The Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support, as lead state agency for the administration of the Child Care and Development Fund, offers the following services to families and child care providers in Louisiana.

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)

This program assists low-income families to pay for the child care they need in order to work or attend school or training. Statewide, the program serves over 45,500 children and provides assistance totaling approximately $7.1 million each month. Monthly payments are based on the number of hours the parents work or attend school or training, the amount charged by the child care provider, family size and household income. Parents can select any Class A child care center, school-based before and after school program, registered family child day care home, or in-home provider. Parents can apply by completing an application form and mailing it to the parish office where they live along with verification of their income. An interview is not required.

In addition to the subsidy program, Child Care and Development Fund is used for a variety of other activities that improve the availability of child care in Louisiana.

Training and Technical Assistance

DSS contracts with approved trainers to offer the training that people working in child care centers need in order to maintain the Class A license or registration of a child care facility. Caregivers are also encouraged to obtain training above and beyond the minimum number of hours needed to meet licensing or registration standards. Caregivers are urged to improve their skills and abilities in order to advance in the child care field, to take pride in their accomplishments and view their work as more than just "babysitting". Technical assistance brings the trainer into the child care facility to help staff solve unique problems and see how general theories can be put to work in their specific environment. Listed below are agencies that provide training to people working in child care centers, or registered Family Child Day Care Homes.

New Orleans and Thibodaux Areas
Agenda for Children Child Care Resources
Phone:586-8509(in New Orleans area)
1-800-486-1712(outside New Orleans area)
446-8330(in Thibodaux area)
1-800-577-8052(outside Thiobodaux area)

Alexandria, Shreveport, and Monroe Areas
Northwestern State University
NSU Child and Family Network
Phone:677-3150(in Shreveport/Bossier areas)
1-800-796-9080(outside Shreveport area)

Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles Areas
Volunteers of America Partnerships in Child Care
Phone: 926-8005 (in Baton Rouge)
1-888-926-8005 (outside Baton Rouge)

Statewide
Map to Inclusion
Phone: 1-800-577-8052

Excellence for Children
Infant and Toddler Training
Phone: 337-332-8551

Resource and Referral

DSS also funds contracts with child care resource and referral agencies which perform a variety of services for the families and child care providers in this state. Resource and referral agencies educate parents on how to recognize good child care and refer them to child care facilities operating near their home or workplace. They also help to build the child care supply by encouraging providers to enter the child care market or to expand their operations. Resource and Referral also offers technical assistance to child care providers to help them meet licensing or registration requirements and improve the quality of the care the children receive. A list of Resource and Referral Agencies follows.

New Orleans and Thibodaux Areas
Agenda for Children Child Care Resources
Phone:586-8509(in New Orleans area)
1-800-486-1712(outside New Orleans area)
446-8330(in Thibodaux area)
1-800-577-8052 outside Thiobodaux area

Alexandria, Shreveport, and Monroe Areas
Northwestern State University
NSU Child and Family Network
Phone:677-3150(in Shreveport/Bossier areas)
1-800-796-9080(outside Shreveport area)

Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles Areas
Volunteers of America Partnerships in Child Care
Phone: 926-8005 (in Baton Rouge)
1-888-926-8005 (outside Baton Rouge)

Statewide
Map to Inclusion
Phone: 1-800-577-8052

Excellence for Children
Infant and Toddler Training
Phone: 337-332-8551

Child Care for Protective Service Cases

The Office of Community Services, in the Department of Social Services, administers a portion of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) to pay for child care for children who may be in danger of abuse or neglect. The department provides a constellation of services to families, including child care, so that children can safely remain in their homes instead of being forced into the overcrowded Foster Care system.

Child Care and Development Fund Advisory Council

This Council, appointed by the governor, makes recommendations to DSS about activities that can improve the quality of child care in Louisiana.

Licensing and Monitoring

One of the functions which states are encouraged to fund with the CCDF is the licensing and monitoring of child care facilities to ensure the health and safety of children in out-of-home care. With the CCDF, the DSS Licensing Bureau was able to increase its staff and modernize its computer system.

Quality Incentives

Class A child care centers which are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) can receive an incentive payment each calendar quarter for the care they provide to children subsidized by the Child Care Assistance Program.

Family Child Day Care Home (FCDCH) providers which participate in the Department of Education Child and Adult Care Food Program can receive an incentive payment each calendar quarter for the care they provide to children subsidized by the Child Care Assistance Program.

Repair and Improvement Grants

Grant amounts ranging from $600 for FCDCH providers to a maximum of $10,000 for Class A providers are available to child care providers to allow them to make repairs or purchases that would help them to meet licensing or registration requirements or that would improve the quality of child care services. Application is made through parish offices.

Federal welfare reform legislation has combined several child care funding streams with the original Child Care and Development Block Grant to create a single fund with uniform federal and state requirements instead of the complex and often conflicting rules of the various earlier programs. We hope to continue to offer a wide variety of services and even increase the number of different approaches to improving the affordability, availability and quality of child care in Louisiana.