Subsidized Child Care Programs

California Alternative Payment Program - CAPSLO Child Care Resource Connection
Families admitted to Alternative Payment Programs funded by the California Department of Education must meet need and income requirements. Need is defined as:

Employment that precludes the supervision of children.

Seeking employment, up to 60 working days per fiscal year, per parent, for 29 hours or less per week.
Vocational training leading to a recognized trade, paraprofessional or profession with a maximum of 6 years of service or 24 units beyond a Bachelors degree.
Homeless and seeking housing
Incapacitated as verified by a legally qualified professional. May receive a maximum of 50 hours per week.
CWS and/or Child At-Risk as verified by a legally qualified professional.

To be eligible the family’s gross monthly income can not exceed the 75% of the State Median Income.

CalWORKs (CA Work Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids) - CAPSLO Child Care Resource Connection
Families may be referred by the local Department of Social Services for CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids) child care in order to fulfill their Welfare to Work Plan. To pursue this avenue a family must apply at their local Department of Social Services.

There are three CalWORKs stages serving those that participate in work and approved work-readiness activities.

Stage 1: Pays for child care when CalWORKs participants begin job training or work.
Stage 2: Begins when the CalWORKs participant’s work activity is stable; the participant is transitioning off cash aid; or when a family is referred for Diversion by the Department of Social Services (DSS). Families are eligible for Stage 2 for a maximum of 24 months once they have left cash aid or have been approved for child care diversion by the DSS.

Child Care Diversion is a referral from DSS that diverts a family from receiving cash assistance by providing child care services.
Stage 3: Child care funds may be available for former CalWORKs participants or Diversion clients currently being served that have been off cash aid for 24 months. These families are transferred into Stage 3 child care on their 25th month.

Families who are not eligible for a referral from the Department of Social Services for the CalWORKs child care program should submit an application for placement on the CCRC Waiting List.

Head Start
In 1965, the federal government established the Head Start program as part of the “War on Poverty.” Head Start centers have been widely recognized as providing effective preschool care for three and four year old children of low-income families. Head Start is a model program that provides a comprehensive range of services for the child and family including services to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs. A major component of the program is an emphasis on parent participation.

The Head Start program in San Luis Obispo County is operated by the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO). Nine centers around the county operate part-day and full-day sessions and serve 387 children. Ten percent of
the enrollment is reserved for children with special needs.

As welfare-to-work programs expand under CalWORKS, Head Start is partnering with other community agencies to develop new programs to meet family needs for non-traditional child care, and to assist in efforts to move poor families to a level of self-sufficiency.

California State Preschool
The California State Preschool’s goal is to provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum to benefit children’s social/emotional, physical, cognitive, language, and creative development. The California State Preschool is:

Open to preschool children three to five years of age;
A three-hour day, parent/child education program;
Funded by the California Department of Education and operated by the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education (SLOCOE), Paso Robles Unified School District, and CAPSLO; and
Free to families whose gross monthly income does not exceed the income ceilings established by the California Department of Education. Proof of income and birth certificate are required to determine eligibility.

Migrant Families
Migrant Child Care is available in State-owned migrant housing camps, out-of-camp facilities, and licensed family child care provider homes during peak agricultural periods. Often these programs offer an enriched educational
component. They provide bilingual support services to families in addition to early care and education. Health professionals are available to families at each child care site. County offices of education, school districts, and private non-profit agencies operate centers and oversee family child care homes. In San Luis Obispo County, the Migrant Child Care programs are operated by CAPSLO.

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