The Colorado Program Eligibility and Application Kit (PEAK) is designed to provide families with a modern and easily accessible tool to apply for public assistance benefits. PEAK allows you to apply online and check your eligibility for financial, educational or medical assistance by using the Am I Eligible tool.
Programs offered through Colorado PEAK include, but are not limited to:
The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) provides child care assistance to families who are working, searching for employment, or are in job training, and families who are enrolled in the Colorado Works Program and need child care services to support their efforts toward self-sufficiency. CCCAP provides access to reduced cost child care at licensed child care facilities or qualified (unlicensed) providers.
Head Start promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through agencies in their local community. Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the mental, social, and emotional development of children from birth to age 5. In addition to education services, programs provide your children and family with health, nutrition, social, and other services. Early Head Start serves pregnant women, infants, and toddlers. Early Head Start programs are available to your family until your child turns 3 years old and is ready to transition into Head Start or another pre-K program.
LEAP is designed to help low-income households with winter home heating costs. The program operates from November 1st through April 30th each year. Eligible households receive one benefit per program year. Since LEAP is not intended to pay the entire costs of home heating, it is important to keep current with payment of your heating bill.
Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides health coverage to eligible children, through both Medicaid and separate CHIP programs. Medicaid provides health coverage to low-income people and is one of the largest payers for health care in the United States. CHIP provides federal matching funds to states to provide health coverage to children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but who can't afford private coverage.
In Colorado, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is known as the Food Assistance Program. The purpose of the federally-funded Food Assistance Program is to alleviate hunger and malnutrition among low-income households by increasing their food purchasing power. Eligible households who apply receive a monthly benefit allotment. Households can redeem their allotment for food items only using an Electronic Benefits Transaction (EBT) card.
In Colorado, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is known as Colorado Works. It is a cash assistance program designed to assist eligible families with very low incomes to attain economic security by promoting job preparation, work, and family stabilization. Applicants who are either pregnant or have at least one child, and who meet other eligibility requirements, can receive monthly cash assistance payments, help with emergency household expenses, and/or services such as counseling, training, and employment assistance. The Colorado Works Program operates in all 64 counties and is delivered locally through each county's department of human or social services.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a nutrition program that provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthy food and other services free of charge to Colorado families who qualify. WIC’s goal is to help keep pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under age 5 healthy. The Colorado WIC Referral Form, www.coloradowicsignup.com, is a short, online form families and individuals can complete to determine if they are eligible for WIC.
