Day Care Services

New York State (NYS) Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) supports the goals of personal responsibility and self-sufficiency by removing child care as a barrier to working, encouraging personal responsibility, empowering clients to make informed child care decisions, supplying information about providers and quality care and setting minimum health and safety standards for child care providers.   

CCAP may be available for certain eligible parents or caretakers to enable him or her to work or attend approved educational activities.

CCAP is available for certain eligible populations including:

• Employed individuals not receiving Temporary Assistance, but who qualify for aid on the basis of income (Low-Income Day Care)
• Persons leaving Family Assistance as a result of employment (Transitional Child Care)
• Children in the care of a guardian or foster family may also be eligible for CCAP if the guardian/foster parent needs childcare to work or attend approved educational activities.

Parent Fees

• Some families may be required pay a portion of the childcare expense to the childcare provider. This payment is called the Parent Fee or Family Share.  There is a minimum family share requirement of $1 per week.  This fee is waived for those receiving Temporary Assistance, experiencing homelessness, or when such assistance is provided to a child where the childcare services unit is comprised of the eligible child(ren) only.  The fee is also waived for those receiving childcare as a protective service, a preventative service, or a foster child.

Finding a childcare provider

• Parent/ caretakers may contact Child Care Solutions for help finding child care.
•  Or by phone (toll-free) 1-888-729-7290.  
• Or email [email protected] 

You may choose whatever type of childcare you prefer; registered providers or legally exempt providers. Registered daycare providers, day care centers and before/after school programs do not need prior approval. A legally exempt provider is a friend or relative who provides childcare. Legally exempt providers need to be approved by Child Care Solutions, the enrollment agency, before a payment will be made. 

How to apply

• You may apply by calling 315-253-4700 to request an application packet.
• You may pick up an application packet at the County Office Building, 160 Genesee Street, Auburn
• You may use the link to printable application and to the local forms below.  Please print the application in landscape layout and the local forms in portrait layout.

The completed application and required documentation may be submitted directly to the Day Care Unit or returned to the Day Care Unit by mail or returned by fax or by email.

What to Expect

If you have any questions about your potential eligibility for Subsidized Child Care, or the application process please contact us at 315-253-4700. Once the completed application and local forms are received the forms will be reviewed by the Subsidized Day Care Unit.

Additional documentation will also be required to make a determination on your application such as, but not limited to: 

• residence verification
• employment verification
• income verification
• verification of approved educational activity
• verification of identity/citizenship
• custody information  

This documentation/information should be submitted with the application. If such documentation is not submitted with the application you will receive a denial notice which will tell you what additional documentation is required to make a determination, the denial notice will also give a time frame for the documentation to be submitted to the agency.  All applications and documentation must be complete and legible, you may be asked to resubmit paperwork if it is not complete and legible.

Per regulation, eligibility determinations must be made within 30 days from your application date.