center - Reggio Emilia Approach | Talk Childcare 2 Me

Infant and Toddler Contracted Slots

What are Infant and Toddler Contracted Slots?

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services – Division of Child Care has recently announced the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Contracted Slots. This program has been designed to increase infant and toddler care for our most vulnerable population.

Contracted slots are an alternative to the traditional child care assistance system. Instead of

funding following the child, as in the traditional system, the Infant Toddler Contracted Slots

Program (ITCS), awards funding to a provider. If a child leaves the funded provider or turns 3 years old, the provider continues to be paid for the slot and is responsible to fill the slot with a different CCAP eligible child.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for a Contracted Slot, your child must:

Have a valid contract on the Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP)

Why does the ITCS Program exist?

The goals of the ITCS program include establishing a continuum of care for children and families in high-quality child care settings with a focus on strengthening the link between high-quality child care programs and high-quality pre-kindergarten programs. These goals aim to improve the overall quality of infant and toddler services in Kentucky while strengthening the viability of our child care structure.

The Division of Child Care has seen a decline in infant and toddler services within the past

seven years in the state of Kentucky. With this decline in services, there has also been a decline in the acceptance of child care assistance families. This change has dramatically decreased the quality and quantity of infant and toddler care across the state.

The Division of Child Care is committed to changing the early education environment for our

most vulnerable population to encourage safe, healthy, and quality atmospheres that

encourages learning at a young age. The Division of Child Care will utilize The American

Rescue Act funds to increase quality infant and toddler services by piloting contracted slots for infants and toddlers with local high-quality regulated child care facilities in Kentucky that accept child care assistance.

The ITCS Program and Talk Childcare to Me

The Division of Child Care was looking to award 30 Kentucky child care centers to serve infants and toddlers with contracted slots. At this time, Talk Childcare & Talk Childcare 2 has been awarded contracted slots at both sites. We are thrilled that we have been chosen to lead this Kentucky initiative.