Child Care Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions from Parents

1. What is the Workforce Solutions child care program?

Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas helps eligible low-to moderate-income families offset the cost of child care by paying a portion of the child care costs.

2. Am I eligible to participate in the child care program?

Parents must reside within the nine-county area comprised of Bowie, Cass, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River and Titus counties. Parents must meet the income guidelines and must be working or attending training/education activities a minimum of 25 hours per week for a one parent family or 50 hours per week for a two parent family. Parents who are participating in a workforce program, such as Choices, at one of the Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas locations are eligible for the child care program based on a referral from the workforce center.

3. Is there a waitlist for the child care program?

It is possible that a waitlist may be necessary when maximum enrollment in the program is reached. You may call (903) 794-8999 or (800) 874-3226 to find out whether a waitlist is currently in place.

4. How long will it take to begin the child care program?

As long as there is no waitlist in place, you can begin the program after all required documentation and forms are received and you are determined to be eligible for the program. Once you have returned your eligibility packet and documentation, call to speak with a child care representative who will enroll you in the program.

If there is a waiting list because maximum enrollment has been reached, children can be placed from the waiting list as other children leave the child care program.

5. Who chooses my child’s provider?

You may choose any licensed or registered provider or a qualified relative as your child care provider. If a regulated provider is not currently set up as a provider in the child care program, they must submit a copy of their license and complete the Regulated Provider Packet. When you enroll into the program, a child care representative will contact the provider by phone to place the child(ren). You may choose a relative provider who is a grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling of the child/child who is 18 years of age or older. The provider must not reside in your home. The provider must become listed with DFPS. A person appearing on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Sex Offender Registry is not eligible to be a relative child care provider.

If you choose a relative provider, documents such as birth certificates must be provided to show proof of relationship. A listed permit must be submitted to Workforce Solutions. Proof of residency for both you and the provider must also be provided. The relative provider will be sent a Relative Provider Packet to complete and return.

6. How is attendance tracked and payments to the provider handled?

All clients receiving child care assistance through Workforce Solutions will use a swipe card to report attendance when the children are dropped off or picked up. Parents with children enrolled at a licensed child care center will swipe their card through a Point of Service (POS) machine. Parents will also report absences using the POS machine or calling in the absence from any phone to the toll free number on the back of the swipe card. Parents with children enrolled in a licensed or registered child care home or with a relative provider will use the provider’s phone to call the toll free number on the back of their cards and follow the prompts to report the children’s attendance and absences. Parents will be able to request up to three additional cards for anyone over 18 years of age who will be taking their children or picking them up from the child care provider. The provider will be paid based on the information recorded by the parent using Child Care Attendance Automation (CCAA). If you do not check your children in using your swipe card, the provider will not be paid and you will be required to pay the provider for the cost of the care for the days you did not record the attendance. Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas will pay the child care provider each month for your child’s care. You will be required to pay a portion of your child care cost, called a parent share of cost, to your providers. The provider may also charge you the difference between the maximum reimbursement rate that Workforce Solutions pays the provider and the amount of the provider’s published rate.

7. Why must I pay my parent share of cost when my child is absent?

This procedure assures that the provider will reserve a place for your child while he or she is absent. Children are allowed 30 days of absences within a 12 month period.

8. What income do I report?

You should report the gross monthly income before deductions for all working family members. Wages or salaries, commissions, tips, piece-rate payment and cash bonuses earned must be reported. Overtime pay is estimated based on the person’s history of receiving this pay. If you have more than one job, make sure to report gross income from each of your employers. Other income that must be reported includes child support, public assistance payments, SSI, unemployment and worker’s compensation, disability payments, and social security. Ask a child care representative about any regular income you receive to see if it must be included in your gross monthly income.

9. What is the Parent Responsibility Agreement?

A Texas Workforce Commission rule for participation in the child care program requires that a parent must provide written documentation of the following:

• The parent is cooperating with the Attorney General’s office for each child in the family to establish paternity,
• The parent is receiving child support; and if not, they are cooperating with the Attorney General’s office to seek child support,
• Each child in the family ages 6 -18 years old is attending school regularly,
• The parent must assure that she/he has not used, sold or possessed any controlled substance.

If proof is not received for these requirements, a sanction of $25 per month is charged for failure to comply.

10. What is a sanction?

A sanction is an increase in the amount of the parent share of cost assigned to the parent for not complying with the Parent Responsibility Agreement policy regarding paternity/child support or children’s attendance in school.

11. Why must I provide child support information and documentation of regular school attendance for my children who are not receiving child care assistance through the child care program?

