Allowable Activities 400-28-55

 

Allowable Activities 400-28-55-05

(Revised 04/01/14 ML #3401)

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Caretakers must be participating in an allowable activity to be eligible for assistance under the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The following are allowable CCAP activities:

1. Work – Work is an activity in which an individual is engaged through employment or self-employment. Work must entail personal involvement and effort on the part of the applicant or recipient. Self-employment is also considered work.

The following are allowable work activities:

• Paid employment

• Paid work studies, internships or assistantships (this includes when an individual is in a non-allowable postsecondary education program).

• Self-employment

2. Job Search - Child care for job search is allowed for eight weeks in a calendar year. When a household includes two caretaker, each caretaker is eligible for eight weeks of job search per calendar year. Job Search hours are limited to 20 hours per week. No additional hours are allowed for travel and breaks.

   Exception: TANF recipients must follow the JOBS program guidelines, therefore, the 20 hours per week limitation and 8 weeks within a calendar year limitation does not apply to TANF recipients who are participating in the JOBS program and their JOBS employment plan includes ‘Job Search’.

    

The caretaker(s) must provide a written and signed statement with the dates, time and the job search activity they were participating in (example: submitting the date and time they were submitting applications, interviews). If this is not provided with the Child Care Billing Report form, the hours are not considered allowable.

3. Education or Training - Child care relating to an allowable education or training activity.

• Allowable postsecondary education includes:

• Certificate

• Associate's degree

• Bachelor's degree

NOTE: The program has been expanded to allow eligible child care costs to be paid for an individual who is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. Allowing for a Bachelor’s degree as an allowable activity resulted from, and is contingent upon, the continuance of adequate program funding.

• CCAP may pay eligible child care costs for individuals pursing a certificate, Associate's degree or Bachelor’s degree provided the individual has not already earned a Bachelor’s degree.

NOTE: Payment of postsecondary educational related child care costs incurred by an individual who already has earned a Bachelor's degree is prohibited. See policy in 400-28-60, Non-Allowable Activities.

• Students, at any post-secondary level, whose plans include post-graduate study may have eligible child care costs paid by the program for only those education activities related to the pursuit of that certificate, Associate's degree or Bachelor’s degree.
• If an individual has already earned a certificate or Associate’s degree, eligible child care costs are allowed if the individual is continuing to pursue another allowable education activity and has not earned a Bachelor’s degree.

• Attending high school or alternative high school or pursuing a GED is an allowable activity even if the individual is not participating in Crossroads.

• Tradional high school "attendance" is defined by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) as:

• Full-time - 4 or more classes
• Part-time - less than 4 classes
• Attendance in an alternative high school setting for full-time/part-time as identified by the school

• GED may be full time/part-time.

• If a high school diploma or GED is not required to receive a certificate, it is considered training and is not considered postsecondary education.

Example: A Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) certificate is NOT considered postsecondary education as a high school diploma is not required to receive a CNA certificate.

• Allowable Training includes but is not limited to:

• Basic remedial education
• Training designed to assist an individual to achieve basic literacy
• Training needed to secure or retain employment which includes skills and technology training
• Vocational Training (trade school or career school)
• Individuals who are participating in classes for English as a second language

• Internet Classes – Child care related to completing on-line computer classes that meets the allowable education or training requirements is an allowable activity.

• Vocational Rehabilitation education plans must follow CCAP education requirements.

 

If caretaker fails to provide necessary verification of an allowable activity at the time of application, six month review, or when adding a new household member (waived co-pay to co-pay) the month the information is provided is the month the activity is added to the certificate.

 

4. 400-28-55-20 – Allowable Activities for Crossroads. Clarified policy in this section to specify that parenting classes are an allowable Crossroads activity during a school break.