Contact: 303-441-4294
http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3723&Itemid=1915

Brief description of services: The City of Boulder provides financial assistance to qualified parents. To qualify, recipients must be residents of the City of Boulder. For information about the city’s Childcare Certificate Programs (Gap and Cliff) which help to cover the costs of childcare.

Contact: 303-442-3042
http://www.efaa.org/

Brief description of services: EFAA helps those in our community whose immediate needs for food, shelter and other basic necessities cannot adequately be met by other means, and supports their efforts toward financial stability or self-sufficiency. EFAA's vision is to build a more caring community and a better future for families in crisis living in Boulder and Broomfield counties in Colorado.

Contact: 303-604-1043
http://www.ci.boulder.co.us/files/Children%20Youth%20and%20Families/CCCAPEnglish.pdf

Brief description of services: The Colorado Childcare Assistance Program provides financial assistance to low-income families that are working, searching for employment or in training, and families that are enrolled in the Colorado Works Program and need childcare services to support their efforts toward self-sufficiency. The childcare assistance program is administered through county departments of social services. For information including how to apply, how the program works, and CCCAP forms, visit their website.

Contact: 303-735-6500
https://www.cu.edu/pbs/benefits/group-benefits/flex.html

Brief description of services: Flexible spending accounts allow you to pay for dependent care expenses with before-tax dollars. Using before-tax dollars reduces taxable income, thus you pay less taxes. Eligible employees may contribute up to $5,000 per calendar year to the Dependent Care Spending Account to pay for the cost of caring for eligible dependents. Contributions are made in equal monthly payroll deductions. How it works: Each year, during open enrollment, you decide how much of your pre-tax pay will go into a spending account for the following year. Then, after you have paid an eligible expense, you submit a claim for tax-free reimbursement from the account. Funds can be reimbursed to you via direct deposit or mailed to your home.

To qualify for Dependent Care Spending Account reimbursement, the care:

• Must be provided to enable you and your spouse, if you are married, to work;
• Must be for your dependent child or children under age 13, or for an “IRS dependent” of any age if the dependent resides in your home at least eight hours a day and is unable to care for him or her self; and
• Must be provided by anyone other than a person you can claim as a dependent on your federal income tax return.

For an FAQ on Dependent Care Flexible Spending accounts, click here.

Classified employees are eligible to use up to 16 hours of administrative leave, per fiscal year, to participate in school or community volunteer activities. Examples of school activities for which you might request this leave include parent-teacher conferences, field trips, school plays or recitals, or to serve as a classroom aide. You must request this leave from your supervisor or appointing authority in advance, and approval is at his or her discretion. For more information, visit the Department of Human Resources website http://www.colorado.edu/humres/ and look for the Administrative Leave Guidelines under “Classified Staff - Policies and Procedures.”

• The federal Child and Dependent Care Credit is a non-refundable tax credit worth up $1,440, depending on your income. In general, the higher your childcare expenses and the lower your income, the larger your credit. You must owe taxes, however, in order to claim this credit. Families who pay for the care of a child under age 13 or other dependents in order to work in paid employment are eligible. Check the National Women’s Law Center’s website at http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=348§ion=childcare and look for the fact sheet titled, “Lower Your Taxes or Increase Your Refund.”
• Parents can receive tax assistance from the federal, and some state, governments to offset the cost of childcare. The Child Tax Credit provides a partially refundable credit of $500 per child, which can be used by a family to offset the cost of childcare.