include a child with special needs into the child care setting. (http://www.ganet.org/gccc/disabilities/Inclusion_Project.pdf )

2.  Can I receive CAPS if I attend college?

Adults who are exclusively attending college to earn a four year or graduate degree are not eligible for the CAPS program. Adults attending college and working may be eligible for childcare subsidies because work is considered to be the “primary activity.” Time attending college classes is not counted toward the required minimum number of hours.

3.  Can I receive CAPS if I attend high school?

Obtaining a high school diploma is an important step in becoming a self-sufficient adult. Teen parents who need child care to attend high school may receive CAPS if the family meets eligibility criteria.

4.  Can I receive CAPS if I attend technical school?

Families that meet the eligibility criteria may receive childcare services while attending technical school. However, after 12 months of exclusive attendance in technical school, the adult must become employed and meet the work hour requirements to continue to receive CAPS.

5.  What are the CAPS work requirements?

In general, to be eligible for the CAPS program, the parent(s) or responsible person(s) in the family must work, attend a job training program, or attend GED or high school classes. In single adult families, the adult must participate in work activities an average of 25 hours per week. In two parent families, each adult must participate in work activities an average of 35 hours per week. Adults may combine activities to meet the work hour requirements, for example, the adult may attend technical college for 12 hours per week and work for 25 hours per week.
Employment is defined as regular and predictable work performed by the parent or responsible person in exchange for federal minimum wages.

6.  Do families who receive CAPS pay any fees?

Most parents or guardians pay some of the childcare costs on a sliding scale based on the family’s income and size. CAPS pays the remainder of the costs, up to the state’s maximum reimbursement level, to the provider. If the provider charges more than the state’s maximum reimbursement rate, the family is responsible for paying the difference between the DFCS rate and the provider’s charges to the provider.

The National Child Care Information Center publishes state profile data on children and families.  The data includes demographic information about children, families and child care in each state, as well as contact information for different state agencies involved in child care.

If I am over income for CAPS, are there other programs that can help my family?

There are some childcare resources that do not have income requirements for families.

      Georgia has a network of childcare resource and referral (R&R) agencies that can help families locate child care providers.  The staff members explain what to look for to find a quality childcare setting, and give the family a list of providers who meet the family’s criteria. The agency staff can also tell the family who offers scholarship funds or charges fees based on a sliding fee scale.  

         Georgia’s Pre-kindergarten Program provides Georgia's four-year-old children with high-quality preschool experiences. Children four years of age on September 1 of the current school year whose parents are Georgia residents are eligible. There are no family income requirements or work requirements. The Pre-K program is voluntary.  To enroll their children in Pre-K, parents should contact their local public school system or private preschool providers.  Parents may call the Office of School Readiness toll-free at 1-888-4GA-PREK. 

There are other resources that low and moderate income families may be eligible to receive.

         Mothers and children may be eligible for the Women, Infant, Children(WIC) program. WIC meets the special nutritional needs of low income pregnant, post partum and breast feeding women, infants and children up to age five. Georgia's WIC Program is available through 279 local clinics and more than 1,583 retail grocery vendors. WIC services are available in county health departments in every county in Georgia. To apply, call the Health Department in the county where you live or call 404-657-2900 for information.  

         Families may be able to claim federal income tax credits if they pay for childcare.  The credit can be up to 30% of the childcare expenses.  For more information, check the Internal Revenue Service's web site at www.irs.gov and search for publication number 503 called "Child and Dependent Care Credits

Income Requirements

Maximum Allowable Family Income for CAPS Eligibility