Since 1981, Choices for Children’s Alternative Payment Program has utilized state and federal funds to provide parents in Alpine County with financial assistance for child care services. Eligibility for the alternative payment program is determined by the guidelines set by the State Department of Education, Child Development Division. Parents must meet income requirements and have a need for child care while they work, look for employment, attend training or participate in CalWORKs activities. Parents who are incapacitated or who have children at risk of abuse or neglect are also eligible.
Alternative Payment Program
The Alternative Payment program pays for child care of income eligible parents. Parents must be working, in school or training, incapacitated because of medical or psychiatric needs, or have children who are at risk of abuse or neglect, or exploitation who have been referred by a legal, medical or social service agency.
CalWORK’s (Welfare-to-Work)
The CalWORK’s program subsidizes child care for families that are:
- new to cash aide.
- have received cash aide in the last twenty-four months.
- have a need to continue employment or fulfill a county approved CalWORK’s activity plan.
Our child care counselors assist families in identifying child care and other community services that meet the specific needs of the child and family. Parents can choose public or private licensed child care programs, licensed family day care homes or providers legally exempt from licensing.
Selecting A Provider
Choices For Children will provide information on choosing quality child care to best meet each families needs. Our agency will provide families with referrals to licensed Family Child Care Homes and Child Care Centers. The enrolled parent also has a choice of placing their child/ren in care with a License-Exempt provider. A License-Exempt provider is someone who may legally care for one family’s child/ren without a license and completes the TrustLine Process. TrustLine is the California registry of records at the California Department of Justice.
Choices for Children in El Dorado County is the administrator of the Centralized Eligibility List which is a combined full county web based list that connects income eligible families to all child development funded programs throughout Alpine County, including State Preschool.