Information for Providers

The child care program is a parent choice program. Parents have the option to select a regulated provider from all of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) licensed or registered facilities or an eligible relative provider. Parents are encouraged to visit facilities before choosing which provider will best meet the family’s needs.

Becoming A Regulated Provider

To become a regulated provider with Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas, a provider must be:

• Licensed or registered and not currently in corrective or adverse action with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) or
• Licensed as a youth camp by the Texas Department of Health Services or
• Operated and monitored by the United States Military Services.

If you need information on becoming licensed or registered, follow the link to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services web site.

Parents who desire regulated care may choose any licensed or registered facility. Workforce Solutions will contact the child care facility to place, update, or discontinue care for children receiving child care assistance. Regulated providers are reimbursed for the days authorized, including absence days and nine (9) holidays. Most parents receiving care are assigned a monthly parent share of cost to be collected by the provider. Effective June 1, 2007, regulated providers are not allowed to charge the parent the difference in the Workforce Solutions reimbursement rate and their published rate for parents who are participating in the Choices, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training (SNAP E&T) program, parents in protective care, or parent’s with a zero ($0) income. Details concerning the responsibilities of a regulated provider are found in the Regulated Provider Handbook.

Regulated providers must complete the Regulated Provider Packet prior to a referred child being enrolled. You may fax your packet to (903) 794-8004 or (888) 651-2038. Providers will be paid through the Child Care Automated Attendance (CCAA) system. 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. Providers are required to review the information online for the swipe card activity of parents enrolled in the child care program at least every five days. The provider must report to Workforce Solutions failure of a parent to report the child(ren)’s attendance using the swipe card within five days of the incident. The web site for the providers’ CCAA is workforcesolutionschildcare.com. The provider will be paid based on the information recorded by the CCAA. Providers are reimbursed for child care services provided via direct deposit. If you have questions, please call (903) 791-1583 or (866) 570-0028 for assistance.

Texas Rising Star Provider

The Texas Rising Star Provider (TRSP) program criteria are the basis for quality standards for care designed to meet the developmental needs of children ages birth through school-age. Certification is available to licensed centers, licensed child care homes, and registered child care home providers. The Texas Rising Star Program requires child care providers to raise their standards of quality care well beyond those required by the State of Texas. This includes having smaller group sizes, more qualified staff, and program components that address sound practices for the development of children. More detailed information on the TRS program, can be found on pages 13 & 14 of the Regulated Provider Handbook. Facilities are certified according to the results of the assessment or deferred if fewer criteria are achieved than required for certification. Information on the voluntary Texas Rising Star Provider certification is found by clicking on the link to the Texas Rising Star Provider guidelines. Texas Rising Star providers are paid a higher reimbursement rate and are not allowed to charge referred children the difference between the Workforce Solutions reimbursement and their published rate.

Texas School Ready! Provider

Texas School Ready! certification is based on a regulated child care provider’s demonstrated ability to prepare children for kindergarten. Preschool classrooms eligible for Texas School Ready! certification are composed of children who will be attending kindergarten the following school year and include: licensed child care centers (for profit, non-profit, and faith-based), school district and charter school prekindergarten, and Head Start. Texas School Ready! providers are paid a higher reimbursement rate.

Eligible child care providers and schools may apply online for Texas School Ready! certification at http://www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/our-programs/program-overview/TX-school-ready/.

Becoming A Relative Provider

Relative providers must meet the following criteria to be eligible to be reimbursed for child care through Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas:

• Be 18 years of age or older and,
• Be related to the child(ren) by blood, marriage or court decree,
• Maintain a separate residence from the family receiving child care financial assistance,
• Be a grandparent, great-grandparent of the children,
• Be an aunt or uncle of the child(ren),
• Be a brother or sister of the child(ren),
• Not appear on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Sex Offender Registry,
• Must be a listed family home with the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS),
• Have a bank account to receive reimbursement by direct deposit,
• Copies of birth certificates, marriage license, and/or court decree must be provided to verify the relative is eligible to be a provider,
• Documentation of residency is required.

All relative providers are independent contractors and not employees of Workforce Solutions Northeast Texas.

Details concerning the responsibilities of a relative provider are found in the Relative Provider Handbook.

Relative providers must complete the Relative Provider Packet, provide a copy of their listed permit from the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and must be determined to be an eligible relative provider before a child can be referred for the child care program. You may fax your packet to (903) 794-8004 or (888) 651-2038. Providers will be paid through the Child Care Automated Attendance (CCAA) system. 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. From the provider’s telephone, the parents will call the toll free number on the back of their card and follow the prompts. Parents with children enrolled with a relative provider do not report absences. Relative providers are not paid for absences but are paid only for the days they care for the children. Providers are required to review the information online for the swipe card activity of parents enrolled in the child care program at least every five days. The provider must report to Workforce Solutions failure of a parent to report their children’s attendance using the swipe card within five days of the incident. The web site for the providers’ CCAA is workforcesolutionschildcare.com. The provider will be paid based on the information recorded by the CCAA. Providers are reimbursed for child care services provided via direct deposit. If you have questions, please call (903) 791-1583 or (866) 570-0028 for assistance.