{"id":5902,"date":"2025-07-08T10:10:46","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T14:10:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earlychildhoodny.org\/blog\/?p=5902"},"modified":"2025-07-08T11:39:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T15:39:22","slug":"more-than-tech-support-helping-child-care-providers-navigate-caps-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earlychildhoodny.org\/blog\/more-than-tech-support-helping-child-care-providers-navigate-caps-online\/","title":{"rendered":"More than tech support: Helping child care providers navigate CAPS Online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cIf your mother or grandmother needed to call tech support, who would you want them to speak with?\u201d asks Jenna Thompson, the project coordinator for the Institute\u2019s Child Care Attendance Processing System (CAPS) Online Support<\/a> team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sentiment guides the philosophy behind the team, which provides training and technical assistance to more than 8,000 child care providers in New York City who use the city\u2019s CAPS Online system to log attendance records for children who are eligible for subsidized child care through the Administration for Children\u2019s Services (ACS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before ACS launched the CAPS Online system in 2021, child care providers who accept ACS vouchers for payment used a telephone and paper-based attendance reporting system. CAPS Online, which is web-based and available 24\/7, was intended to be faster, more accurate \u2014 it calculates attendance based on a child\u2019s \u201ctime in\u201d and \u201ctime out,\u201d rather than total days present, in accordance with state law \u2014 and more reliable: Providers can now expect to receive reimbursement in 3-5 days by direct deposit to their bank accounts, rather than 10-12 days by paper check. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the move also came with a substantial learning curve for providers who had used the previous system for many years. That\u2019s where the CAPS Online team came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChange is hard,\u201d says Thompson, who has been with the CAPS Online team since the beginning and has a background as an early education teacher. \u201cWe did a lot of onboarding. The goal was to empower providers to feel comfortable using the system on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CAPS Online team provides live online training sessions, on-demand videos, and written manuals in seven different languages. They\u2019re also available by phone, email, and web chat in English and Spanish: In an average month, the four-person team handles about 400 emails and 1,800 calls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe pride ourselves on making sure we reply to everybody,\u201d Thompson says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CAPS Online team also strives to make calling for technical support \u2014 which isn\u2019t always the most pleasant experience \u2014 as supportive as possible for providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy team is excellent at patience and building relationships with providers, which is why they\u2019re comfortable calling us,\u201d says Thompson. \u201cWe\u2019re kind, patient, and down to earth. It\u2019s not always easy to get a person on the phone nowadays, but people tell us, \u2018I call because you answer the phone.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That relationship with providers has also helped the team advocate for improvements to the CAPS Online system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a very strong working relationship with ACS, and because we\u2019re talking on the phone to providers, we\u2019re hearing the issues that arise,\u201d says Thompson. \u201cWhen CAPS Online first started, for example, there was no copy-paste function and it was very time-consuming for providers. We were able to advocate for them to get that option to just click a radio button. The goal has always been to make the system as user-friendly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For providers who accept ACS vouchers, CAPS Online is crucial to receiving payment in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany of us take for granted that we get a paycheck every two weeks, but for child care providers, pay has not always been reliable,\u201d says Thompson. \u201cFor some providers, the payment from ACS means the difference between keeping your lights on or not, or being able to pay your staff and keep them employed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CAPS Online Support team\u2019s respect for providers is foundational to their work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in the early childhood profession for 10 years before I jumped into technical assistance and training, so I\u2019m able to relate to providers,\u201d Thompson says. \u201cPeople tell us, \u2018It\u2019s so helpful that you exist. We know you\u2019re there for us.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Visit CAPS Online Support<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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