ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) has created a new federally funded program called Temporary Child Care Assistance (TCCA) that will be operated under the state’s Child Care Program.
The program, which ends in September 2010, will provide time-limited assistance with child care costs for families that qualify.
“We know a lot of families have been impacted by the recession and are struggling to find jobs, upgrade their skills or perhaps work part-time while having to care for children,” said Mark Washington, DHS assistant commissioner.
“TCCA is a temporary program created to help these families access safe and quality child care so they can concentrate on gaining employment, complete a training program or enroll in an education program to enhance their skill sets.”
Families approved for TCCA have the option to choose their own child care provider. However, the provider must be registered or licensed with the Department of Early Care and Learning.
To qualify for TCCA, a person must:
• Be a Georgia resident
• Be actively involved in either job readiness training, vocational training, technical school or college
• Be unemployed or work part-time
• Have income that falls within the income guidelines (e.g., a family of four must earn $42,400 in annual income or less to qualify)
• Care for a child who is 12 years old or younger (or 17 years or younger if they have special needs)
TCCA is funded with a portion of the funds Georgia received as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) signed by President Obama in February. Funds will only be available until Sept. 30, 2010, after which the TCCA program will be closed.
TCCA is a separate program from Georgia’s Child Care and Parent Service (CAPS) program, which provides child care benefits to families who are either employed more than 24 hours per week, involved in specific work activities, are parents younger than 21 years of age, are foster parents or receive TANF benefits.
In addition, TCCA applications are not processed at local Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) offices like CAPS applications.
To receive TCCA benefits, families must either apply directly online by visiting www.COMPASS.ga.gov. or call 1-866-371-8222 to receive a paper application by mail.
