The system automatically shifts families from one funding stream to another according to their eligibility, so that families can receive uninterrupted child care as their circumstances change. CCMS uses 20 regional contractors. These contractors manage all the child care paid through CCMS in the state's 27 CCMS service delivery areas. CCMS contractors act as liaisons between families and child care providers. They determine eligibility for assistance and help eligible families locate child care.
CCMS contractors recruit child care vendors to participate in the system.
CCMS pays child care providers after the fact, unlike private clients who must pay up front. To receive payment, a vendor must maintain daily paper attendance logs as proof that eligible children have received care. DHS provides the attendance logs to vendors preprinted with each child's name. The vendor mails completed logs to the CCMS contractor, where the attendance data are keyed into a computer that transmits them directly to the DHS main computer. The computer verifies that the vendor can be paid for each child on the list and calculates the reimbursement amount.