Georgia CAPS Application 2024: Apply on Gateway GA Gov

How to Apply for the Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) Program?

All families who want to enroll in the Georgia CAPS program can visit the Gateway.ga.gov website and submit their application in an online mode.

Citizens can also fill out Form 508 and submit offline applications by visiting any nearest DFCS office in their county. Step-by-step online application process, required information and guidelines are available below in this article.

What is the Georgia CAPS program?

Georgia Childcare and Parent Services Program in short CAPS is a family assistance program that helps low-income families provide financial support for the cost of their children.

All families who are eligible for the CAPS program will receive financial assistance to reduce the children’s costs. Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), administers and manages the CAPS, Pre-K, Nutrition, Quality Initiatives, and Child Care Licensing.

CAPS supports families through the funds received from the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).

In 2021, DECAL started a new program ACCESS (Awarding Child Care Education Scholarship Supplements) to help families by paying 100% of child care tuition fees to providers.

In short, CAPS is responsible for providing high-quality education to all children through a financial support system.

Note: To find more information about the CAPS program, Eligibility requirements, and Income Limit, please visit the GA CAPS page.

Also read, Georgia Way2Go Card Login, Balance Check.

Apply for the Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) Program.

All residents residing in Georgia state can apply for the CAPS program if they are eligible and fulfill all the requirements. Applications can be submitted online on the Georgia Gateway portal or directly by visiting the local office. Information about the paper application is available in the next section.

Online Applications:

www.gateway.ga.gov portal provides an easy and faster application facility. All citizens can take advantage of this paperless application without visiting any Georgia government office.

Please check the step-by-step process below.

Step 1. Check Your Eligibility for CAPS:

The first step is to check if you are eligible to receive CAPS benefits. A few basic eligibility requirements are listed below.

• You must be a resident of the State of Georgia.
• All new families must be in a priority group.
• Your child must be 12 years of age or younger, or 17 years of age or younger if the child has a qualifying disability or has a case plan requiring child care as part of court-ordered supervision.
• Your child must be a U.S. citizen or authorized immigrant.
• Your child must be up-to-date on immunizations.
• The parent must meet the state-approved activity requirements, such as employment or education.
• The family’s gross applicable income cannot exceed 50% of the state median income. 

See a full list of CAPS eligibility requirements.

Step 2. Gather Required Information and Documents

Please be prepared with the below documents and information.

• Proof of Georgia residency such as a driver’s license or ID card, current lease or mortgage statement, or motor vehicle registration, etc.
• Proof of identity.
• Child’s birth certificate.
• Proof of child’s citizenship or lawful immigrant status.
• Certificate of child immunizations.

Step 3. Login to the Georgia Gateway Portal

The next step is to visit the Georgia Gateway website and log into your account.

Note: If you don’t have a Georgia Gateway account or looking for more information about login, account registration, account recovery, and applying for benefits then visit the Georgia Gateway Login page.

Note: You can also check out the Gategay Ga Gov SNAP Application process. CAPS’s online application process is also similar.

You can access your account with the help of the below steps.

1. Visit the www.gateway.ga.gov website.
2. Enter your username and password in the login form.
3. Click the Sign In button.

Step 4. Submit your Application

Once you have logged in to your account, you can start your online CAPS application.

• Find a list of all available benefits applications.
• Select Chile Care from the list of assistance programs.
• You will be asked to determine the submission requirements. Follow the prompts and complete the requirements verification.
• After that, fill out the Child Care application.

Step 5. Submit Required Documents

The next step is to submit all the eligibility-related documents online on the Georgia Gateway account.

These documents will be related to determine your citizenship, identity, age, and other requirements. Citizens can visit the Eligibility Requirements webpage to check for all required verification documents and submit them through their online account.

Step 6. Receive Verification Call

In the last step, your application has been successfully submitted. Now in the next step, you will receive a call from the CAPS staff member. This call is used to determine your eligibility and verify your documents. You will be asked a few questions related to the information and documents you have submitted during your online application.

Step 7. Final Approval

After completing the on-call verification process, your application will be processed and further reviewed. You will get a final confirmation of your CAPS approval within 30 days after the application submission.

How to speed up the CAPS approval process?

Please note that you will have to wait for 30 days to get approval. You can speed up this approval process by providing accurate and up-to-date information in your online application. Also don’t forget to share all required documents online on the Georgia Gateway portal. Don’t miss any communication from the CAPS staff and respond to them immediately.

Offline application

If you do not want to or are unable to submit an online CAPS application then an offline application facility is also available to help you. You will have to visit the Contact page of the DECAL CAPS website and submit the online form.

You may follow the below steps.

• Visit the CAPS website.
• Click the Contact Us link in the menu.
• On the Contact Us page, Select the CAPS option.
• After that, select the Family option.
• You will see an online form.
• Fill in all required information.
• Select “NO” in the ‘Are you currently receiving CAPS child care benefits?’ option.
• Select “Submit new paper application” in the ‘Choose one of the following that best describes your reason for contacting us.’ option.
• Submit this form and someone will contact you soon to help you to fill paper application.

GA CAPS Renewal Application

Citizens can renew their CAPS application through their Georgia Gateway account. Please follow the below steps.

1. Login to your www.gateway.ga.gov account.
2. If you have already linked your child’s case to your GA Gateway account, click the Renew My Benefits link.
3. If you haven’t linked your case then first link your case to your account and submit your renewal application.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to submit your CAPS renewal application.

Note: CAPS eligibility is verified every year by the Georgia Government. You must renew your childcare program in order to get uninterrupted assistance benefits.

Next Steps

After the approval of your CAPS benefits, you will be assigned to a Family support consultant who will help you with the available options to support your child. A family support consultant will share the information about resources related to training and employment and will also help your child to enroll in any eligible child care program.

You may be required to pay a portion of the cost of child care through family-assessed fees.

Helpline

If you need assistance submitting your CAPS application on the Georgia Gateway portal then you can call Customer Support at 1-877-423-4746 or 1-800-255-0135 (if you have a hearing impairment).

If you need assistance related to your active CAPS case, please call 1-833-4GA-CAPS (1-833-442-2277).

Mailing address:

2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE
Atlanta, GA 30334