About Us

Nancy Travis Hope for Babies, Care for Kids, Inc.  collaborates with the Athens Area Homeless Shelter and Healthy Families to weave a network of comprehensive services and resources for families so that the hope of a brighter future can become a reality for their children. Funding for child care is provided to families in these two programs through two funding streams: Hope for Babies and Care for Kids.

Hope for Babies provides funding to families in the Healthy Families program who are eligible for federal child care subsidies through the Child and Parent Services (CAPS) program. Hope for Babies scholarships bridge the gap between the child care the families can afford supplemented by the CAPS subsidies and the quality of care that is needed for the full development of their children.  For instance, the average cost per week for infant care in a quality-certified center is $150, but the CAPS subsidy plus parent co-pay is only $90.  Hope for Babies scholarships may only be used in child care homes and centers that meet high standards of quality.

Beginning shortly after the birth of their child, the Healthy Families program provides support and guidance to families who face numerous challenges to fulfilling their parenting role during the child’s first four years. The combination of this support plus access to quality child care through Hope for Babies provide the children with a strong foundation for future development and school success.

Care for Kids’ mission is to ensure that children in families experiencing a housing crisis can be in safe, healthy child care environments while their parents seek employment.  Care for Kids child care vouchers are granted to families living in the Athens Area Homeless Shelter (AAHS) and may only be used in licensed child care homes and centers that meet state health and safety standards and are approved by the AAHS staff.  AAHS provides transitional housing and connects families with resources to help them move toward stable housing including job readiness skills.  Since unemployed parents are not eligible for CAPS subsidies, the Care for Kids vouchers are essential so that children can be safely in licensed child care while their parents prepare and search for employment.