After more than a year of the most chaotic childcare situation since the idea of childcare was even broadly accepted – or needed, Gov. Brian Kemp announced on Monday that the state would be expanding its Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) program by 10,000 children, starting in November. The program currently services 50,000 children across the state from families with zero to low income and helps cover the cost of childcare.
“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, we have made child care a top priority in Georgia for assisting first responders, essential workers, and other hardworking families who could not stop their important work or work from home during this challenging time,” said Governor Kemp. “CAPS is a great example of a public initiative that helps families, their children, and providers alike. This expansion will allow us to serve more Georgians, while also helping more providers become Quality Rated.”
Governor Kemp was joined at the announcement by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Commissioner (DECAL) Amy Jacobs, who administers the program. According a nonprofit that focuses on childcare, Childcare Aware of America, the average annual price for full-time infant care in a child care center in Georgia is nearly $9,000, or $168/week. The average annual housing cost in Georgia is $10,000. The median family income in Georgia is $55,000. And that’s before taxes. A family of four spends $9,115 on food annually. For three critical needs, the median income is now down almost $30,000. The increase comes alongside an expansion of CAPS eligibility requirements, expanding from 50 percent of the state median income to 85 percent. The program is another result of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which will pay for the expansion through October of 2024.
CAPS providers will also see a boost in support, based on their current quality ranking. For each level of ranking, providers will see payment increases of 15%. “This is to help in their efforts to increase their quality and successfully achieve a star rating,” said Commissioner Jacobs.
This is all on top of a program from DECAL that provides support for CAPS families, begun back in May. Normally, CAPS families are required to pay some portion of childcare but these were waived under the ACCESS program (Awarding Child Care Education Scholarship Supplements). Those fees are waived through October of next year – something that may come back around during a potentially contentious governor campaign.
