Parent Information

To be eligible for the child care program, families must be within the income guidelines and be working, in school, or in training a minimum of 25 hours per week for a one parent family or 50 hours per week for a two parent family. The family must reside in one of the nine counties in the Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas area: Bowie, Cass, Delta, Franklin, Hopkins, Lamar, Morris, Red River, or Titus counties.

To determine if you are eligible, call (800) 874-3226 or (903) 794-8999. An initial screening will be conducted over the phone. If it appears you may be eligible for the program, you will need to complete an eligibility packet and provide the required documentation of work/training participation and income to fully determine your eligibility. To view the income guidelines, please click here. To download an eligibility packet, please click here.

More detailed information about the child care program, including your rights and responsibilities as a parent, can be found in the Parent Handbook.

Choosing Child Care Arrangements

The child care program is based on the parent’s choices and needs. Parents have the option to select a regulated provider or a relative provider. Some regulated providers are Texas Rising Star Providers, a voluntary program for providers committed to providing quality care and who are exceeding the state’s minimum licensing standards. For more detailed information about the TRS program, see pages 13 and 14 of the Regulated Provider Handbook. A list of the current Texas Rising Star Providers may be found by clicking the link Texas Rising Star Provider List.

A regulated provider may be in the Texas School Ready! certification program which is based on a regulated child care provider’s demonstrated ability to prepare children for kindergarten. Refer to the Parent Handbook for detailed information on selecting child care arrangements.

A relative provider must not be living in the same home as the child and must be a grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling of the child who is over 18 years of age. A person appearing on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Sex Offender Registry is not eligible to be a relative provider. An eligible relative provider must be listed with Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS).

The parent’s share of cost for child care is a percentage of the parent’s gross monthly income. Workforce Solutions has a maximum daily reimbursement rate to pay the provider. In addition to the parent share of cost, some regulated providers may choose to have the parent pay the difference in the maximum reimbursement rate Workforce Solutions pays and the provider’s published rate. Texas Rising Star Providers are not allowed to charge the parents the difference between the maximum reimbursement rate and the provider’s published rate. Effective June 1, 2007, no providers may charge the difference to parents participating in the Choices program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training (SNAP E&T) program, parents in protective care, or parents who have a zero ($0) income.

To assist you in finding a regulated provider, you will find a list of all regulated providers on the website for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Another referral source for regulated provider care is to call 2-1-1 (toll free) to speak with a child care resource and referral representative. If using a cell phone, dial (361) 882-4636 for 2-1-1 services.

Choosing the right child care provider for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make. Trying to find child care can be a very difficult task. You want your child to be happy and, most importantly, safe. The following check list may help you in choosing the child care facility that best fits your needs.

Reporting Attendance Using Child Care Attendance Automation (CCAA)

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 to check them in and out. Parents may 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.