Colorado CCCAP Child Care Assistance for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

What CCCAP Covers

The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) subsidizes child care costs for low-income families and caregivers who are working, searching for work, or enrolled in education. It's overseen by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) and administered by county human services offices.

For grandparents raising grandchildren, CCCAP can mean the difference between keeping a job and staying home — child care in Colorado runs $1,000 to $1,800 a month for a single child, and many kinship caregivers are already on tight budgets.

Two Pathways for Kinship Caregivers

Low-Income CCCAP is the standard track. If you're a grandparent receiving a child-only Colorado Works grant but not adult cash benefits for yourself, you're not automatically eligible for TANF-linked child care. Instead, you apply for Low-Income CCCAP based on your own income, household size, and participation in work or education. Income limits vary by county but typically fall between 185% and 225% FPL.

Protective Services CCCAP applies when the child came into your home through county child welfare or a protective services intervention. This track waives both the income test and the work activity requirement, because the priority is immediate stability for the child. If a county caseworker placed the child with you, ask whether Protective Services CCCAP applies to your placement.

How the Copay Works

CCCAP doesn't cover 100% of child care costs for most families. Once approved, you pay a monthly copay on a sliding scale based on your household size and gross income. The lower your income, the lower the copay. For a grandparent on Social Security with one grandchild, the copay is often under $100 per month.

Approved CCCAP cases receive 12-month continuous authorization, so your coverage doesn't lapse with small income changes during that period.

Choosing a Provider

CCCAP payments go to licensed child care centers, licensed family child care homes, and certain approved relative care providers. You choose the provider — CCCAP pays the subsidy directly to them, and you pay your copay.

If the provider's rates exceed what CCCAP reimburses, some providers absorb the difference while others ask the family to pay the gap. Ask about this before enrolling.

How to Apply

Contact your county Department of Human Services or apply through the Colorado PEAK portal. You'll need proof of income, proof of your work or education activity, the child's identity documents, and documentation of your relationship to the child.

Child care assistance is one of several programs available to kinship caregivers in Colorado. For the full picture — cash grants, health coverage, food benefits, and more — see our Colorado Kinship Financial Help guide.

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