CCAP cannot pay for provider vacation days, provider sick days or any other days that child care is not available, except for holidays.

Pay the CCAP maximum rate, not to exceed the provider’s charge, for up to ten federal or state holidays per year if:

· The provider is closed for the full day and is not providing care.

AND

· The provider charges all families for these days.

AND

· The holiday falls on a day when the child is authorized and scheduled to be in attendance.

The eleven recognized state and federal holidays are:

· New Year’s Day (January 1).

· Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday (third Monday in January).

· President’s Day (third Monday in February).

· Memorial Day (last Monday in May).

· Juneteenth (June 19)

· Independence Day (July 4).

· Labor Day (first Monday in September).

· Indigenous People’s Day or Columbus Day (second Monday in October).

· Veterans Day (November 11).

· Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November).

· Christmas Day (December 25).

If the day meets the criteria to be billed as a holiday and falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is used as the holiday. If the day meets the criteria to be billed as a holiday and falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is used as the holiday.

Holiday substitutions

Allow participants or providers to substitute other cultural or religious holidays for the recognized state and federal holidays when they notify CCAP of the substitution before the holiday or within ten calendar days after the holiday.

CCAP cannot pay for more than 10 total holidays (recognized and/or substituted) per calendar year, per child. If the provider or parent requests a holiday substitution and the total number of holidays charged by the provider or combination of providers could exceed 10 or conflict with other providers payments, the CCAP agency should confirm with the parent which provider and which holidays are to be paid by CCAP.

Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, the day after Thanksgiving and Good Friday are some of the days that may be considered cultural or religious holidays and may be substituted for a federal or state recognized holiday. These days are not the only days that may be substituted for the recognized holidays. Providers are not able to use a holiday substitution to lengthen a holiday weekend or take additional day(s) before or after recognized state or federal holidays.

Example:

Provider is closed the day after Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving is considered a cultural holiday. Therefore, the day can be paid as a holiday if the provider substitutes that day for one of the recognized state and federal holidays (such as Columbus Day or Veterans Day).

Billing and overpayments

If the day meets the criteria to be billed as a holiday, the provider must bill the day as a holiday.

If care is available on the holiday, the day does not meet the criteria to be billed as a holiday. If the child is scheduled and authorized to be in care, but the child is absent, the provider must bill the day as an absent day.

If care is available for a partial day on the holiday (such as when the provider closes early), the day does not meet the criteria to be billed as a holiday:

· If the child is scheduled and authorized to be in care and is absent, the provider must bill the day as an absent day and complete the scheduled and authorized hours section of the billing form using only the hours that care is available.

· If the child is scheduled and authorized to be in care and is present, the provider must bill the child as present and complete the scheduled attendance section of the billing form using only the hours that care is available.

An overpayment can be assessed for any day(s) not correctly billed as an absent day or holiday. See Chapters 9.15.9 (Care During Child Absences) and 14.6 (Amount of Overpayment).

Using a back-up provider

If the provider’s service is not available on the holiday for which payment is charged, and the family needs care from another provider on that day, only one provider is able to be paid by CCAP. The family must pay the second provider.

Consecutive absent days and holidays

If a CCAP paid holiday occurs during the midst of other child absent days, the holiday interrupts but does not stop the absent day count. The absent day following the holiday will continue the 10 consecutive day count.

Here are two examples:

Example 1:

Child was scheduled and authorized for care four days a week (Monday through Thursday). Child’s last attended day was Thursday, 12/18/2025.

Provider billed absent days and holidays for days the child was scheduled and authorized (Monday through Thursday). Holidays are not counted as absent days. The consecutive absent day count continues after the holiday. The consecutive absent day count does not restart each new year. In this example, the last day that can be paid is 1/8/2026; child care cannot be paid until child attends care again.

Absent Day #1 (12/22/2025)

Absent Day #2 (12/23/2025)

Absent Day #3 (12/24/2025)

Holiday (12/25/2025)

Absent Day #4 (12/29/2025)

Absent Day #5 (12/30/2025)

Absent Day #6 (12/31/2025)

Holiday (1/1/2026)

Absent Day #7 (1/5/2026)

Absent Day #8 (1/6/2026)

Absent Day #9 (1/7/2026)

Absent Day #10 (1/8/2026)

Absent Day #11 (1/12/2026) – Not paid, consecutive limit reached.

Example 2:

Child was scheduled and authorized for care five days a week (Monday through Friday), every other week. The week child is not scheduled and authorized, is because the child is with other parent due to custody schedule. Child was scheduled and authorized for the week of 12/15/25–12/19/25. Child’s last day attended was Friday, 12/19/25.

Provider billed for absent days and holidays for days the child was scheduled and authorized. Holidays are not counted as absent days. The consecutive absent days will continue to count even when there are gaps of days/weeks that were not scheduled, and there was no attendance on the scheduled and authorized days. The consecutive absent day count does not restart each new year. In this example, the last day that can be paid is 1/26/26; child care cannot be paid until child attends care again.

Child was not scheduled and authorized the week of 12/22/25–12/26/25.

Absent day #1 (12/29/25)

Absent day #2 (12/30/25)

Absent day #3 (12/31/25)

Holiday (1/1/26)

Absent day #4 (1/2/26)

Child was not scheduled and authorized the week of 1/5/26–1/9/26.

Absent day #5 (1/12/26)

Absent day #6 (1/13/26)

Absent day #7 (1/14/26)

Absent day #8 (1/15/26)

Absent day #9 (1/16/26)

Child was not scheduled and authorized the week of 1/19/26–1/23/26.

Absent day #10 (1/26/26)

Absent day #11 (1/27/26) - Not paid, consecutive limit reached

Legal authority

Minnesota Statutes 142E.17, subd. 10
Minnesota Statutes 645.44, subd. 5
Minnesota Rules, 3400.0110, subp. 9