The Texas Workforce Commission Rule for the Parent Responsibility Agreement requires documentation for all children in the family regardless of whether they are in care.

12. How long does my eligibility for child care continue?

You remain eligible as long as the information given at the time of enrollment remains current. If the situation changes and you are not working or attending school the required 25 hours per week for a one parent family or 50 hours per week for a two parent family, you will not be eligible. You can receive a grace period of four weeks to find a new job or to increase your hours, but you must contact a child care representative to request one. You are allowed a maximum of 4 weeks per year (October – September) for job searching. If you begin to receive additional income from a raise, bonus, overtime, or other income such as child support, you must report those changes within 10 days for your eligibility in the program to be re-determined. If there are no changes, you will be sent a notice when it is time to re-evaluate your eligibility. Eligibility must be determined every six months or more often if needed.

13. What are the consequences of not reporting all of my income or not reporting changes in my income and employment or training participation within 10 days?

At recertification, income is verified based on your employer’s reported income for unemployment insurance. If the information reveals unreported income that would have made you ineligible for the program, your child care assistance will be terminated and you will be required to pay back all of the money paid to your provider. If unreported income would have resulted in your owing more for your parent share of cost, you will be required to pay back the difference. To be eligible for continued child care assistance, you must be participating in work or training a minimum of 25 hours per week for a one parent family or 50 hours per week for a two parent family. You must call to report when you are not working, have dropped out of school, or are not participating 25 hours per week for a one parent family or 50 hours per week for a two parent family. The receipt of services for which you are no longer eligible constitutes grounds on which to suspect fraud, and it may be considered stealing.

Frequently Asked Questions from Providers

14. How do I become a regulated provider?

Children are referred to providers based solely on the parent’s choice. If you are not currently set up as a provider in the child care program, we will then send you a Regulated Provider Packet to complete and return. You must submit a copy of your license.

15. I have become a regulated provider, but I am not getting children referred to my center/home. Why?

Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas cannot guarantee that any children will be referred to your program. Children are referred to child care providers based solely on parent choice.

16. I have just been chosen as a child care provider. When do I get paid?

Payment is made after services have been provided. Attendance information is recorded in the Child Care Attendance Automation (CCAA) system and imported to the Child Care Services billing system. Once the information is imported and processed, you should receive payment within three weeks. Please do not call to ask about payment until three weeks have passed. You may call (903) 791-1583 or (866) 570-0028 if you have questions.

17. How often will I be paid?

Regulated providers may choose between a once a month or twice a month payment schedule. If monthly payment is chosen, the attendance information from CCAA will be imported for payment processing on the 6th of the following month. If twice a month payment is chosen, the first half month attendance will be imported on the 21st of the month. The second half of the month’s attendance will be imported on the 6th of the following month.

Relative providers are paid monthly. The attendance information from CCAA will be imported for payment processing on the 6th of the following month.

18. How do I receive payment?

Providers will have the reimbursement payment directly deposited into a specified checking or savings account. A direct deposit form must be completed and returned with a voided check. If you have a change of address you must notify us in writing of the change. Also, you must notify us if you change banks to complete the necessary forms.

19. Can I use the parent’s swipe card to report the child’s attendance or absences?

No, a parent is not allowed to give their swipe card to anyone else to use, including the child care provider or their employees. The director or owner of a child care center cannot be a secondary card holder.

20. How do I know if the parents are properly recording their children’s attendance each day using the swipe card?

The web site for the providers‘ CCAA is workforcesolutionschildcare.com. You can choose “Attendance” on the portal and view all of the children’s authorized enrollment and view whether the parent made an entry for each child for each day. On the Attendance screen, a red square with a Z indicates that the parent has not reported that child either present or absent for that day. You will not be paid for these days. Require the parent to go back for any days skipped (up to 6 day) that are showing a red Z on the portal and do a previous check in or check out or report an absence in order to be paid. For extenuating circumstances, you may get paid for the (Z) day if you reported it to Workforce Solutions by the 5th day.

21. How do I get answers to questions about problems I have with the POS?

You may call the provider help desk with questions about the POS machine not working properly. That number is (866) 320-8720 or you may call Workforce Solutions at (903) 791-1583 or (866) 570-0028.

22. As a child care provider, am I an employee of Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas?

No. You are an independent contractor and not an agent or employee of Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas. You are fully responsible for the payment of all federal, state and local taxes. We will provide you with IRS form 1099 at the end of each year.

23. How do I submit changes to my previously submitted provider information?

All changes must be submitted in writing by fax or mail.