“For many of these parents who have to perform probably 24/7, it’s their only source of income,” said Dr. Mark Brittan, a professor in the pediatrics department at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “They can’t leave the house for the most part.” Brittan coauthored a study on Colorado’s program to pay parents and other caregivers to become certified nursing assistants for their children, which allows them to be paid through Medicaid.