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CAPS Policy – Purchase of Child Care Through Scholarships No.: CAPS/00-10 Effective Date: 10/01/2016 Revised: 10/06/2025 Revision Effective: 10/06/2025

CAPS Policy Manual

Page 57 of 109 • School readiness • Transportation

Child Care Scholarships 10.5.1 A CAPS scholarship will be issued for an individual child for a specific child care provider location. 10.5.1.1 The scholarship will not be transferrable to other children or to another facility, even if the facility is owned or operated by the same organization.

10.5.1.2 Scholarships are not transferrable if the provider moves from one location to another. In the cases of address changes, ownership changes, and facility name changes, new scholarships must be issued for the new location or owner.

10.5.2 The scholarship must be created for each child based on the needs of the family and child. 10.5.2.1 A copy of the child care scholarship (notification of eligibility determination) will be provided to the parent and provider.

10.5.2.2 A scholarship should be issued for each type of care the family will need. Therefore, a child may have more than one scholarship based on the type of care authorized.

10.5.2.3 DECAL may issue a before and after school scholarship for a child who is enrolled and attending either Georgia’s Pre-K program or Head Start even if the child’s enrollment and attendance cannot be verified by Georgia’s Pre-K or Head Start.

10.5.2.4 A scholarship may not be issued to a CAPS participating provider if it is determined they are at their license or license-exempt capacity.

10.5.2.5 The existence of a scholarship does not give an automatic right for a provider to invoice or bill for a specific period. The child must be attending and signed-in and signed-out each day the child is present, at arrival and departure, by a parent or authorized representative.

10.5.2.6 If a provider is not selected at determination of eligibility, the family can receive 45 calendar days to select a provider as prescribed in CAPS Application Process Policy (CAPS/00-4).

10.5.3 The child care scholarship: • Authorizes subsidies for eligible children • Covers basic information about the child care provider • Identifies the amount of subsidy paid to the child care provider by the CAPS program • Identifies the amount that the parent is required to contribute to the cost of care (including the weekly family assessed fee and amount in excess of the state reimbursement rate based on the child care provider’s charges) • Identifies the type of child care authorized based on the child’s need for care • Identifies the parent and the child authorized to receive services • Includes beginning and ending dates of care for which payment is authorized • Outlines terms and conditions of the child care arrangement

10.5.4 When a family is determined eligible for the CAPS program, a 12-month eligibility period begins. The child care scholarship authorizes the use of subsidies during the eligibility period. At the end of the approved eligibility period, CAPS staff will re-determine eligibility and issue new scholarships for ongoing services to eligible children.

Note: When a parent begins receiving services or initiates a change in providers and there is not a child care scholarship that authorizes subsidies with the new provider, the parent is responsible for the full cost of the child care. CAPS will not pay for services retroactively for any period prior to authorization.