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San Miguel County places CCAP on wait list, caps authorizations at 31
Summary
Facing projected overspending in the county’s child care assistance program, the Board of County Commissioners directed staff to implement a wait list capped at 31 active CCAP authorizations and to prioritize certain target populations for exemption.
San Miguel County commissioners voted Feb. 5 to implement a wait list for the county Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), capping active authorizations at 31 while continuing to process applications. County staff said the action responds to a projected county-level overspend driven by federal and state rate changes and the need to keep the program solvent until state guidance and funding clarity are available.
Department staff recommended the wait-list approach over a program "freeze" because a wait list allows eligibility processing to continue and provides a clear, administrable cap for budgeting. "We currently have 31 open authorizations on our system for CCAP," the human services presentation said; staff recommended preserving those slots and capping authorizations at 31 because the county cannot go below existing open authorizations.
Why it matters: CCAP helps low- and moderate-income families afford licensed child care; local providers told the board the program is an important revenue source. County staff estimated current projections for CCAP overspending and described tradeoffs of different approaches. Staff also recommended that certain priority populations — including children in county child welfare systems, Colorado Works participants and families experiencing homelessness — be able to bypass the wait list.
Key details - Cap: 31 active CCAP authorizations (staff said county authorizations historically have ranged from 25 to 31 during the year). - Target populations: staff proposed exempting child-welfare-involved families and families experiencing homelessness from the wait list, allowing those cases to be authorized even when the cap is reached. - Financial context: staff said projections show the county is overspending its CCAP allotment and noted that increasing the cap to 35 could add roughly $60,000 in projected overspend; projections vary depending on enrollment and actual usage.
Voices from the community: Hallie Simpson, treasurer of Rainbow School and Daycare Center, told the board that CCAP recipients make up a meaningful share of enrollment and operating revenue. "Our toddler Rascals program charges $72 a day in tuition. To actually cover our expenses, we would need to charge a hundred and $20 per day," Simpson said, illustrating the financial gap many small providers face and why CCAP support is important to keep slots available.
Process and next steps: Commissioners directed staff to notify state partners, seek required approvals and develop communications for families and providers; staff will work with the state on the formal implementation timing and with local partners such as Bright Futures for outreach. The motion to initiate the wait list with a 31-authorizations cap passed on a 3-0 voice vote.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff to return as needed if new state guidance or allocations change the county’s fiscal position and to prepare sample constituency communications and a draft letter to state representatives advocating for adequate CCAP funding.
