Help paying for daycare in Texas

Texas has one main program that pays part of a family’s daycare bill, and several smaller ways to bring the cost down. This is how they fit together, in plain terms, and what to ask a provider before you count on any of it.

Child care assistance: the main program

The program most people mean when they say “childcare assistance” is Child Care Services, often shortened to CCS. It is funded through the Texas Workforce Commission and run locally by 28 Workforce Solutions boards, one for each region of the state. When a family is approved, the board pays most of the cost directly to the provider, and the family pays a smaller “parent share of cost” that depends on income and family size.

The provider has to take part in the program. On this site, a provider’s page and its city page show whether it reported to the state that it accepts child care assistance. As of the state’s latest list, 6,001 Texas providers do. On any city page, use the “Accepts subsidies” filter to see them; on the Texas page the same tile lists cities with a count.

Who qualifies, in general terms

The rules are set by the Texas Workforce Commission and applied by your local board, so the exact numbers vary by region and change over time. In broad strokes, at the time of writing:

• The child is under 13, or under 19 with a disability, and lives with you.
• The parents are working, looking for work for a limited period, in school, or in job training, for a minimum number of hours a week (the state uses 25 hours for a single parent and 50 hours combined for two parents as its baseline).
• Family income is at or below a limit the board sets, which cannot be more than 85% of the state median income for a family of that size. Some boards set it lower when money is tight.

Some families are served first: families moving off cash assistance, children of veterans, children with disabilities, families experiencing homelessness, and children in protective services (whose care is arranged through a separate program). When a board’s funds run out, it keeps a waiting list, and waits of months are common in the big metro areas. Getting on the list early costs nothing.

How to apply

1. Find your local Workforce Solutions board. The Texas Workforce Commission lists them by county on its child care page, and the state’s own provider search at childcare.texas.gov links to the same boards.
2. Apply online or by phone with the board, and expect to show proof of identity, income, work or school hours, and your child’s age. Ask whether there is a waiting list and how you will be told when a spot opens.
3. Choose a provider that accepts the program. You can change providers later, but the board has to be told first.
4. Once approved, ask the board how long the authorization runs, what your parent share is each month, and what happens if your hours change or you change jobs. Most trouble with the program comes from an authorization lapsing quietly.

Texas Rising Star

Texas Rising Star is the Workforce Commission’s quality certification for providers that take part in Child Care Services. It has levels, and certified providers are paid a higher rate by the boards. It is a useful thing to ask a provider about, and it is separate from the licensing and inspection record shown on this site. I do not display it as a score, because it is the state’s certification to explain, not mine.

Other ways to lower the bill

• A dependent care FSA through an employer lets you pay for care with money taken from your paycheck before tax. The yearly limit is set by federal law and has changed recently, so check the current figure with your employer.
• The federal Child and Dependent Care Credit gives back a share of what you paid for care so that you could work. The IRS explains it in Topic 602. Keep receipts and the provider’s tax ID.
• Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families that meet income rules, and run by local agencies; some Texas Head Start centers also appear in this directory because they hold a state permit.
• Texas public pre-K is free for eligible four-year-olds, and for some three-year-olds, through the school district. Eligibility categories are set by the state; the Texas Education Agency’s pre-K page lists them. Many families pair half-day pre-K with a daycare that provides transportation to and from school, which the city pages here count.
• Sibling discounts, church and nonprofit programs, and part-time schedules are the everyday levers. Ask every provider for its written rate sheet and any discounts before you compare.

What to ask a provider

• Do you accept Child Care Services now, and is there a waiting list for subsidized spots specifically?
• What do families pay you on top of the parent share: registration, supplies, activity or late fees?
• What happens to my child’s spot if my authorization lapses for a few weeks?
• Are you Texas Rising Star certified, and at what level?

None of this changes what the licensing record says. Whether or not a provider takes assistance, its permit, capacity and inspection history are shown the same way on every page here.