Citing funding issues, Weld County is the most recent of over a dozen Colorado counties to put a halt to new applications for the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
In many counties throughout the state, the CCAP program—which helps low-income families pay for daycare while parents are at work—has seen severe financial strain.
New federal rules and required provider rate hikes—both of which were enacted without matching increases in funding—are the root causes of the problem.
“We have to make sure we have adequate funding to maintain the families we currently have,” Jamie Ulrich, Director of the Weld County Department of Human Services stated.
Weld County has made the decision to freeze the application process in response to these financing issues, which will stop any new applicants from signing up for the program.
Those who are now enrolled, however, will continue to get their benefits without any interruption, the county has promised.
Beginning on February 1, the freeze will allow the county to prioritize families who are already receiving aid while managing its limited resources.
According to Ulrich and other county officials, the freeze will also enable the county to establish a queue system for families who will be eligible to apply once funding reaches a more sustainable level.
In order to better manage the program’s resources in the face of continuous financial uncertainties, the freeze is regarded as a temporary solution.
How might this affect some of these families’ day-to-day lives?
“Sometimes it is the difference between whether a family can go to work or not,” Ulrich stated. “If this program isn’t available, the question is who is going to take care of their children while they are at work? It does impact low-income working families significantly and then becomes a workforce issue within our communities.”
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The program receives over 100 applications per month in Weld County alone, demonstrating the tremendous demand for child care assistance in the region.
The severe financing problems that threaten to deprive many families of the support they depend on to pay for childcare are highlighted by the tremendous demand for daycare services.
Ulrich went on to say that low-income families in the county had very few other options, aside from possible assistance from outside groups ready to step in and help pay for daycare services.
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Many families already face financial difficulty, and the hold on new applications will significantly affect their ability to find affordable daycare due to the limited resources available.
“Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options out there right now,” Ulrich stated.
