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LDOE offers child care assistance to critical infrastructure workers

Posted at 7:46 PM, Mar 23, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-23 20:46:30-04

The Louisiana Dept. of Education has opened the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to support essential critical infrastructure personnel in response to the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

According to a release from LDOE, eligible families can access subsidized care for children age 12 and under at licensed childcare centers participating in the program, or through registered and certified family childcare and in-home providers by completing an application.

The emergency proclamation issued by Gov. John Bel Edwards to close all school facilities to students through at least April 13, did not include childcare and early learning centers.

Early learning centers make individual decisions about whether to close their businesses. However, updated directives from the governor's office and health officials have advised limiting group sizes to 10 or fewer children and adults.

LDOE stated that effective Monday, March 23, families of essential critical infrastructure workers are eligible for CCAP, and their applications will be expedited.

Essential critical infrastructure workers belong to the following industries:

  • Chemical
  • Communication and Information Technology
  • Critical Manufacturing
  • Defense Industrial Base
  • Energy (electrical industry, petroleum, natural and propane gas worker)
  • Financial Services
  • Food and Agriculture
  • Hazardous Material
  • Health Care/Public Health
  • Law Enforcement, Public Safety, First Responders
  • Other Community Based Government
  • Public Works
  • Transportation and Logistics
  • Waste and Wastewater

Interested families must complete the CCAP Pandemic Protective Services Crisis Application.

Upon approval, initial certification will be valid for 30 days.

If the public health crisis continues beyond 30 days, the LDOE states that it will reassess applications.