Child Care Assistance - ChildCareGroup

Child care is a workforce issue. Parents cannot go to work or to school if they don’t have access to affordable, accessible care for their children.

ChildCareGroup manages the Child Care Assistance (CCA) program, a child care subsidy program, which provides qualified families with child care scholarships to offset the high cost of child care so that parents can go to work or attend school or job training. Eligible families can seek financial support for care for their children from birth to age 12.

Working on behalf of Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, Workforce Solutions Heart of Texas, and Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas, the CCA program helps subsidize the cost of care for 22,000 children and their 11,000 parents. Through the CCA program, we are supporting today’s workforce and preparing tomorrow’s workforce.

Getting Started with Child Care Assistance

Parents must be seeking employment, employed or in a training or educational activity. If employed, training or educational activity, the activity hour requirement is:

• Single Parent Household: 25 hours a week

• Two Parent Household: combination of 50 hours a week

Please be sure to select the correct program that serves you from the options below. Submitting your application to the incorrect program may delay your application.

Dallas

Must be a resident of Dallas County

Parent Application – Dallas County

Parent Portal – Dallas County

Child Care Provider Portal – Dallas County

For more information about the Dallas CCA Program, call 214-630-5949.

Heart of Texas

Must be a resident of Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, or McLennan Counties

Parent Application – Heart of Texas (Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, McLennan Counties)

Parent Page – Heart of Texas (Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, McLennan Counties)

Child Care Provider Page – Heart of Texas (Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, McLennan Counties)

For more information about the Heart of Texas CCA Program, call 254-754-5421 .

Southeast Texas

Must be a resident of Hardin, Jefferson, or Orange Counties

Parent Application – Southeast Texas (Hardin, Jefferson, & Orange Counties)

Parent Page – Southeast Texas (Hardin, Jefferson, & Orange Counties)

Child Care Provider Page – Southeast Texas (Hardin, Jefferson, & Orange Counties)

For more information about the Southeast Texas CCA Program, call 409-839-8045 (Beaumont) or 409-962-1236 (Port Arthur).

How to Qualify

Location Requirements

Dallas

Must live in Dallas County

Heart of Texas

Must live in Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, Limestone, or McLennan Counties

Southeast Texas

Must live in Hardin, Jefferson, or Orange Counties

Basic Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for a child care scholarship, certain requirements must be met. Once determined eligible for a placement, documentation will be required as proof of eligibility before services can begin.

1. Must be in some type of employment or training/educational program, this includes:

· Seeking employment (you may receive a three-month child care scholarship to obtain employment that meets the activity hour requirement. At the end of the three months, if you are not employed and not meeting the activity hour requirement, the scholarship will end).

· Already employed

· Attending a training/educational program

2. If employed or in a training or educational program (excluding High School), you must be engaged in the activity for:

· 25 hours per week for a single-family household, and

· 50 combined hours a week for a two-parent household

3. The child receiving services must:

· be a US Citizen or

· legal immigrant

4. Meet Income guidelines:

Family Size (how many in the household)	Income Limit (income can not exceed this amount)
2	4,276
3	5,283
4	6,289
5	7,295
6	8,301
7	8,490
8	8,679
9	8,867

Finding an Early Learning Program

Finding the right early learning program is a critical decision is a critical decision. The program needs to be focused on quality indicators such as the development or children and the preparation for children to start school. In Texas, quality rating system is called Texas Rising Star. Look for the Stars!
You can search for child care, and find the rating along with the ability to view child care licensing non-compliances at https://find.childcare.texas.gov/welcome

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this program free, or will I have to pay something?

The parent share of cost is based on your gross household earned and unearned income, number in the household and how many children you need care for. If you do not have any income, then your share of cost would be zero.

What does it mean if I get waitlisted?

Your children have been placed on the wait list for future funding spots. Annually we receive money to provide financial assistance for child care costs, and when all of the money has been allocated, children who apply afterward have to go on a wait list. As children drop out of the program, we place children from the wait list.

What can I do if I don’t qualify?

First, make sure you have given us all of the information. If you don’t feel that it was determined correctly, you can contact our office at 214-630-5949 (Dallas) or 409-835-1411 (Beaumont) / 409-962-1236 (Port Arthur) for a review.